Evil or Affliction: You Have to Choose

“Take care; do not turn to evil, for this you have chosen rather than affliction..” Job 36: 21.

Most everyone, religious or not, is familiar with Job, the patron saint of unjust suffering.

In this passage we have Elihu rebuking Job for his sins. Elihu is not one of the three infamous insensitive friends. He is a fourth character who shows up later in the story.

I do find it interesting that he is the only one in the narrative, including Job, who is not soundly rebuked by God. To read Job 36 for context, click here. But whether his chastening of Job is appropriate or not, this particular idea is found throughout scripture.

We Must Choose Between Evil or Affliction

Whenever we would turn from evil and resist temptation, we are forced to choose between evil and affliction. If we would avoid sin and resist temptation, we will experience affliction.

Conversely, if we turn to evil and yield to temptation, we will avoid affliction, in the short term. In the long run, however, the sin we choose in an effort to avoid affliction will produce much more affliction and misery and death.

This is why Jesus said “Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you shall be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh. . . Woe to you who are full now, for you shall be hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep” Luke 6: 21, 25.

The Broad and Narrow Paths

When we yield to temptation, we get to eat and laugh now, so to speak, since we are avoiding the affliction that comes with resisting temptation. But that broad, comfortable, easy and pleasant path we’ve chosen will in the end lead us to a place of hunger, mourning and weeping.

We cannot escape affliction in this life. That is not an option. Rather, our choice is between light, momentary affliction now that leads to life and blessing in the end. Or affliction later that is permanent and leads to death and misery (Mathew 7: 13, 14).

I’m Tempted Because of Weakness

The reason this is true is because if we are tempted it’s because of a weakness. I’m only tempted in areas where I’m weak. And those weaknesses will become more or less pronounced depending on how I react to them.

If we yield to temptation, we increase that weakness in order to avoid unpleasantness for the moment. But that weakness we’ve allowed to grow will progressively enslave and destroy our character. And our destiny is determined by our character.

Choices produce habits, habits produce character and character determines destiny. If, on the other hand, we resist temptation, that weakness that produced it will gradually and progressively decrease.

This means our character will eventually be free of this weakness that would otherwise eventually corrupt our character and destroy our life.

To read another post related to Iniquity or Affliction: You Have to Choose, see He Has Made EVERYTHING Beautiful in Its Time.