Proverbs 13:21

Proverbs 13:21 "Evil pursueth sinners: but to the righteous good shall be repayed."

While short and simple, this proverb is one of Solomon's most insightful ones.  In this wise saying, Solomon reveals the natures of both good and evil.  We rarely think about the nature of these intangible things.  When it comes to good and evil, we typically only think of our responsibility and actions with them.  Good is something we're supposed to do or at least want to do whereas evil is something we're not supposed to do.  We only consider the natures of good and evil in very general terms and usually only within the context of what God wants from us.  We understand that the nature of goodness is holy and healthy while the nature of evil is dangerous and dark.  One is very positive and the other very negative.  One helps and the other hurts.  One is godly and the other very ungodly.  One is applauded while the other is condemned.  We understand that the natures of good and evil are polar opposites as it pertains to morality.  In this proverb however, Solomon is going beyond that basic understanding and giving us a look at a different aspect of their natures. 

Evil has a wild, aggressive and violent nature whereas goodness has a patient, harmless and submissive nature.  Evil acts on its own while good is something that is governed.  According to the wise writer, evil pursues while good is given.  If pictured as canine creatures, evil is a wild dog off the leash furiously chasing prey while goodness is a calm dog sitting at the feet of his master waiting for orders.  Goodness rests in the hand of God and is dispersed at His time to only those whom He chooses.  Evil has been granted liberty to do as it wishes when it wishes however it wishes.  For these revealed reasons, this proverb is both comforting and frightening.

This truth is comforting for when we do good because we can rest in God's goodness knowing that He will send goodness to us when He deems best.  When doing good, we don't look need to look around for goodness to return the favor nor do we need to wait on men for compensation.  Rather than feverishly looking around for some intangible virtue to help them out, the righteous can look to Heaven knowing goodness is something God sends and repays in His time.  This comforting thought stands in stark contrast to the fright that the nature of evil brings.  Evil has been granted by God the liberty to do as it chooses and it chooses to "pursue sinners."  God has given evil the freedom to go where it wants and do what it wants.  This makes complete sense since God is not evil, doesn't think evil and doesn't do evil.  If evil exists (and it most certainly does), it is its own being and does its own bidding.  It doesn't have a master.  It doesn't look to God for direction or permission.  Evil has a mind of its own and a nature not governed by God's goodness.  Evil isn't interested in innocence nor is it attracted to righteousness.  It is fascinated by wickedness.  It is attracted to sin.  Evil pursues those who sin because it feeds on those who sin.  Evil gets stronger and more powerful by consuming sinners and so it pursues them aggressively and relentlessly.  This should frighten every sinner.
 
While the righteous can remain at ease in their goodness, the sinner should remain terrified in his sin.  While the righteous look up and patiently await goodness being repaid by God, sinners are condemned to look around hastily for the merciless and unpredictable arrival of evil.  When doing good, we can endure uncertainty peacefully and joyfully knowing goodness sits submissively at the feet of God and will come when He commands.  When doing evil however, we face uncertainty fearfully and anxiously knowing evil doesn't take its orders from God.  It can come from any angle and at any time with any intent.  When we sin, evil picks up our scent and heads our way.  When we sin, evil begins to track us and the only thing that can get it off our scent is the mercy of God.  Outside of the merciful intervention of God, evil will pursue sinners until it finds them and when it does, it will attack them.  This is the frightening nature of evil - it pursues the sinner like a hungry wolf pursues a tasty rabbit.  This is why when we sin, we are so skittish and scared as we sense the pursuit of evil coming behind us.  When we sin, we hear its footsteps and we hear its heavy breathing.  Evil has its own nature and only the mercy of God can restrict it.

The spiritual dimension has its characters and each possess a unique nature.  Know the nature of goodness so you know what to expect when awaiting it.  Know the nature of evil also so you know what to expect when appealing to it. Goodness will visit you when God tells it to but evil comes when you simply by sin extend it an invitation to it.