This is a description of the individual who stands silently to the side while evil is perpetrated. God’s judgement is that he is complicit, as guilty as if he had done it himself. Solomon is not describing an unrealistic scenario. Both in church and family relationships, the overwhelming tendency is to remain on the sidelines when the situation demands for involvement. People shrink from involvement out of a self-preserving instinct. “I don’t want them to be mad at me,” is a common thought. But this passage tells us that the self-preserving instinct is actually self-incriminating. Love – for God, for truth, for others, demands involvement. And though this may sound overly harsh, hatred – for your own soul and the souls of others, is what leads us to look away. As we have related this to church and family relationships, let us be reminded that God has called us to love one another. According to I Corinthians 13, words only have meaning when they are accompanied by love, love that is faithful even in sticky, uncomfortable situations.