Wicked: (Heb. rasha) is the unrighteous who are evil, being guilty of willfully and purposely violating the standards of God. In the Old Testament it refers to the one who refuses to acknowledge or obey God. In the book of Proverbs explicitly, it refers to the foolish one who ignores or refuses to follow the divine teachings of God. It is a state or condition of evil that focuses on the violating of God’s laws or standards. – Prov. 3:33; 18:3. Wickedness: (Heb. resha; Gr. ponēria) A quality, state or condition that does not conform to God’s standard of moral excellence is wicked, bad, evil, or worthless.–Deut. 9:4-5; 25:2; Pro. 11:5; 13:6; Isa 9:17; Eze 5:6; 18:20, 27; 33:12, 19; Zech. 5:8; Matt. 23:25; 22:18; Mark 7:22; Lu 11:39; Ac 3:26; Rom. 1:29; 1 Cor. 5:8.
BELOW are 56 different characteristics of the wicked person(s) referred to in the Bible. Each characteristic has at least one Scripture. How to know who are among the wicked.
- Abominable.
Revelation 21:8 But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”
- Alienated from God.
Ephesians 4:18 Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart:
Colossians 1:21 And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled
- Blasphemous.
Luke 22:65 And many other things blasphemously spake they against him.
Revelation 16:9 And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory.
- Blinded.
2 Corinthians 4:4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
Ephesians 4:18 Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart:
- Boastful.
Psalm 10:3 For the wicked boasteth of his heart’s desire, and blesseth the covetous, whom the LORD abhorreth.
Psalm 49:6 They that trust in their wealth, and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches;
- Conspiring against God’s people.
Nehemiah 4:8 And conspired all of them together to come and to fight against Jerusalem, and to hinder it.
Nehemiah 6:2 That Sanballat and Geshem sent unto me, saying, Come, let us meet together in some one of the villages in the plain of Ono. But they thought to do me mischief.
Psalm 38:12 They also that seek after my life lay snares for me: and they that seek my hurt speak mischievous things, and imagine deceits all the day long.
- Covetous.
Micah 2:2 And they covet fields, and take them by violence; and houses, and take them away: so they oppress a man and his house, even a man and his heritage.
Romans 1:29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,
- Deceitful.
Psalm 5:6 Thou shalt destroy them that speak leasing: the LORD will abhor the bloody and deceitful man.
Romans 3:13 Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips:
- Delighting in the sin of others.
Proverbs 2:14 Who rejoice to do evil, and delight in the frowardness of the wicked;
Romans 1:32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.
- Despising the works of the faithful.
Nehemiah 2:19 But when Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, and Geshem the Arabian, heard it, they laughed us to scorn, and despised us, and said, What is this thing that ye do? will ye rebel against the king?
Nehemiah 4:2 And he spake before his brethren and the army of Samaria, and said, What do these feeble Jews? will they fortify themselves? will they sacrifice? will they make an end in a day? will they revive the stones out of the heaps of the rubbish which are burned?
2 Timothy 3:3-4 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, 4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
- Destructive.
Isaiah 59:7 Their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed innocent blood: their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; wasting and destruction are in their paths.
- Disobedient.
Nehemiah 9:26 Nevertheless they were disobedient, and rebelled against thee, and cast thy law behind their backs, and slew thy prophets which testified against them to turn them to thee, and they wrought great provocations.
Titus 3:3 For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another.
1 Peter 2:7 Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner,
- Enticing to evil.
Proverbs 1:10-14 My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not. 11 If they say, Come with us, let us lay wait for blood, let us lurk privily for the innocent without cause: 12 Let us swallow them up alive as the grave; and whole, as those that go down into the pit: 13 We shall find all precious substance, we shall fill our houses with spoil: …
2 Timothy 3:6 For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts,
- Envious.
Nehemiah 2:10 When Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, heard of it, it grieved them exceedingly that there was come a man to seek the welfare of the children of Israel.
Titus 3:3 For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another.
- Fearful.
Proverbs 28:1 The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion.
Revelation 21:8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
- Fierce.
Proverbs 16:29 A violent man enticeth his neighbour, and leadeth him into the way that is not good.
2 Timothy 3:3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
- Foolish.
