Proverbs 21.10
“The soul of the wicked desires evil; his neighbor finds no mercy in his eyes.”
There is evil in the world. There are wicked people who are deeply evil. These are people whose soul desires evil, and who have no concern for the welfare of others and show no mercy.
There are several implications of this reality:
- Don’t be naive. Acknowledge the fact there are evil people in the world. See evil for what it is. See evil people for who they are.
- Protect yourself. Stay away from evil people. Don’t get involved with them or their activities. Stay away from everything that evil people are involved with.
- Be discerning. In particular, recognize evil people who try to disguise themselves as good. These are the frauds. The fakes. The counterfeits. “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” (I John 4.1)
- Be extra careful with religious and political leaders who are evil but trying to disguise themselves as good.“For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness.” (2 Corinthians 11.13-15)
- Caution! Don’t equate different opinions with evil. Just because someone holds ideas or opinions different from yours doesn’t make them evil. This is especially true when it comes to religious and political issues.
Evil is real. Wicked people exist. Recognize that reality and respond with discernment and wisdom.
