Woe to those who call good evil and evil good............. Parables 351

January 5, 1993
 
Apparently there is a very unusual super-sniffer in Mexico who can detect illegal drugs even in passing cars. So far, he is directly responsible for 113 arrests. Authorities say he is never wrong!

This super-sniffer is a German Shepherd crossbreed. Obviously he is a threat to the profitable life style of illegal drug dealers. They have offered a $25,000 reward to anyone who will kill him.

We have heard that “crime pays” but putting a police dog on a HIT LIST gives a new twist to it. Imagine criminals putting up Wanted-Dead or Alive posters for the good guys; criminals paying criminals to put away law-enforcers. Such cooperation is what we normally expect from the good guys, not the crooks.

Speaking of the good guys, there is a contradictory twist in that camp too. More and more law-makers and law enforcers make news headlines for moving closer to the other side. These days, it is difficult to be certain who is on what side of the law.

Confusing good and bad is not a new thing. The ancient nation of Israel, even though they possessed the Law of God which was intended to help them govern their lives, became confused about good and bad. God said of them, “My people are foolish, They have not known Me. They are silly children, And they have no understanding. They are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge” (Jeremiah 4:22).

In their early days as a nation, the Israelites were governed by kings like David, who was called “a man after God’s own heart” and his son Solomon, who asked God, “Give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil.” Both recognized their inability to judge and govern without God’s help.

Later on, during Jeremiah’s life time, both kings and citizens had turned from God to worship idols. In doing so, they earned the labels “foolish” and “silly children.”

One reason the Israelites were unable to do good was simply because they no longer knew what good meant. In departing from God, who is the source of goodness and all ethical standards, they also turned their backs on the very principles which would have guided them. Furthermore, they placed themselves in danger of divine judgment. God said to them, “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil...”

The Word of God calls everyone, including Israel, to a true understanding of goodness, a goodness that can only be found in Him. Jesus said, “There is none good but God...”

Jesus offers hope to those who rely on Him and guidance for personal and national goodness. What a difference it would make if people would live by such commands as, “Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good... do not be overcome by evil but overcome evil with good” (Romans 12).

Most people still long for goodness, yet we need to remember where it is found. If any person or nation abandons God and turns away from His Word, they can expect the only consequence possible--moral deterioration. Without God, evil prevails.

Unfortunately, those drug dealers may find and kill that super-sniffer dog, yet the Bible makes it clear that they (and anyone else who calls good evil and evil good) will eventually have to explain their lives to the Ultimate Judge. He has every right to try, convict, and condemn them--and He will do it according to His definition of good and evil.