Deuteronomy 32:6 Do ye thus requite the LORD, O foolish people and unwise? is not he thy father that hath bought thee? hath he not made thee, and established thee?
Psalm 5:5 The foolish shall not stand in thy sight: thou hatest all workers of iniquity.
- Forgetting God.
Job 8:13 So are the paths of all that forget God; and the hypocrite’s hope shall perish:
- Fraudulent.
Psalm 37:21 The wicked borroweth, and payeth not again: but the righteous sheweth mercy, and giveth.
Micah 6:11 Shall I count them pure with the wicked balances, and with the bag of deceitful weights?
- Froward.
Proverbs 21:8 The way of man is froward and strange: but as for the pure, his work is right.
Isaiah 57:17 For the iniquity of his covetousness was I wroth, and smote him: I hid me, and was wroth, and he went on frowardly in the way of his heart.
- Glorying in their shame.
Philippians 3:19 Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.)
- Hard-hearted.
Ezekiel 3:7 But the house of Israel will not hearken unto thee; for they will not hearken unto me: for all the house of Israel are impudent and hardhearted.
- Hating the light.
Job 24:13 They are of those that rebel against the light; they know not the ways thereof, nor abide in the paths thereof.
John 3:20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.
- Heady and high-minded.
2 Timothy 3:4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
- Hostile to God.
Romans 8:7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
Colossians 1:21 And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled
- Hypocritical.
Isaiah 29:13 Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men:
2 Timothy 3:5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
- Ignorant of God.
Hosea 4:1 Hear the word of the LORD, ye children of Israel: for the LORD hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land.
2 Thessalonians 1:8 In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:
- Impudent.
Ezekiel 2:4 For they are impudent children and stiffhearted. I do send thee unto them; and thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD.
- Incontinent.
2 Timothy 3:3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
- Infidel, Atheist, Skeptic, Unbeliever.
Psalm 10:4 The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts.
Psalm 14:1 The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.
- Loathsome.
Proverbs 13:5 A righteous man hateth lying: but a wicked man is loathsome, and cometh to shame.
- Lovers of pleasure more than of God.
2 Timothy 3:4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
- Lying.
Psalm 58:3 The wicked are estranged from the womb: they go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies.
Psalm 62:4 They only consult to cast him down from his excellency: they delight in lies: they bless with their mouth, but they curse inwardly. Selah.
Isaiah 59:4 None calleth for justice, nor any pleadeth for truth: they trust in vanity, and speak lies; they conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity.
- Mischievous.
Proverbs 24:8 He that deviseth to do evil shall be called a mischievous person.
Micah 7:3 That they may do evil with both hands earnestly, the prince asketh, and the judge asketh for a reward; and the great man, he uttereth his mischievous desire: so they wrap it up.
- Murderous.
Psalm 10:8 He sitteth in the lurking places of the villages: in the secret places doth he murder the innocent: his eyes are privily set against the poor.
Psalm 94:6 They slay the widow and the stranger, and murder the fatherless.
Romans 1:29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,
- Prayerless.
Job 21:15 What is the Almighty, that we should serve him? and what profit should we have, if we pray unto him?
Psalm 53:4 Have the workers of iniquity no knowledge? who eat up my people as they eat bread: they have not called upon God.
- Persecuting.
Psalm 69:26 For they persecute him whom thou hast smitten; and they talk to the grief of those whom thou hast wounded.
Psalm 109:16 Because that he remembered not to shew mercy, but persecuted the poor and needy man, that he might even slay the broken in heart.
- Perverse.
Deuteronomy 32:5 They have corrupted themselves, their spot is not the spot of his children: they are a perverse and crooked generation.
- Proud.
Psalm 59:12 For the sin of their mouth and the words of their lips let them even be taken in their pride: and for cursing and lying which they speak.
Obadiah 3 The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee, thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, whose habitation is high; that saith in his heart, Who shall bring me down to the ground?
2 Timothy 3:2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
- Rejoicing in the affliction of saints.
Psalm 35:15 But in mine adversity they rejoiced, and gathered themselves together: yea, the abjects gathered themselves together against me, and I knew it not; they did tear me, and ceased not:
- Reprobate.
2 Corinthians 13:5 Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?
2 Timothy 3:8 Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith.
Titus 1:16 They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.
