Apart from Evil and Death

Meaning in Psalm 35

Alfred D. Byrd

LET US call out together in praise,
"No other is like the One, our God!"
Without beginning, without an end,
Alone the Maker of heavens and earth,
The One is apart from evil and death.
A worker of wonders, fearsome and awesome,
Heaven's ruler grows angry at sin,
But greets with joy the one who repents,
Rejecting darkness in favor of light.
In the end, our God will rescue the weak
From the hands of the strong who prey on despair.

The ones of us who have turned from our past
Desire in our heart to be like our God
In showing mercy and kindness to others
Fallen in evil and feeling unloved.
At our best, when we yield our hearts to the truth,
We weep for others as much as ourselves.
When we hear of harms and of grief in the world,
We deny our bodies pleasure and comfort.
Kneeling in prayer until we are heard,
We rise to give the clothes on our back
To those who wander, tasting disaster.

Many, however, answer our kindness—
Evil for good — with fear and with hate.
Without a cause in terms of the truth
(Perhaps the light brings pain to their eyes),
They watch our steps and seek to trap us,
Heedless of danger, whenever we slip
As creatures of flesh are prone to do.
If we fail to fall, our foes will lie,
Accusing the guiltless of shame and deceit
To end the reproach of lives lived well
Against the one who prefers a pigsty.
Sometimes, we, too, must face disaster;
No one escapes the griefs of this world.
Whenever we suffer, guilty or guiltless,
Enemies mock us, holy, yet hurt.
It seems to our fears that we serve as food
To those who honor cannibal instincts,
Preying on humans, helpless and weak.

How good it would be for those who hate us,
Mercy prevailing, to open their eyes
And be filled with light that changes their lives!
From foes to friends, from killers to kin,
Our God can turn the doers of evil.
Nothing can part from the love of the One
The one who listens to words of the truth.
To those, however, who choose the darkness,
Sudden destruction will come unforeseen.
The one who has set a trap will spring it—
Victim, not victor, the trapper will be!
The one who mocks will mourn for evils
Funny in others, but foul to oneself.
Confusion will come to those who were sure
Of paying no debt for laughing at light.
In the end, the haters of truth will be
Like dust on the wind, untreasured and lost.

To those of us who have called on our God
To come to our aid amid misfortune,
Rescue will come, though we have to wait long.
(A lifetime may be to the One but a day,
But to us is endless when filled with grief.)
Our God will open the jaws of our trap
And free us to follow the path to the Throne.
Our God will heal our wounds and fill us,
Holy vessels created for good,
With joy poured out in praise of the One.

In the day of our God, when we see the light
Undimmed by darkness, unsullied by evil,
Nothing but songs of praise can express
The love that we feel for the One on the Throne.
Assembled together unfettered by fear,
But joined as one by faith and by hope,
We proclaim evermore the goodness of God.

If this poem spoke to you, you may enjoy my Biblical epic poems

A Song of the One, the age-old account of Creatlon, Fall, Redemption, and Glory retold in verse for a new millennium, and

The Stars Bow Down: An Epic of Joseph, the timeless tale of a favorite son whose brothers sold him into slavery, but whom God raised from a prison to save the known world from famine.