Shepherd of Hermas command #12: Overcome evil desire! Part 1

CHAPTER 1

“He says to me, “Put away from you all wicked desire, and clothe yourself with good and chaste desire; for clothed with this desire you will hate wicked desire, and will rein yourself in even as you wish. For wicked desire is wild, and is with difficulty tamed. For it is terrible, and consumes men exceedingly by its wildness. Especially is the servant of ELOHIM terribly consumed by it, if he falls into it and is devoid of understanding. Moreover, it consumes all such as have not on them the garment of good desire, but are entangled and mixed up with this world. These it delivers up to death.”

James 1:13-14

But let no one say-when a temptation comes on him- “This comes from YAHWEH,” for YAHWEH does not tempt man with evil, and He is not tempted by anyone. Only, everyone is tempted when his DESIRE overcomes him. And afterwards if he accepted the DESIRE, it causes the sin; but the sin-when it is completed causes the death.”

As the malach of repentance said: These it delivers up to death.”

Amos 5:15

Hate the evil and love the good, and establish justice in the gate…”

Romans 12:9

Let not your love be full of deceit: but be haters of evil things and adherers to good things.”

Psalms 119:128

Therefore I love all Your commandments; and I hate every way of the wicked.”

CHAPTER 2

““What then, sir,” say I, “are the deeds of wicked desire which deliver men over to death? Make them known to me, and I will refrain from them.” “Listen, then, to the works in which evil desire slays the servants of ELOHIM.” Foremost of all is the desire after another’s wife or husband…”

Exodus 20:17

You shall not covet your neighbor’s house, you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, not his manservant nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbors.”

Deuteronomy 5:21

You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife…”

Sirach 9:9

Do not sit at all with another man’s wife nor sit down with her in your arms and do not spend your money on wine with her; for fear that your heart inclines to her and so through your DESIRE you fall into destruction.”

Shepherd of Hermas continued: “And after extravagance (a condition of GREAT comfort, ease as one trusting in their riches) and many useless dainties and drinks (wasting money), and many other foolish luxuries; (unnecessary expenses like $700 pair of shoes, expensive and excessive jewelry, etc.. Shepherd of Hermas explains the rich are given riches to help the poor) all luxury is foolish and empty in the servants of ELOHIM. These, then, are the evil desires which slay the servants of ELOHIM. For this evil desire is the daughter of the devil. You must refrain from evil desires, that by refraining ye may live to ELOHIM. But as many as are mastered by them, and do not resist them, will perish at last, for these desires are fatal.”

James 4:1-4 (Hebrew)

And why is there war among you? Is it not because of your DESIRES which fight in your members (flesh)? So you desire, but do not receive; and he who takes revenge and stays angry does not profit by it. And why all this? Because you do not pray, and when you do a prayer, it is not answered because you pray wrongly.” O adulterer and adulteress, do you not know that whosoever loves this world, he hates YAHWEH? So, whosoever wants to be a lover of this world, he himself will be a hater of YAHWEH.”

These pray wrongly to satisfy their evil worldly desires and lusts, and those who love the world and its lusts are haters of YAHWEH. As the malach of repentance said evil desire is wild, not easily tamed, is fatal and will destroy the servants of ELOHIM.

Shepherd of Hermas continued: “Put you on, then, the desire of righteousness (Deuteronomy 6:25, 1 John 2:29); and arming yourself with the fear of YAHWEH (Ecclesiastes 12:13, Proverbs 9:10), resist them. For the fear of YAHWEH dwells in good desire. But if evil desire see you armed with the fear of ELOHIM, and RESISTING it, it will FLEE far from you, and it will no longer appear to you, for it fears your ARMOR.”

 

 James 4:7

“Submit yourselves, then, to ELOHIM. Resist the devil, and he will FLEE from you.”

Ephesians 6:11-17

And put on the whole ARMOR of ELOHIM so that you may be able to stand against the strategies of the Accuser. For our conflict is not with flesh and blood but with principalities and with those in authority, and with the possessors of this dark world, and with the evil spirits that are under heaven. Therefore put on the whole ARMOR of ELOHIM that you may be able to meet the evil one; and, being in all respects prepared, may stand firm. Stand up therefore, and gird your loins with truth (Psalms 119:142); and put on the breastplate of righteousness (Deuteronomy 6:25); and defend your feet with the preparation of the Good News of peace (YESHUA). And now take to you the confidence of faith (Habukkuk 2:4) by which you will have power to quench all the fiery darts of the evil one. And put on the helmet of salvation; and take hold of the sword of the spirit which is the Word of ELOHIM.”

Evil desire which is the daughter of the devil will flee from you as Satan will flee from you when you have on the ARMOR OF YAHWEH! Arm yourselves and defeat the enemy.

Shepherd of Hermas continued: “Go, then, garlanded with the crown which you have gained for victory over it, to the desire of righteousness, and, delivering up to it the prize which you have received, serve it even as it wishes. If you serve good desire, and be subject to it, you will gain the mastery over evil desire, and make it subject to you even as you wish.”

CHAPTER 3

“I should like to know,” say I, “in what way I ought to serve good desire.” “Hear,” says he: “You will practice righteousness and virtue, truth and the fear of YAHWEH, faith and meekness, and whatsoever excellences are like to these. Practicing these, you will be a well-pleasing servant of ELOHIM, and you will live to Him; and every one who shall serve good desire, shall live to ELOHIM.” He concluded the twelve commandments, and said to me, “You have now these commandments. Walk in them, and exhort your hearers that their repentance may be pure during the remainder of their life. Fulfill carefully this ministry which I now entrust to you, and you will accomplish much. For you will find favor among those who are to repent, and they will give heed to your words; for I will be with you, and will compel them to obey you.” I say to him, “Sir, these commandments are great, and good, and esteemed, and fitted to gladden the heart of the man who can perform them. But I do not know if these commandments can be kept by man, because they are exceeding hard.” He answered and said to me, “If you lay it down as certain that they can be kept, then you will easily keep them, and they will not be hard. But if you come to imagine that they cannot be kept by man, then you will not keep them. Now I say to you, If you do not keep them, but neglect them, you will not be saved, nor your children, nor your house, since you have already determined for yourself that these commandments cannot be kept by man.”

ELOHIM willing part 2 is a discussion about if the commandments are too hard to keep or not and we will see if the malach of repentance agrees with Christianity which says the commandments are impossible to keep and bondage.

As always may our Father YAHWEH bless you and in YESHUA’s Name!