- Selfish.
2 Timothy 3:2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
- Sensual.
Philippians 3:19 Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.)
Jude 19 These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit.
- Sold under sin.
1 Kings 21:20 And Ahab said to Elijah, Hast thou found me, O mine enemy? And he answered, I have found thee: because thou hast sold thyself to work evil in the sight of the LORD.
2 Kings 17:17 And they caused their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire, and used divination and enchantments, and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger.
- Stiff-hearted.
Ezekiel 2:4 For they are impudent children and stiffhearted. I do send thee unto them; and thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD.
- Stiff-necked.
Exodus 33:5 For the LORD had said unto Moses, Say unto the children of Israel, Ye are a stiffnecked people: I will come up into the midst of thee in a moment, and consume thee: therefore now put off thy ornaments from thee, that I may know what to do unto thee.
Acts 7:51 Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye.
- Uncircumcised in heart.
Jeremiah 9:26 Egypt, and Judah, and Edom, and the children of Ammon, and Moab, and all that are in the utmost corners, that dwell in the wilderness: for all these nations are uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel are uncircumcised in the heart.
Acts 7:51 Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye.
- Unjust.
Proverbs 11:7 When a wicked man dieth, his expectation shall perish: and the hope of unjust men perisheth.
Isaiah 26:10 Let favour be shewed to the wicked, yet will he not learn righteousness: in the land of uprightness will he deal unjustly, and will not behold the majesty of the LORD.
- Unmerciful.
Romans 1:31 Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:
- Ungodly.
Proverbs 16:27 An ungodly man diggeth up evil: and in his lips there is as a burning fire.
- Unholy.
2 Timothy 3:2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
- Unprofitable.
Matthew 25:30 And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Romans 3:12 They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.
- Unruly.
Titus 1:10 For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, specially they of the circumcision:
- Unthankful.
Luke 6:35 But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.
2 Timothy 3:2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
- Untoward.
Acts 2:40 And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation.
- Unwise.
Deuteronomy 32:6 Do ye thus requite the LORD, O foolish people and unwise? is not he thy father that hath bought thee? hath he not made thee, and established thee?
After the Fall of Man in the Garden of Eden, it did not take long for sin and wickedness to spread over the entire earth. Centuries before the Ten Commandments, humanity invented ways to offend God:
And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. (Genesis 6:5, KJV)
Not only had people turned evil, but their nature was evil all the time. God was so grieved at the situation he decided to wipe out all living things on the planet — with eight exceptions — Noah and his family. Scripture calls Noah blameless and says he walked with God.
The only description Genesis gives of humanity’s wickedness is that the earth was "filled with violence." The world had become corrupt. The Flooddestroyed everyone except Noah, his wife, their three sons and their wives. They were left to repopulate the earth.
Centuries later, wickedness again drew God’s wrath. Although Genesis does not use "wickedness" to describe the city of Sodom, Abraham asks God not to destroy the righteous with the "wicked." Scholars have long assumed the city's sins involved sexual immorality because a mob tried to rape two male angels Lot was sheltering in his home.
Then the Lord rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven; And he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground. (Genesis 19:24-25, KJV)
God also struck several individuals dead in the Old Testament: Lot’s wife; Er, Onan, Abihu and Nadab, Uzzah, Nabal, and Jeroboam. In the New Testament, Ananias and Sapphira, and Herod Agrippa died quickly at God’s hand. All were wicked, according to the ISBE's definition above.
How Wickedness Began
Scripture teaches that sin began with man's disobedience in the Garden of Eden. Given a choice, Eve, then Adam, took their own way instead of God's. That pattern has carried down through the ages. This original sin, inherited from one generation to the next, has infected every human being ever born.
In the Bible, wickedness is associated with worshipping pagan gods, sexual immorality, oppressing the poor, and cruelty in warfare. Even though Scripture teaches that every person is a sinner, few today define themselves as wicked. Wickedness, or its modern equivalent, evil tends to be associated with mass murderers, serial rapists, child molesters, and drug dealers — in comparison, many believe they are virtuous.
