Deliver us From Evil

Today the sermon is entitled “Deliver us From Evil,” and we are going to talk about consequences.

All of us are familiar with the “Lord’s Prayer” that is found in Matthew 6, and repeated in the Gospel of Luke. I’ll read here the version in Matthew:

Mat 6:9-13

When he had finished, Yahshua explained what it seems He considered the most important part of the prayer for His disciples at that particular time:

Mat 6:14, 15

One of the parts of this prayer that I never really understood, until recently, was the part that says, “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” (verse 13).

This always raised two questions in my mind:

1) Why would we need to ask our loving Father not to lead us into temptation?

2) Why should we ask to be delivered from evil?

That second question may require some explanation, and in fact will be the focus of today’s talk, but I would also like to address the first question of Yahweh potentially “leading” people into temptation, which is why the Son instructs us to ask Him not to do so. It’s something that we may have covered in a previous study so I won’t spend a lot of time on it now.

We read, as relevant to that idea:

James 1:13, 14

Now, let’s talk about a few occasions that appear, at first glance, to say otherwise:

We might consider Abraham and Isaac:

Gen 22:1, 2

And again:

2Sam 24:1

In both these cases, we have Yahweh being responsible for, or at least claiming some responsibility for, these actions that have been described in the language of the Bible as “temptations.”

1Cor 10:13 has a part of the answer to this. We read that… And so Yahweh will allow, rather than actively instruct us, to come into difficult situations, and ultimately for our refinement.

We read also, and it’s a well-known verse for us:

Rom 8:28

But that is really only part of the answer, for Christ teaches us to pray that we won’t be led into “temptation” of any kind. In addition, it is not even Yahweh’s desire to “test” us, as the verses speaking of Him tempting us are usually rendered. The problem is that we have an accuser:

Rev 12:10

And he has been with us from the very beginning:

Gen 3:1

The Book of Job offers much insight into what the dynamic is there:

Job 1:6-12

These are things we have talked about, to some degree, before, but here is the something else. You will notice that when Yahweh tests someone, even by allowing them to come into situations where they might fall into actual temptation, He is never the one inspiring them to evil acts. By that I mean, looking at the two examples above:

Abraham was instructed to offer a sacrifice unto Yahweh. Now, the object of the sacrifice would have been improper, but Yah has no intention of letting Isaac actually die. Similarly, the numbering of Israel is something that would have been perfectly legitimate in other circumstances – if an enemy was about to attack the nation, for example.

While Satan tempts people to actually perform acts of evil, Yahweh may put someone in a position where transgression is possible (such as in the Garden of Eden) but He will often actively warn them about it, and its consequences. No deception is involved, and the right path is always made available, and clear.

I hope that this is obvious once it has been pointed out.

Now what about the second part of Matthew 6:13, delivering us from evil?

If it is indeed true that “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose,” then why do we need to ask for protection from evil things? And if Yahweh wants good for us, why do we need to ask anyway?

To answer the second question first, Yahweh set the universe up in a specific way. He does not “need” to be praised continually, yet there are angels assigned to praise Him continually. This is for the sake of the creatures, not the Creator. We benefit by seeking Yahweh in prayer, by drawing close to Him in character, by coming to know His heart, and if He gave us all things without the necessity of us asking – well, what happens in human families when this occurs? The children grow up willful, spoiled, and with a lack of appreciation for anything, including other people.

Yahweh does not spoil His children. He wants the best for us, and HAS the best for us, but it is important that we commune with Him that we may develop thanksgiving, which keep us humble, teachable, and able to hear His voice.

But why do we need to be delivered from “bad luck” if all things work together for good? The truth is, this is not what the Son of Yah has told us to pray for at all. Like Colossians 2:14-16, the culprit here is a slight change in the way the words have come into English, and they essentially change the way that the whole verse, maybe the whole passage, is read.

Giselle and I were listening to a Bible study last week, and the speaker mentioned something very interesting about the Greek wording of Matthew 6:13. I hadn’t noticed it before myself, so when I got the chance I looked it up in Blueletter Bible (which has images of the characters on the received texts) to read it for myself. Sure enough, the speaker was not only right, but there was a note in the commentary section for Blueletter confirming it. Here’s the verse again:

Mat 6:13

Here is what Blueletter Bible’s commentary, quoting from another author, says about the word “evil” in the form used there:

“Although the KJV renders this ‘deliver us from evil,’ the presence of the article indicates not evil in general, but the evil one himself. In the context of Matthew’s Gospel, such deliverance from the devil seems to be linked to Jesus’ temptation in 4:1-10: Because the Spirit led him into temptation by the evil one, believers now participate in His victory.” (Daniel B. Wallace, Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics, p. 233)

That’s a pretty insightful connection that the author makes with the chapters before. But we cannot just say, “What an interesting study, there’s a new way to look at that verse.” Now, we need to ask ourselves, if we’ve been reading this verse that way for so many years, with various degrees of understanding, what does it mean to us now that we are more aware of the Gospel’s actual meaning about this matter?

