SCRIPTURE | 1 Peter 3:8–12 Now to sum up, all of you be like-minded, sympathetic, brotherly, tender-hearted, and humble in spirit; 9not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but giving a blessing instead, for you were called for the very purpose that you might inherit a blessing. 10For, “The one who desires life, to love and see good days, Must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit. 11“He must turn away from evil and do good; He must seek peace and pursue it. 12“For the eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous, And His ears attend to their prayer, But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”
OBSERVATION | In our last study, we learned of three detailed “must” commands connected with our duty to return good for evil. First, we must keep our tongues from what is not morally good and from leading others to anything but the truth. Second, we must turn from doing evil ourselves. Third, we must when possible, seek peace. Now we end the study of our duty to return evil with good, by studying first a positive motivation and then a negative one.
We return evil for good, “For the eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous, And His ears attend to their prayer…” Now we have another reason after the word “for.” Reason and motivation to return good for evil. Motivation from the holy and effective Word of God in Psalm 34:15 & 16. What is the motivation? God looks upon the righteous and hears their prayers. The fact that God’s eyes are on us is both encouraging, to know that the God of the universe is watching over and with us, and also a cause for fear. Fear, because our holy and perfectly righteous Father has His eyes upon our imperfect doings. Thus, there is both a pushing us forward to do good, through encouragement, and a holding us back for fear of doing what is not pleasing in His sight. Which in our study is doing what we naturally are inclined to do, returning evil for evil. So, the motivation given is to return evil with good. Why? Because the Lord watches us, and because He hears our prayers.
The second motivation we have here to return evil with good is the statement, “But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.” We end our study of the command to return good for evil (from verse 9), with a motivation of fear of failure. For when we do return evil for evil, the face of the Lord is against even us. We must be clear in our study, this is not regarding our justification, but our sanctification. Think this through for a moment. If the Lord is against those who do evil, and someone does us evil, this means the Lord is against them. Thus, freeing us from needing to repay someone ourselves. Just as Romans 12:19 says “Never taking your own revenge, beloved—instead leave room for the wrath of God. For it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.” In other words, if we return good for the evil done to us, then the Lord remains against the one who has done us evil. So then, when we do evil in response to evil done to us, we become just like the one who has wronged us.
There are two possible realities in the statement “the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.” First, the Lord is against those who are evil and will always be against them, because they have not been justified by faith in Jesus Christ or sanctified and they have not become more and more holy. Their position is one of being against God in the hostility of sin, despite His general gifts of grace toward them.
However, it is more likely in the context of our verse that this “Face of the Lord against” is a momentary and not a positional “against” kind of opposition. That is, that God is against even His own sons and daughters when they do evil, and when they return evil with evil. He is against them so as to discipline them and correct them. For the context of those who do evil to us is neither restricted to those outside the church nor those inside the church. It can be those who are our brothers in the faith or those who are not. Thus, this motivation for the true believer to only ever return good to those who do us evil, is to avoid the loving discipline of the Lord.
APPLICATION | Do I live like the Lord is always watching me? Or do I ignore this fact when it is most convenient for me, as if I could hide my sin from His eyes? Do I fully realize the infinite value of knowing that the Lord hears my prayers? That though He reigns over all the matters of the universe, the matters I bring to Him are heard and responded too? Does this gracious gift motivate me to live a godly and holy life, even in the face of evil done to me? Does God’s loving and Fatherly discipline cause a good and right fear in me? Does it motivate me to do what is right?
If not, confess your sin to God and repent. By grace through faith, your sins have been nailed to the cross, they are no more. Now, do not be like the pig that has been washed and return to wallow in the mud of your sin. (2 Pt 2:22) Instead, “flee from these things, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance, gentleness.” (1 Tim 6:11)
PRAYER | Father, thank You that as Your child You will never leave me or forsake me. (Hebrews 13:5) Thank you for the comfort this brings and the motivation it gives to only do good, even when others do evil to me. Both remind me to do what is right and Lord I ask even discipline me when I do what is not right in Your eyes. Let the power of Your Word conform my heart and mind to do good, even when wrong is done to me. By Your grace and for Your glory alone. Amen.
