Daniel (Greek) 13:7-14: a reflection

7When the people departed away at noon, Susanna went into her husband’s garden to walk. 8The two elders saw her going in every day and walking; and they were inflamed with lust for her. 9They perverted their own mind and turned away their eyes, that they might not look to heaven, nor remember just judgments. 10And although they both were wounded with lust for her, yet dared not show the other his grief. 11For they were ashamed to declare their lust, what they desired to do with her. 12Yet they watched eagerly from day to day to see her. 13The one said to the other, “Let’s go home, now; for it is dinner time.” 14So when they had gone out, they parted company, and turning back again, they came to the same place. After they had asked one another the cause, they acknowledged their lust. Then they appointed a time both together, when they might find her alone.

In the account of Susanna, two respected elders become consumed with lust for her. And the passage describes the inner step they took to make room for their sin: they perverted their own minds and turned away their eyes, that they might not look to heaven, nor remember just judgments. Before they acted on their desire, they deliberately turned their thoughts away from God, suppressing the awareness of his judgments, so that nothing would restrain them.

Notice the inner move that preceded their sin: they turned their eyes away from heaven, deliberately pushing the thought of God and his judgments out of mind. To pursue their sin, they first had to silence the awareness of God that would have restrained them. Sin, this shows, often begins not with the outward act, but with an inward turning away from God, a deliberate forgetting of him and his judgments, to clear the way for what we want to do.

That exposes something about how sin works in us, too. Before we do wrong, we often first push God out of mind, turning our eyes away from him, suppressing the awareness of his presence and his judgments that would restrain us. We do not usually sin while vividly conscious of God watching; we sin after we have, in some measure, turned our eyes from heaven. This suggests a guard against sin: to keep God consciously before us, refusing to turn our eyes from heaven. When you are tempted, do not let yourself push God out of mind to make room for sin. Keep your eyes on heaven; keep God and his presence consciously before you, for the awareness of God is a guard against sin, and the turning of our eyes away from him is often its first step. Keep looking to heaven, and you guard your heart.

Lord, in the account of Susanna, the elders, to make room for their sin, first turned their eyes away from heaven and pushed the thought of your judgments out of mind, so that nothing would restrain them. Expose to me how sin works in me too. Before I do wrong, I often first push you out of mind, turning my eyes away from you, suppressing the awareness of your presence and your judgments that would restrain me. I do not usually sin while vividly conscious of you watching; I sin after I have, in some measure, turned my eyes from heaven. Show me that keeping you consciously before me is a guard against sin. When I am tempted, keep me from pushing you out of mind to make room for sin. Help me keep my eyes on heaven, and keep you and your presence consciously before me, for the awareness of you is a guard against sin, and the turning of my eyes away from you is often its first step. Help me keep looking to you, and so guard my heart.