- No Evil or Plague
Psalm 91:10
There shall no evil befall thee,
Neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.
The condition for the Protection Promise is repeated in verse 9: “Because you have made the lord your dwelling place…” Or: “If you place your trust in the Lord, then….” The promise is that Death and Devil will be kept away from you; no harm or danger shall take your life or shorten it before God’s prearranged time; you will be protected from evils and plagues while you dwell in His Presence.
Dangers are always around us; Death stalks in the shadows; the Devil lurks like a seeking lion. But we are in the secret place and evils cannot come nigh our dwelling for it is under God’s protection. If this promise is true, then why do bad things happen to good people? First of all, the promise is not nullified; it still stands and holds true for those who trust.
The defiant, disbelieving question, “Why do bad things happen to good people?” yields no satisfactory resolution to inquiring minds. But three issues are raised by this question in relation to God’s Promise, “No evil shall befall thee.”
First, why ask “Why?” God tells Job: “Don’t ask questions about the reasons or the ways of God; the ‘mystery of iniquity’ is beyond your comprehension as a created being; I am God, you are not and you wouldn’t understand even if I could tell you; your response to my working in your life is to trust me, not to argue; I know what I am doing and it is good for you; you: repent and believe.” You can ask why, but don’t expect an answer you will like or can understand. Only believe!
Second, what are “bad things?” We humans consider something bad or evil if it causes pain and loss and suffering to me. Something is evil if God says it is evil (like breaking His Law), not if I pronounce something evil. It is possible, and it often happens so, that something that at first glance seemed terrible actually turned out be something good and of great benefit. It is possible for our spiritual life and faith to be blessed while some physical evil is going one. At any rate, when afflictions happen the first response can always be “repent and believe.” That’s a good thing.
Third, who are the “good people?” There is not a just man upon earth that doeth good and sinneth not. No one is good except god alone. Jesus is the only person who ever lived who can claim the adjective “good person.” If I believe God’s word and judgment that I am not good then why should I not accept “bad” things? I am a bad person and of course bad things will happen, in fact, in a sinful world the only thing we can rightly expect are bad things and consequences. It is only by God’s mercy that good things ever happen to us at all, for blessings we have not deserved. Once I have it straight that “I am not a good person” then I will repent and believe and thank God profusely for any good thing that comes my way, since God is good.
The lesson: I repent and believe and place my trust; now I know “evil will not befall me.” For sure, no eternal or spiritual evil that will destroy my soul and keep me away from God forever will befall me. That’s an Amen!