But Jesus Christ taught otherwise. In his Sermon on the Mount, he equated evil thoughts and intentions with acts:
Ye have heard that it was said of them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire. ( Matthew 5:21-22, KJV)
Jesus demands we keep every commandment, from the greatest to the least. He sets up a standard impossible for human beings to meet:
Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect. (Matthew 5:48, KJV)
God’s Answer to Wickedness
The opposite of wickedness is righteousness. But as Paul points out, “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one.” (Romans 3:10, KJV)
Human beings are utterly lost in their sin, unable to save themselves. The only answer to wickedness must come from God.
But how can a loving God be both merciful and just? How can he forgivesinners to satisfy his perfect mercy yet punish wickedness to satisfy his perfect justice?
The answer was God’s plan of salvation, the sacrifice of his only Son, Jesus Christ, on the cross for the sins of the world. Only a sinless man could qualify to be such a sacrifice; Jesus was the only sinless man. He took the punishment for the wickedness of all humanity. God the Father showed that he approved of Jesus’ payment by raising him from the dead.
However, in his perfect love, God does not force anyone to follow him. Scripture teaches that only those who receive his gift of salvation by trusting in Christ as Savior will go to heaven. When they believe in Jesus, his righteousness is imputed to them, and God sees them not as wicked, but holy. Christians do not stop sinning, but their sins are forgiven, past, present, and future, because of Jesus.
Jesus warned many times that people who reject God’s grace go to hell when they die. Their wickedness is punished. Sin is not ignored; it is paid for either on the Cross of Calvary or by the unrepentant in hell.
The good news, according to the gospel, is that God’s forgiveness is available to everyone. God desires that all people come to him. The consequences of wickedness are impossible for human beings alone to avoid, but with God, all things are possible.
- From the Hebrew word belial - [beli-without / yaal-profit]
- that is why the words wicked and worthless are used together in Scripture.
- the idea is that wicked thoughts, words, and deeds do not produce any profitable.
- of course the lie of the world is that such behaviors will be greatly profitable---God's view is, it is belial, without profit.
II. The Body of the Wicked Man
INPUT - What point is Solomon trying to make in verses 12b-13?
A. Every part of his body is devoted to wickedness.
- his mouth is wicked, his feet are wicked, his eyes are wicked, even the way he points his fingers.
- God has entrusted him with a body, and this man has taken this gift and given it over to sinful uses.
- cf. Paul in Romans 7 --- who will deliver me from the body of this death? [physical body habituated to sin].
- INPUT - Ways this idea is illustrated in wickedness today?
B. He uses his body this way because of his wicked heart.
- cf. verse 14, [also Mark 7:14-23]
INPUT - How do people "devise evil continually" in their hearts today?
- after this description, Solomon gives the famous list of seven things the Lord hates.
III. The Characteristics of the Wicked Man
- ultimately we are known by our deeds, and the deeds of this man [not surprisingly] are wicked and worthless as well.
A. Pride
INPUT - Does it surprise you that pride would be on the top of this list? Why or why not? How does it relate to the concept of worthlessness?
[develop if time allows - Satan - Isa. 14:12-14]
- cf. also Proverbs 8:13 - The fear of the Lord is to hate evil; pride and arrogance and the evil way and the perverse mouth I hate
B. A lying tongue
Wiersbe - God sees a lie, not as an act of speech but as a deadly force that goes to work in society and divides and destroys. When we lie, we open the door for Satan to work, for he is a liar (John 8:44); when we speak truth, we give opportunity for the Spirit to work (Eph. 4:14–25). There is a place reserved in hell for liars (Rev. 21:8, 27; see 2 Thes. 2:10).
INPUT - Does it surprise you that truthtelling would make this list? What might that tell us about how much value we place on this topic?
C. Murder
INPUT - Is there a difference between murder and killing? How do passages like Genesis 6:5-6 and Romans 13:1-7 fit into this discussion?
INPUT - Is there any implication of this to our church's involvement in the abortion debate? Should we be involved? More involved? Why or why not?
D. A heart that devises wicked schemes.
- this is exactly what we saw back in verse 14.
- it is interesting that this issue is so significant that it is actually mentioned twice in this section.
E. Feet that are swift in running to evil.
[could review different things the Bible says about feet - cf. Wiersbe p. 69]
INPUT - What is the opposite of this characteristic?
