Let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it.
Truth to Learn
Peter commands us to turn completely away from evil, doing good instead. He also admonishes us to pursue peace with a vengeance.
Behind the Words
The words “turn away” are from ekklinō, which is made up of ek, meaning “out” and klinō meaning “turn aside” or “turn away.” If Peter had used klinō by itself it would indicate turning away from something but ekklinō implies turning completely out of the way of it. It is a picture of one who is walking down a path and they turn completely off the path.
In the Greek text this is followed by the preposition apo, meaning “from” or “away from.” The repetition serves to emphasize that we are to completely turn off the path of evil and move completely away from it. To add even more emphasis to the statement, Peter uses the imperative mood of ekklinō, implying a command, not a suggestion. Hence, we could translate the first part of this verse as, “He must turn completely away from evil …”
The words translated as “evil” and “good” are kakos and agathos which are polar opposites, the first meaning general badness or worthlessness and the second meaning general goodness.
“Seek” is translated from the Greek word dzēteō, meaning “to look for” or “to try to find.” This verb is also expressed in the imperative mood, indicating a command.
The word translated “pursue” is diōkō, meaning “to pursue” or “to persecute.” It implies much more than simply looking for something. It indicates determination and tenacity. This verb, like the others in this verse, is in the imperative mood.
Meaning Explained
In the previous verse we were told,
For the one determined to love life and to see good days, let him stop his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking guile
This verse is a continuation of that thought. If you have determined to love life and to see good days then not only must you be very careful about what you say and how you say it, you must do several other things as well.
Before we get to those things, though, let’s look at the expression, “Let him …” On the surface it appears that Peter is saying, “allow him …” but that is not what he is saying. In fact, in English the use of the word “let,” when used with verbs, is an expression of the imperative, or command, form of the Greek verb. So “Let him …” doesn’t mean “Allow him …”, rather it means “It is imperative for him to …” or “He must …”
If we have determined to love life and to see good days then we must control our language and we must turn completely away from evil. In their place we must do good and, not only seek peace, but pursue it diligently.
Application
It’s easy to talk about doing good and it’s easy to talk about peace. The real challenge is to pursue peace and good deeds with the same fervor that we pursue our favorite activities.
In God's service, for His glory,
Copyright © 2017 Will Krause. All rights reserved
