As the old saying goes, 'From evildoers come evil deeds,' so my hand will not touch you. – 1 Samuel 24:13

Today's Scripture Reading (June 10, 2025): 1 Samuel 24

Hesiod, one of the earliest Greek philosophers and active sometime between 750 and 650 B.C.E., asserted, "The man who does evil to another does evil to himself, and the evil counsel is most evil for him who counsels it" (Hesiod). It is a warning to all who would contemplate hurting others. According to Hesiod, not only will evil be visited on the victim, but it will also be placed on the perpetrator, and the one who is most evil is the one who suggests that an evil path should be followed. That person is truly evil.

Aristotle (384-322 B.C.E.) agreed, saying, "Wickedness and injustice are intentional." We aren't accidentally wicked, nor do we inadvertently cause injustice. We mean to do it because something is wrong inside us. It is who we are.

But even in 750 B.C.E., this was not exactly a new thought. Almost three centuries before Hesiod, David quotes from a proverb arguing that it is from evildoers that evil deeds are produced. Or maybe a better way of saying it is that we can be defined by what we produce, not what we intend to produce.

Jesus agreed with all three of these philosophers. In the last part of his "Sermon on the Mount," Jesus includes this warning.

Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them (Matthew 7:15-20).

David argues that while others might accuse him of doing evil, even the king has to admit that David has done nothing to harm him. It wasn't that he didn't have the opportunity, because he did. But he knew that Saul was the anointed of God, and he would not raise a weapon or cause any harm to God's anointed. Nor would he counsel anyone to cause injury to Saul. As much as Saul men might have wanted to kill the current King as Saul chased them through the hills and deserts of Israel, David would not allow that to be done. If he did allow evil, that would mean that David was part of the problem. And that David had made the choice not to be.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: 1 Samuel 25