- [develop the issue of being careful - cf. Romans 14:23]
F. A false witness who speaks lies.
- INPUT - How is this different than a lying tongue?
- [there is obvious overlap --- but the idea of being a "false witness" has the air of some kind of official declaration --- a court case, a wedding vow, a deposition]
- society rises and falls on the willingness of the citizens to tell the truth -- which is why it ought to be disturbing that the percentage of college students willing to cheat continues to rise.
G. Sows discord among the brethren.
Psalm 133:1 - Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity!
Adult Bible Fellowship
The Wicked Man #1
Proverbs Series #29
I. The ____________ of the Wicked Man
From the Hebrew word belial - [beli-without / yaal-profit]
II. The __________ of the Wicked Man
INPUT - What point is Solomon trying to make in verses 12b-13?
A. Every part of his body is _______________ to wickedness.
INPUT - Ways this idea is illustrated in wickedness today?
B. He uses his body this way because of his wicked ___________.
INPUT - How do people "devise evil continually" in their hearts today?
III. The ___________________ of the Wicked Man
A. __________
INPUT - Does it surprise you that pride would be on the top of this list? Why or why not? How does it relate to the concept of worthlessness?
B. A ___________ ____________
Wiersbe - God sees a lie, not as an act of speech but as a deadly force that goes to work in society and divides and destroys. When we lie, we open the door for Satan to work, for he is a liar (John 8:44); when we speak truth, we give opportunity for the Spirit to work (Eph. 4:14–25). There is a place reserved in hell for liars (Rev. 21:8, 27; see 2 Thes. 2:10).
INPUT - Does it surprise you that truth telling would make this list? What might that tell us about how much value we place on this topic?
C. _____________
INPUT - Is there a difference between murder and killing? How do passages like Genesis 6:5-6 and Romans 13:1-7 fit into this discussion?
INPUT - Is there any implication of this to our church's involvement in the abortion debate? Should we be involved? More involved? Why or why not?
D. A __________ that _____________ wicked schemes.
E. _________ that are swift in running to evil.
INPUT - What is the opposite of this characteristic?
F. A false witness who ___________ lies.
INPUT - How is this different than a lying tongue?
G. Sows _____________ among the brethren.
Psalm 133:1 - Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity!
Ephesians 5:11 KJV
And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.
Proverbs 6:12-16 KJV
A naughty person, a wicked man, walketh with a froward mouth. He winketh with his eyes, he speaketh with his feet, he teacheth with his fingers; Frowardness is in his heart, he deviseth mischief continually; he soweth discord. Therefore shall his calamity come suddenly; suddenly shall he be broken without remedy. These six things doth the Lord hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him:
Psalm 7:9 KJV
Oh let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end; but establish the just: for the righteous God trieth the hearts and reins.
Genesis 13:13 KJV
But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the Lord exceedingly.
Psalm 55:15 KJV
Let death seize upon them, and let them go down quick into hell: for wickedness is in their dwellings, and among them.
Psalm 121:7-8 KJV
The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul. The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.
Revelation 21:8 KJV
But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
Isaiah 3:11 KJV
Woe unto the wicked! it shall be ill with him: for the reward of his hands shall be given him.
Genesis 18:23 KJV
And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked?
Romans 12:21 KJV
Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.
Ephesians 6:12 KJV
For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
Ecclesiastes 12:14 KJV
For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.
Micah 2:1 KJV
Woe to them that devise iniquity, and work evil upon their beds! when the morning is light, they practise it, because it is in the power of their hand.
Genesis 18:25 KJV
That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?
Ephesians 6:11 KJV
Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
Romans 12:19 KJV
Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.
James 1:13 KJV
Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:
Proverbs 4:14 KJV
Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men.
Genesis 38:7 KJV
And Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the Lord; and the Lord slew him.
Romans 16:17 KJV
Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.
1 John 1:9 KJV
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Psalm 64:2 KJV
Hide me from the secret counsel of the wicked; from the insurrection of the workers of iniquity:
Exodus 9:27 KJV
And Pharaoh sent, and called for Moses and Aaron, and said unto them, I have sinned this time: the Lord is righteous, and I and my people are wicked.
Mark 7:20-23 KJV
And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.
Psalm 5:4 KJV
For thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness: neither shall evil dwell with thee.