It means this: consequences are okay. As I said in the beginning, we are going to talk about consequences this week. Consequences are not something to be afraid of. This is why, when things go “wrong” in the life of a CSDA, when the people around us are panicking and using bad language, we can smile acceptingly. It doesn’t mean that we consider all things necessarily pleasant, and that smile may be one of patience consciously being exercised… but it is a genuine emotion. We are looking at the sanctifying power of the results of our actions.

We are not told to ask for deliverance from bad circumstances. Indeed, many people blame Yahweh for the way their lives turned out, and they say, “We prayed for deliverance from this evil!” Ultimately, they may be destroyed for a lack of spiritual knowledge, for they misunderstand Yah’s purpose toward them, fail to see the sanctification being offered to them, and blame Him for the circumstances by which He was attempting to heal them.

We can do better than that. We read another passage that is potentially confusing, and one that I have spoken about before:

Isa 45:5-7

That word for “evil” is not transgression, or sin. It is not moral or spiritual evil, it is the kind of evil that is the result of error. As the Scripture says:

Psa 34:21

That is the kind of “evil” we are talking about. Evil will slay the wicked, and evil is a tool in the hand of Yah to sanctify His people. Of course, we cannot say that without carefully explaining that we are speaking about evil in the circumstantial, not ethical, sense. If we are forgetful and lose our car keys, that is “evil,” but Yah allows it so that we can learn to be more careful next time. If we set a bad example, even without it being known sin, but people find it harder to find the truth because of what we have done, that is a very great evil; but hopefully it will lead us to repentance of our previous failures.

The law of Cause and Effect, just like any other Law that comes from Yahweh, like the 10 Commandments, is for the benefit of the creation. If it were not so, there could be no science, no technology, no reading, or writing, or art. If things did not happen because of anything else, and if you did exactly the same thing twice you could get two different results entirely, it is impossible to predict, plan or expect anything.

The problem is that people want to enjoy the benefits of cause-and-effect (you eat food and therefore you don’t starve to death) on the physical level, but they want to ignore its penalties on every level – particularly the spiritual. If we accept gifts from Yahweh, we must accept the entire gift, and trust that it is all for our good.

In a previous study, “Within The Ark,” I spoke of individuals who do this with doctrines. They take what they “like” and leave what they “dislike.” What the Bible says is that we must accept the good (whether or not we like it) and reject the [morally] evil (whether or not we like it). The Gospel, if it is incomplete, is ineffective.

But now, we are told to ask for protection from “the evil one” or Satan. This is in order. We know that the fallen angels are much more intelligent, and powerful, than we are. Satan is a defeated foe, from a cosmic standpoint, because his destruction is certain. This does not mean, however, that he does not have power over the lives of those who choose to worship him by their words, or actions, or lack of words and actions.

We have been told, in early Adventist writings, that mankind is not safe for an hour without prayer, and seeing the enemies arrayed against us, this is certainly a true statement. CSDAs of all other people, must reply upon Yahweh, and upon our connection with Him through constant prayer. The Devil, as Peter says in that often-quoted verse, is going about like a lion; and he will devour whomsoever he can.

It is true, as the author of the comment on Mat 6:14 said, that we share in the Victory of Yahshua. Yet this does not mean there is nothing to do. We must also take up our cross and follow Him, as the verse says. We must also “overcome” as He overcame, and this indicates very clearly that there are things that need to be overcome.

We are, therefore, instructed to pray for Yah’s protection, and the ministry of the angels. The angels comforted Yahshua after He was taken “into temptation” by the Spirit at Satan’s doubtless accusations. As it is written:

Luke 22:43

And again:

Heb 1:14

With a more full understanding of this prayer, I believe we have one more piece of the picture of Yahshua’s personality, and how we – abiding in Him – will act when faced with the unexpected, the trying, the persecution that is coming upon the Church even now.

We may expect protection from Satan, as the Word clearly tells us:

1John 5:18

But note, even in that verse we are told there is something to do… we must be born again. We must make the decision to surrender our old lives completely, and start with the new one. And we can be certain, as we do this, that although difficult times will come upon us, all that comes to us that is “evil” is really intended for good, and the most important thing to realize is that even as we face a dark and terrible time because of the worldly policies of failed religious leaders, we can rest secure in the knowledge that our Father in Heaven truly does have all things in His hands.