Balance is something that has to be learned with experience. A child may think that riding a bike is an impossible task. But once the technique (controlling the wobble) is mastered, the talent of maintaining balance on a bicycle in motion becomes a learned behavior.
Most are aware of the eco system we have in which animals on this planet are constantly making a meal out of each other and the available plant life. There is a built-in balance to all living things as they interact with each other.
There exists also a spiritual balance between good and evil. From the time of the second rebellion against God (Adam and Eve eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil) until the end of man’s rule on this planet may be roughly six thousand years. The last millennium (the 7th) could become the 1000 years in which the planet receives rest from man’s evil rule. During the time of man’s rule on this planet God has allowed a balance to exist between good and evil. This evil, headed by Satan and his demons, provides the temptation, which, in the long run, will cause a person to either become more evil or will cause him to transcend the evil and accept Christ, initiating the journey to holy righteous character. The reason God allows this to happen is: He wants loving obedient children, not robots. It was known that Christ, the Lamb of God, would be slain from the foundation of the world (Revelation 13:8) to provide us with the chance of salvation (Revelation 12:10, Hebrews 9:28). Those who are involved in the process of salvation are establishing righteous character, which is enhanced by the Father through Christ. On the other hand, evil people are becoming more evil.
This is one of the messages of Psalms 18:26.
The Psalmist, speaking to Almighty, says: “With the pure you will show yourself pure; and with the froward, you will show yourself froward.”
Will God show himself to be pure and to be froward? The King James kept the poetic rhythm in this verse but lost some of the nuances of meaning.
The King James word “pure” (first word) is the Hebrew adjective “tahowr”, which is a word meaning pure and clean. However the King James “will show yourself pure” is from the Hebrew word “barar”, which is a verb meaning: will purify, will cleanse, will test, will cause to shine. In other words, God will take a person who is clean and make the person cleaner. Some may argue, “But I’m clean to start with.” This is false. All of our righteousness is like filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6) compared to the righteousness that can come from God.
“…with the froward, you will show yourself froward.” The King James “froward” (first word) is from the Hebrew adjective “iqqesh”, meaning: twisted, distorted, crooked, perverse. The King James “will show yourself froward” is from the Hebrew “pathal”, which means “will twist”.
The twisted will be twisted furtherand the pure will be purified further. How can the pure be made more pure? It seems like a contradiction but it isn’t.
When an unclean spirit is cast out of a person, he will be relatively pure. However he runs the risk of having 7 other evil spirits invading his relatively neutral consciousness (Matthew 12:43-45). However, the Spirit from God occupying that space, that human operating system, causes an improved purification. We are washed during the regeneration (transformation), during and after conversion, having a renewing of the Holy Spirit. This is, of course, presuming we have received the Holy Spirit.
God will take individuals who are twisted (crooked) and twist them further, allowing for the continued twisting. By the same token he will take people who are relatively clean and clean them further, allowing for continued cleansing. This process continues right up to the end.
“Yes, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. But evil men and seducers shall become worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived” (2 Timothy 3:12-13). Taking the negative path also causes deficits in understanding.
“Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand” (Daniel 12:10).
(Special thanks goes to Art Morgado for the core idea for this article.)
wily@wilyelder.com
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