NECESSARY EVIL
Going through the scriptures past couple of days. I discovered something I want to share with us through this write up, off course I am very culpable and many too who may have the same thought as I did. Before then, I will also like share this information, which i got from reading a journal credited to Dietrich Bonhoeffer. He wrote, "What is worse than doing evil is being evil." These words were used to defend his actions in a plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler during World War II. An assassination is an evil thing, but some, including Bonhoeffer, would call it a necessary evil, in light of the greater evil of the Holocaust. To our very own, Abiola was killed by those who thought they were doing Nigeria and Nigerians good. By their thought, Abiola will become greater evil if allowed to become the president he was elected for. Even to us as individuals in which category i fall into, we have lied, cheated and maligned for what we termed "lesser evil". We have done things as a Christian we ought not to do, simply because we are blinded by the benefit we hoped to gain from the thereafter.
Now the question, is the concept of "necessary evil" or lie or whatever name we may coin it supported in the Scripture?
We should probably first define the word 'evil'. I was able to find out two different uses of the word in the Scripture: natural disasters and morally deficient (bad) behavior, there could be more, but let me restrain myself to these two. In Isaiah 45:7, there is a reference to God creating evil: "I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the Lord do all these things" (KJV). The word evil in this passage means "disaster" or "catastrophe." The antithetical parallelism of the poetry places evil in direct contrast with peace. The sense is that God brings times of peace and times of trouble.
The other type of evil that denotes something bad or morally wrong is mentioned in Matthew 12:35, where a "good" man is contrasted with an "evil" man. See also Judges 3:12; Proverbs 8:13; and 3 John 1:11.
Rarely would anyone argue that lying is not a moral evil. Yet in two instances in the Old Testament, lying is followed by a positive outcome. Abraham lied about his wife (Genesis 20:2) so that he wont be killed because she was too beautiful, and the harlot Rahab lied to the king of Jericho in order to protect the Hebrew spies hiding on her roof (Joshua 2:5). Later, God spared Rahab and her family when Israel destroyed Jericho. Was Rahab's lie a "necessary evil"? It is important to note that the Bible does not specifically condone her lie; Rahab was spared not because she lied but because she welcomed the spies in faith (Joshua 6:17; Hebrews 11:31). True, her lying was part of her plan to hide them. Had she not lied, it is conceivable that the spies would have been killed-unless God intervened in another way. In any case, Rahab's lie could be seen as the lesser of two possible evils.
Was Rahab's evil necessary? "Necessary" is a stretch, even though the end result was the spies' safe return to Joshua. Even if her lie seemingly benefited someone, what Rahab did was sinful, and so was Abraham, which God proved he would have still protected him had it been he said the truth.
As I was deep in thought, it came to me why he is called a JUST and WISE GOD, the ALFA and OMEGA. He knew what devil will throw at him, he knew the devil will remind him of what his friends and the people HE calls HIS own has done even though he (the devil) knew they did it then in ignorant, hence (Isaiah 53:6).
Rarely, if ever, will anyone face a situation where two evils are the only choices available. There may be things we are forced to do that are distasteful to us or that go against our better judgment. But, given the fact that God desires holiness in His people (1 Peter 1:15), it does not seem likely that it is ever "necessary" for us to commit sin. No wondered the disciples had to hid themselves in a room so as not to be seen and then have a repeat of Peter's account (Matthew 26:34) out of fear, because they knew the time of ignorance has passed and the debts paid.
IF WE GROW KNOWLEDGEABLE IN HIS WORD, HE WILL GRANT US THE WISDOM TO BECOME SUCCESSFUL.
Now the question, is the concept of "necessary evil" or lie or whatever name we may coin it supported in the Scripture?
We should probably first define the word 'evil'. I was able to find out two different uses of the word in the Scripture: natural disasters and morally deficient (bad) behavior, there could be more, but let me restrain myself to these two. In Isaiah 45:7, there is a reference to God creating evil: "I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the Lord do all these things" (KJV). The word evil in this passage means "disaster" or "catastrophe." The antithetical parallelism of the poetry places evil in direct contrast with peace. The sense is that God brings times of peace and times of trouble.
The other type of evil that denotes something bad or morally wrong is mentioned in Matthew 12:35, where a "good" man is contrasted with an "evil" man. See also Judges 3:12; Proverbs 8:13; and 3 John 1:11.
Rarely would anyone argue that lying is not a moral evil. Yet in two instances in the Old Testament, lying is followed by a positive outcome. Abraham lied about his wife (Genesis 20:2) so that he wont be killed because she was too beautiful, and the harlot Rahab lied to the king of Jericho in order to protect the Hebrew spies hiding on her roof (Joshua 2:5). Later, God spared Rahab and her family when Israel destroyed Jericho. Was Rahab's lie a "necessary evil"? It is important to note that the Bible does not specifically condone her lie; Rahab was spared not because she lied but because she welcomed the spies in faith (Joshua 6:17; Hebrews 11:31). True, her lying was part of her plan to hide them. Had she not lied, it is conceivable that the spies would have been killed-unless God intervened in another way. In any case, Rahab's lie could be seen as the lesser of two possible evils.
Was Rahab's evil necessary? "Necessary" is a stretch, even though the end result was the spies' safe return to Joshua. Even if her lie seemingly benefited someone, what Rahab did was sinful, and so was Abraham, which God proved he would have still protected him had it been he said the truth.
As I was deep in thought, it came to me why he is called a JUST and WISE GOD, the ALFA and OMEGA. He knew what devil will throw at him, he knew the devil will remind him of what his friends and the people HE calls HIS own has done even though he (the devil) knew they did it then in ignorant, hence (Isaiah 53:6).
Rarely, if ever, will anyone face a situation where two evils are the only choices available. There may be things we are forced to do that are distasteful to us or that go against our better judgment. But, given the fact that God desires holiness in His people (1 Peter 1:15), it does not seem likely that it is ever "necessary" for us to commit sin. No wondered the disciples had to hid themselves in a room so as not to be seen and then have a repeat of Peter's account (Matthew 26:34) out of fear, because they knew the time of ignorance has passed and the debts paid.
IF WE GROW KNOWLEDGEABLE IN HIS WORD, HE WILL GRANT US THE WISDOM TO BECOME SUCCESSFUL.
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