Several decades ago, LuAnne was doing a pediatrics rotation at Jamaica Hospital in New York City while I was doing an OB/GYN rotation in Canterbury, England. While helping her get settled into a very expensive but small second floor apartment for the next 8 weeks, I was trying to find a place to park our trusty Dodge Caravan C/V. I pulled around a corner and encountered the sign below, one which I had never seen in my 32 years. Accustomed to people and not vehicles standing, I assumed this must be similar to a “no loitering” sign. After all, back in my native Pennsylvania, if you weren’t supposed to park somewhere, they simply put up a “no parking” sign! So, I parked and went on my merry way, only to discover a “standing” violation ticket affixed to my windshield a few hours later. I quickly learned the meaning of this sign, at least in NYC!
The above came to mind this morning—New Year’s Day—when I read Psalm 1:1-2:
Many people approach this day with resolutions—usually about weight, exercise, better time management, etc. None of these are bad. But in light of eternity, the above is far better direction than well-intentioned but oft ill-fated resolutions which wane with the flip of the calendar page from January to February. As we face the uncertainties and challenges of 2024—from the presidential election to the “lunidiocy” of gender queer ideology to the corruption of Big Pharma—this passage tells us all we need to know to stay on course.
Note the progression of the “man” (or person) who loiters around evil—the opposite of the godly person this passage describes.
First, he walks in the general direction of evil. He “happens” to be in the vicinity. It reminds me of a walk I took on The Strip in Las Vegas when LuAnne and I were there for a medical conference in 2011. I told LuAnne what I was doing, prayed for spiritual protection, and took my camera and headed north on Las Vegas Boulevard—away from all the glitz and glamor of the Venetian and the Bellagio and countless other Vegas icons. One 60-year-old besotted, foul-mouthed man entered the elevator with a scantily clad lass not much more than 18. His language made it sound like he had just purchased the finest mare. Billboard trucks drove circuits through the streets advertising “hot babes direct to you.” But as I headed north—with the occasional diversion into the marble-topped and gold-plated foyers and restrooms of the opulent casinos—the scenery became far less glitzy and a whole lot less glamorous. I happened upon a Mercedes and Ferrari dealer, and immediately on the other side of the surrounding fence lay a homeless man in a drunken stupor, streets littered with pornographic pamphlets amidst cigarette butts, plastic cups, and fast-food trash. One image tells the tale.
These degrading images were a stark counter to any lust arising in my own heart. I was keenly aware that this walk could have ended very differently for me, and I was grateful for God’s protection. (One conservative Mennonite bishop once told me that his plain suit kept him from entering the red-light district in Africa. While I didn’t have a plain suit, I did have the Triune protection of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.) Of course, the passage isn’t just reminding us of sexual sins. I John 2:16 poignantly reminds us:
For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. (KJV)
Sex, money, and power. Or passion, possession, and position (as my high school teacher John D. Martin taught). They don’t call Vegas “Sin City” for no reason. Indeed, it is all there. And it ends in a littered wayside ditch.
But it’s not just in Vegas. It’s in all of our hearts. Which is why the warning—”don’t walk”—is to all of us.
Second, he stands around in the general vicinity of evil. He is no longer just happening by. According to the Hebrew meaning of the verb, he is now “holding his ground and maintaining his position.” If walking could be contributed to chance, this no longer can. This is a chosen posture. He has chosen to stop and stand. This is deliberate. He has not only taken advice (counsel) from the wicked but is now deliberately conducting himself in the presence of and as a sinner, defined as “a person who has disobeyed any divine command or neglected any duty.”
The writer of Proverbs warns his son about taking this path in chapter 7 (ESV):
6 For at the window of my house
I have looked out through my lattice,
7 and I have seen among the simple,
I have perceived among the youths,
a young man lacking sense,
8 passing along the street near her corner,
taking the road to her house
9 in the twilight, in the evening,
at the time of night and darkness.
10 And behold, the woman meets him,
dressed as a prostitute, wily of heart.
21 With much seductive speech she persuades him;
with her smooth talk she compels him.
22 All at once he follows her,
as an ox goes to the slaughter,
or as a stag is caught fast[e]
23 till an arrow pierces its liver;
as a bird rushes into a snare;
he does not know that it will cost him his life.
Third, he now sits in the presence of the scoffers, his seat reserved for those who jeer, mock, and scorn the truth. He is generally a bad person. Here’s the schematic as Logos describes him:
Of note, all three of the verbs—walk, stand, and sit—are in the masculine in the Hebrew. Not a pretty picture of masculinity indeed!
But, the passage actually begins with the word blessed! Note the schematic for that word from Logos:
Yes, simply that—blessed! No other words are really needed to describe it!
So, on this New Year’s Day, the instructions are pretty simple. Don’t walk, don’t stand, and don’t sit in the presence of evil. No stopping or standing! Rather,
…flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. (2 Timothy 2:22, ESV)
In so doing, you will be blessed in 2024, as you delight in daily mediation on the law of God.
Thank you, Dr. Yeager. I always appreciate your posts. What a good reminder to turn away from evil. When my children were young I often warned them, "Sin will take you further than you ever wanted to go and it will keep you there longer than you ever wanted to stay."
It reminds me of the visual I had through much of the C19 years: The Church cannot stop the World from marching down main street with its parade of lies but we don't have to stand there and applaud. And, for heaven's sake, we certainly don't need to jump on board the bandwagon and beat their drums for them!
Thank you Dr. Yeager. I recently had surgery for endometrial cancer and, though I am hopeful for a good outcome, the future looks uncertain and scary. I am determined to go forward with hope and joy. I am here for a reason and will stay as long as God desires. There are things He wants me to do and I know He will show me. Romans 15:13 is a promise for us all.