Peter the
apostle desired for the “scattered” Christian to “love
life, and see good days”, and this required for them to “keep
their tongues from evil”, “their lips from guile”,
“eschew evil”, “do good” and “seek peace”
and “pursue it”. In chapter three and verse twelve of his
letter, Peter shares how the “eyes of the Lord” and “his
ears” are toward the “righteous” where we read:
but the
face of the Lord is
against them that do evil.
The
verse continues, “For the eyes of the
Lord are over
the righteous, and his ears are open
unto their prayers:” Peter
began with the word, “For”
which means “because or since” “the
eyes” or
“vision and sight” “of the Lord”
which refers to “he to whom a person or
thing belongs, about which he has power of deciding; master and the
title give to God the Messiah”
“are over”
or “upon, on, at, by and before” “the
righteous”
who are “people who observe divine laws, virtuous and keeping the
commands of God” “and his ears”
which refers to “the faculty of perceiving with the mind,
understanding and knowing” “are
open unto” or
“towards and among “their prayers”
or “supplications, needs, indigences, wants, privations and
penury”. The Lord has “the
righteous”
in his sight, and He perceives, understands and knows the desires of
those who keep the commands of God.
The
verse goes on to say, “but the face of the
Lord is
against them that do evil.” Peter added the
word, “but” which
is a disassociation conjunction which means “moreover,
nevertheless, even and then” and implies that what is written now
takes precedence over what was previously stated “the
face” or “presence and countenance” “of
the Lord” which refers to “he to whom a
person or thing belongs, about which he has power of deciding; master
and the title give to God the Messiah” “is
against” or “upon, on, at, by and before”
“them that do evil”
which refers to “people who make, produce, construct, form or
fashion bad natures, modes of thinking, feeling, and who are base,
wrong, wicked, troublesome, injurious, pernicious, destructive and
baneful”. Though the Lord's eyes and ears are toward those who
practice righteousness, His countenance is in opposition to those who
are wicked.
When
we meditate upon Peter's words, we understand the Lord is watching
those who are “righteous”, and He is listening to their
“prayers”. However, we also understand that His “face”
is “against” those who do not follow His ways. Sometimes
we may wonder if the Lord is for us, and this verse assures us He is
even when our surroundings tell us otherwise. Our part is continue
following His ways, be righteous, and do as He instructs us. May the
Lord Jesus help us to know what it means to be “righteous”
and may the Lord's eyes and ears always be attentive to us as we live
before Him.
Next
time Peter asks, “who is that will harm you”,
so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until tomorrow…there is more…
Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
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