Proverbs 12:20 — The Demetrius Effect

 Deceit is in the hearts of those who plot evil,
    but those who promote peace have joy.

Summary: Perspective is the key to understanding this passage. From God’s perspective, any selfish act that harms others is a sin. From our perspective, any selfish act others might do that we don’t like is a “sin.” The two types of “sin” don’t always agree. 

The art of describing something that cannot be touched or seen requires many different tools. One of those is the ability to describe something by describing what it is not. The righteous do not have deceit in their hearts, nor do they plot evil. The wicked do not promote peace and consequently have no joy. Do you see how that works?

So how does Solomon know that “deceit is in the hearts of those who plot evil?” I think there might be more than one answer to this question.

Who plots evil? Maybe we should do a quick review; what is evil?

Evil is anything that opposes God’s will. What we think of as “evil” is only real evil if it is measured against God’s yardstick. This can be confusing because there are a lot of people claiming such-and-such is “evil” when what they really mean is that they don’t like what is being said or done. For example, what do wicked people think is “evil?” Isn’t it doing good? Weird, isn’t it?

God’s yardstick of what is evil and what is not is profoundly simple and effective. If we go back to Jesus’ summary of “all the law and the prophets” (Matthew 22: 40) we can see why. Jesus said:

“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” (Matthew 22: 37-39)

To put it into different words, ‘respect your Creator and respect your fellow mankind.’ People who “plot evil” do not respect either. They are only thinking of themselves. More than that, their selfishness extends to plotting harm for others.

When Paul was in Ephesus, a silversmith named Demetrius took offense at Paul’s teachings. The silversmiths of the day made their living selling silver shrines (try saying that fast five times!). Because of what Paul taught, people lost interest in the shrines, and Demetrius’ business dropped off.

From Demetrius’ point of view, losing business was bad and the person who caused it was ‘evil.’ From God’s point of view, what Demetrius was doing was bad (promoting idols) and what Paul was doing was good. (You can read the story of Demetrius and Paul in Acts 20: 23-41.) If you and I lived in Ephesus in those days, we might wonder what all the fuss was about.

The same is true today. People firmly believe that we have to support their cause. Interestingly, like in the days of Demetrius, there is often a financial incentive behind all the fuss. It is not obvious to the crowds, but if you look carefully at the “Demetrius type” who is stirring up all the trouble, there will be money involved somewhere.

Those who plot evil, who want to promote their own welfare at the expense of others, do not have peace or joy in their hearts. They are worried about getting more for themselves.

Those who trust God, who are thankful for what he has provided, and who love their neighbors as themselves, not only bring peace to others, they have joy.

Application: Think about the claims of “right” and “wrong” that you read about in the news. Who really benefits? 

Food for Thought: What is “joy” and how does it differ from happiness.