Depart from me, ye evildoers: for I will keep the commandments of my God. Psalm 119:115
SUGGESTED FURTHER READING: Ephesians 5:1-21
To follow the way of the Lord without stumbling, we must endeavor to keep the greatest possible distance from worldly and wicked people, not in terms of physical separation but in terms of interacting and conversing with them.
The dangerous influence of wicked people is well evident from observing that few people keep their integrity to the end of life. The world is fraught with corruption. In addition, the extreme infirmity of our nature males it easy for us to be infected and polluted by evil, even from the slightest contact with evildoers.
With good reason, the prophet bids the wicked to depart from him, so he may progress in the fear of God without obstruction. This statement agrees with the admonition of Paul in 2 Corinthians 6:14, "Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers." It is beyond the prophet's power to chase the wicked away from him, but by these words he intimates that, from now on, he will have no more interaction with them. He emphatically designates God as his God, to testify that he counts Him to be more worthy than all of mankind. Finding extreme wickedness universally prevalent on the earth, he chooses to separate himself from evildoers so that he might join himself wholly to God.
So that bad examples may not tempt us to evil, we are well advised to put God on our side and to abide constantly in Him, for He is ours.
John Calvin
FOR MEDITATION: To engage with a wicked world while remaining separate from evildoers can be difficult; yet it must be done. We cannot abandon sinners in their plight, but we must ensure that their evil does not rub off on us. This requires constant prayer for wisdom and a heart and mind full of Christ and His Word.
365 Days With Calvin
Selected and Edited by Joel R. Beeke
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