Whispers of Evil

I try to follow some of the daily lectionary readings.  This is a discipline for me, which I know is healthy if I can do it.  However, there are typical temptations that derail my intentionality to be disciplined.  In fact, I am amazed how easily tempted I am and how easy it is to succumb to these temptations and not do what I intended to do.  When this happens, I am disappointed in myself, but I don’t beat myself up.  I just try to do better the next time.

Today I succeeded.  I managed to do the Morning Prayer.  Morning Prayer is the best way to get my day started.  I find it focusing.  I know that a little reflective time at the outset of the day is good for my soul.  I like following this prayer because I know it always uses a couple of the Psalms.  I know how important the Psalms have been throughout history---for the Jewish community and the Christian community.  The Psalms play a central role in the life of monastic worship.  My own Quaker tradition seldom made use of the Psalms, so I felt like I came to them later in life.

The beauty of the Psalms is the fact that they are not all happy Psalms.  By happy Psalms I mean those that say good things about human beings.  In happy Psalms humans are blessed and praised.  Humans get good things from God and, perhaps, even the early rulers.  But there are other Psalms.  I don’t call them sad Psalms.  But they are Psalms in which human being are not faring very well.  Sometimes these Psalms are brutally honest, calling to task humans who have fallen short and, even, failed.  Some of these Psalms present an angry God who is not about to put up with human nonsense.  No wonder I never learned about these Psalms.

The lectionary is good because it ploughs through all 150 Psalms.  You get the good and the tough Psalms.  You get praised and blasted.  You are kudoed and challenged.  And you often are warned.  This warning Psalm was the kind I encountered in the Morning Prayer.  The Psalm was Psalm 36.  I am not familiar with it, which means part of it, at least, is not a happy Psalm.  I decided to focus simply on the first verse.

I usually like to look at two different versions---two different English translations of the original Hebrew words.  One version that I normally prefer reads as such: “Transgression speaks to the wicked deep in their hearts; there is no fear of God before their eyes.”  This is pretty straightforward.  When I read this, I get the sense there are times I am “the wicked!”  Although I prefer not to see myself in those terms, it is probably good for me honestly to admit there are times I am more wicked than good.  And when I am in my wicked phase, there probably is no fear of God in my mind.  Ugh, the Psalmist has nailed me!

I realize I did not say anything about the word, transgression.  I seldom hear that word, so it likely means it is not part of the normal language of our culture.  I would never say that I “transgressed the speed limit” on the interstate.  But I will confess that I “break the speed limit” or “exceed the speed limit.”  That sounds more acceptable!

However, the second translation actually helps me understand better what the Psalmist meant.  That version comes from the Benedictine lectionary that I use.  It reads:  “Evil whispers to the sinner in the depths of his heart: the fear of God does not stand before his eyes.”  Now the wicked has become the sinner.  That certainly is familiar language.  It is easy for me to understand myself as sinner---because I can certainly choose to sin!

What this Psalm helps me understand is why I would sin.  I sin (or transgress) because evil is whispering in the depths of my heart.  In other words, I am tempted.  And I give in to temptation.  And when I do that, I have temporarily lost any fear of God.  I am on my own…and that usually is not good!

           

Now I don’t have an image of the devil whispering evil in my heart causing me to sin.  I never really bought that line, “the devil made me do it!”  Instead, I prefer to think about the temptations in my life as the whispering evil calling to my heart.  Temptations are always evil in my estimation.  I would never talk about being tempted to do a good thing or to do well.  To the contrary, temptation leads to sin---to me being wicked.

           

And I do think my temptations---the evil pull in my life---come more like a whisper than a shout.  Temptations are subtle; they are wily.  They masquerade as urges, often with the rationale that “it is ok” or “it really does not matter.”  This is what the whisper lures me into believing.

           

As I type this, I think of another line from the biblical tradition.  This time it comes from the New Testament.  It is a line I have prayed many times, as Jesus did: “lead me not into temptation.”  I choose to see the as the anti-temptation---the antidote to temptation.  I can see why I need to pray this daily.  With this prayer, perhaps I can drown out that whisper that leads to sin and to wickedness.