(BNC) by Brent Pollard — Have you ever heard the expression, “Evil never sleeps?” I tried finding the origin of this expression with those tools available to me. From my limited search, I believe the expression likely originates from Proverbs 4.16.
“For they cannot sleep unless they do evil; And they are robbed of sleep unless they make someone stumble.” (NASB)
I have taken note of how this is true even during a pandemic.
The first thing striking me was my state still advertised its lottery. Are lottery tickets an essential item for which people should leave their house to buy? I would think not. This soon became a moot point, though, since the state began advertising its existing lottery app one could use to buy lottery tickets online from the “safety” of their own home. Evil never sleeps.
Second, I had seen the news reports of how pornography was profiting from the shutdown. As soon as people began sheltering in place, one purveyor of internet porn noted an immediate spike in visits to their site. India experienced a 95% rise in porn viewership. 1 Only South Korea, who did not shutdown as much of their country, did not see such a porn patronage spike. 2 When other businesses are shutdown, pornography has likewise become lucrative for women seeking employment during tough economic times. 3 Evil never sleeps.
Third, while being disappointed by the designation of religious assemblies as nonessential by government, I’ve noted that they have propped up vice as essential. For example, in Denver pot dispensaries and liquor stores were exempted from stay at home orders. 4 Meanwhile, churches have not been able to meet in their buildings, even with efforts to practice social distancing. On the weekend of April 12th, you may recall that Louisville, Kentucky, mayor, Greg Fischer, even criminalized “drive-in” church services. Fortunately, a judge overturned Fischer’s “edict.” 5 Evil never sleeps.
Fourth, the abortion industry remains alive and well during shutdown. While certain states successfully closed abortion clinics at the outset of the shutdown by stating such clinics offered only elective procedures, judges have overturned such decisions in favor of granting access to it. 6 So, we are currently living at a time when cancer screening is non-essential, but killing your unborn child is “necessary.” Yes, evil never sleeps.
Since evil never sleeps, what are we, as children of God, to do?
Be on guard (1 Peter 5.8). As we have shown, our enemy never sleeps. He is looking to devour us. Thus, we must keep up our alertness.
Redeem our time (Ephesians 5.16). Given the uncertainty of our life, we must make the most of the opportunity God gives us to do His will. Even though COVID-19 is deadly, we note that the things taking a man’s life are far more numerous than viruses (cf. James 4.14).
Pray (1 Thessalonians 5.17). We must always maintain a prayerful heart. It is an avenue allowing us to “cast our cares” upon our Lord (1 Peter 5.7). It is likewise the only means whereby we can discover peace surpassing our ability to comprehend (Philippians 4.16-17).
Evil never sleeps, but we can avoid its darkness by remaining on the path shining as bright as day (Proverbs 4.14-15, 18), while devoting ourselves to doing our Lord’s will.
REFERENCES
1 Kannan, Saikiran. “Pornography Gets a Pandemic Boost, India Reports 95 per Cent Rise in Viewing.” India Today, Living Media India Limited, 11 Apr. 2020, .
2 Ibid.
3 Dorn, Sara. “Business Booming for Cam Girls amid Coronavirus Outbreak.” New York Post, NYP Holdings Inc., 16 Mar. 2020.
4 Del Giudice, Vincent. “Denver Exempts Pot Shops, Liquor Stores from Stay-at-Home Order.” Bloomberg.com, Bloomberg L.P., 24 Mar. 2020.
5 Lord, Shaquille. “District Judge Says City Can’t Stop Louisville Church from Holding Drive-in Easter Service.” WLKY, Hearst Television Inc., 12 Apr. 2020.
6 Tamburin, Adam. “Federal Court Tweaks Abortion Order, Still Allows Procedures during COVID-19 Pandemic.” The Tennessean, Tennessean.com, 27 Apr. 2020.
Brent contributes to the Preacher Pollard’s Blog on Fridays, in his column, “Supplemental Strength.” This article is republished with their kind permission. Brent graduated with a B.A. in Bible from Faulkner University in 1998. He’s done local work in AL, TN, VA, and NC. Though permanently disabled today, he teaches a Bible class and occasionally preaches for the church in Andrews, NC.
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