“But deliver us from the evil”
Meditation 4: “The Evil” is General
The first important lesson from this portion of the Lord’s Prayer is that we are to be delivered from all evil. Idolatry is evil. Lying is evil. But all evil stems from placing things before God (Deut 5:7; 6:4). God delivers us from evil by focusing us on Him.
When God delivered Israel, it was to serve and obey Him. So also, Jesus Christ came to deliver us from evil that we may serve God (Luke 1:71-75). Paul says we are “dead” to sin and therefore are freed to be a slave to God and righteousness (Rom 6:11-14).
