Evil or Life?

Isaiah 5:20 - Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!

I used the word vile in a message sent to a friend. I noticed, certainly not for the first time, two other words use those same letters. And they mean the opposite: evil and live. Of course the word veil is also found. All the words have significant biblical meaning.

We see much that once was good is now considered evil (it’s now offensive) and what was evil is now considered good (must tolerate so as not to offend).  

Vile - dark, evil, immoral, sinful

Evil - wicked, bad, wrong, immoral, sinful 

Live - abide, dwell, reside; to have life

Veil - concealing covering; to hide or partly hide

Let's start with vile:

Jerusalem has sinned gravely, therefore she has become vile. All who honored her despise her because they have seen her nakedness; yes, she sighs and turns away. (Lamentations 1:8) There you have it. The sinner is considered vile. Left in this state we are doomed. I think of the hatred so prevalent these days. There will be a time when it will become their downfall. Their true nature now is evident. I know God will determine the haters' fate. I'm glad they can be forgiven if they choose Christ and turn from this sin.

Evil:

When wisdom enters your heart, and knowledge is pleasant to your soul, discretion will preserve you; understanding will keep you, to deliver you from the way of evil, from the man who speaks perverse things, from those who leave the paths of uprightness to walk in the ways of darkness; who rejoice in doing evil, and delight in the perversity of the wicked... (Proverbs 2:10-14)

In Proverbs 2 the header in my Bible states: The Value of Wisdom. It's always about wisdom but not our wisdom, God's. I'm sure I sound like a broken record but everything is about God, whether one wants to believe it or not. God the Creator owns it all! Evil is becoming more evident. There is a perversity running rampant. What once was good is now considered evil. Look at what we see as "entertainment" on television and in movies. It's not worth watching. Promoting violence. Who needs it? Promoting sex, crime, killing, foul language. Who needs that? Call me old fashioned but there used to be movies that were good without the language. This is vile! 

Live:

Jesus said: The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. (John 10:10)

The thief is working overtime today to bring people into or leave people in evil. But Jesus Christ changes how we feel about evil. He shows us the benefits from walking away from this evil and living in His light, offering us His righteousness and goodness. He is the light of life. In Him we have life. Praise the Lord!

Veil:

Then the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was torn in two. (Luke 23:45) 

We all have a veil blinding us from the truth before we know Christ. This veil is lifted when Christ reveals Himself to us and when we respond. As I've written before, in the Old Testament the Holy of Holies was where only the high priest could enter to meet with God. It was separated by a veil. When Jesus died that huge veil was torn from top to bottom. This veil was so large and made of such heavy materials only the mighty hand of God could rent it. It was torn because God had offered the last Sacrificial Lamb for mankind. This Lamb is available for whosoever will receive Him. Hallelujah! 

One little word spelled a few ways. So much meaning. Jesus came that we might have life; life means repenting of our sins and departing from the vile and evil things of the world. The veil in that temple has been torn. We are considered evil and enemies of God without Christ but through Christ we can be forgiven, can have life and are able to turn from all things vile and evil...and the enemy who loves to sow vile and evil hatred. 

2Timothy 2:3-6 - For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time...