Swerve
When you are driving and an obstruction pop out of nowhere into your path, you do what? You swerve, of course. That is why we keep our eyes on the road. If that pick-up in front of you has a load of stuff that is not tied down as well as the driver thought, he could hit a bump, and just like that, an old recliner is out of the truck and in your lane. Safely as you can, but going mostly on reflex, you swerve to avoid disaster.
We have a psalm this Sunday beckoning all those desiring life, advising those who would love to find a long stretch of days in which to realize the good. In verse fourteen below, our prayer book has “Turn from evil and do good, but I rather like the translation from Hebrew scholar, Robert Alter, at Cal Berkley. He has it as, “Swerve from evil and do good.” It sounds more urgent, doesn’t it? Sounds as though we are avoiding disaster. Here is a chunk of the Psalm for Sunday from the Book of Common Prayer:
Psalm 34
11 Come, children, and listen to me; *
I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
12 Who among you loves life *
and desires long life to enjoy prosperity?
13 Keep your tongue from evil-speaking *
| and your lips from lying words.
14 Turn from evil and do good; *
seek peace and pursue it.
This is one of the psalms that have coloration from the palette of Wisdom literature. The tradition of Wisdom in the Bible is often prescriptive; it advises people on their actions and the cultivation of their hearts. In verse eleven, we feel invited by a teacher, to be pupils of wisdom and to be better off for it. We know that when such passages say “fear the Lord,” the word carries the meaning, “reverence and awe.” We hear the teacher calling us, “Come over here child; sit down and I will instruct you to know strongly how God might elicit vigilant respect within you.”
We also learn in these few verses how powerful words are. The words we use are potent, and we should choose cautiously. Evil from our tongue, and speaking deceit, we should avoid completely. It pollutes the human community, but it pollutes our own hearts as well. We may direct our lies or vitriol at another, but the toxicity gets all over us too. The peaceful thing, and the good thing: these are what we should seek. We swerve from evil, and our days go better.
This wisdom theme is not a one-time tip of advice, it is a way of life. It is something to practice and practice. The nuances of detecting what constitutes the wise course of action is something we cultivate with deep reverence for the powerful holiness and awesome goodness of God. Keep your eyes open, and when you need to, swerve!