Proverbs 4:17 KJV
For they eat the bread of wickedness, and drink the wine of violence.
Exodus 23:1 KJV
Thou shalt not raise a false report: put not thine hand with the wicked to be an unrighteous witness.
Romans 13:4 KJV
For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.
Psalm 34:21 KJV
Evil shall slay the wicked: and they that hate the righteous shall be desolate.
Proverbs 2:14 KJV
Who rejoice to do evil, and delight in the frowardness of the wicked;
Exodus 23:7 KJV
Keep thee far from a false matter; and the innocent and righteous slay thou not: for I will not justify the wicked.
Ezekiel 33:11 KJV
Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?
Proverbs 8:13 KJV
The fear of the Lord is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.
Zechariah 5:8 KJV
And he said, This is wickedness. And he cast it into the midst of the ephah; and he cast the weight of lead upon the mouth thereof.
Leviticus 20:17 KJV
And if a man shall take his sister, his father’s daughter, or his mother’s daughter, and see her nakedness, and she see his nakedness; it is a wicked thing; and they shall be cut off in the sight of their people: he hath uncovered his sister’s nakedness; he shall bear his iniquity.
Matthew 25:46 KJV
And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.
Genesis 50:20 KJV
But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.
Ezekiel 18:20 KJV
The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.
Romans 6:23 KJV
For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Psalm 125:3 KJV
For the rod of the wicked shall not rest upon the lot of the righteous; lest the righteous put forth their hands unto iniquity.
Numbers 16:26 KJV
And he spake unto the congregation, saying, Depart, I pray you, from the tents of these wicked men, and touch nothing of their’s, lest ye be consumed in all their sins.
Romans 12:9 KJV
Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.
1 Timothy 5:8 KJV
But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.
1 John 5:19 KJV
And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness.
Proverbs 12:3 KJV
A man shall not be established by wickedness: but the root of the righteous shall not be moved.
Deuteronomy 15:9 KJV
Beware that there be not a thought in thy wicked heart, saying, The seventh year, the year of release, is at hand; and thine eye be evil against thy poor brother, and thou givest him nought; and he cry unto the Lord against thee, and it be sin unto thee.
Exodus 21:24-25 KJV
Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, Burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.
1 Thessalonians 5:15 KJV
See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men.
Romans 3:10-18 KJV
As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: Their feet are swift to shed blood: Destruction and misery are in their ways: And the way of peace have they not known: There is no fear of God before their eyes.
Psalm 140:8 KJV
Grant not, O Lord, the desires of the wicked: further not his wicked device; lest they exalt themselves. Selah.
Deuteronomy 17:5 KJV
Then shalt thou bring forth that man or that woman, which have committed that wicked thing, unto thy gates, even that man or that woman, and shalt stone them with stones, till they die.
Ephesians 4:26-27 KJV
Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Neither give place to the devil.
Psalm 37:1 KJV
Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity.
If the soul, or spirit, of humans lives on, it must live somewhere. If they are going to suffer punishment for their sins, then this punishment must happen somewhere. Though the place of this final punishment is not located for us, it is named - hell.
Second Death
The Scripture teaches there is a second death- which is eternal separation from God. In common speech, this place is known as hell. The Bible says.
But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars - their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death (Revelation 21:8).
Once a person enters the realm of the wicked dead there is no escape. Those who experience physical death without Christ will also experience the second death.
Different Words Used
One of the important issues in considering what the Bible says about hell is understanding the different Hebrew and Greek words used to describe where people will be judged. Many English versions render the words Sheol, Hades, Gehenna, and Tartarus, by the one English word, hell. This is unfortunate because each term has different shades of meanings, and speaks of different phases of God's judgment.
Different Phases
Sheol and Hades are terms used of the intermediate state of the human dead, while Tartarus is used of the intermediate state of fallen angels. None of these three terms refer to the final state of the wicked. Only Gehenna speaks of everlasting punishment for both wicked humans and sinning angels. Gehenna, therefore, or the lake of fire, would be equivalent to what we understand as hell.
Final Judgment
When most people think of hell, it means the permanent place of final judgment. The Bible calls this place Gehenna, or the lake of fire. When we refer to hell in this book, it will be the lake of fire, or the final judgment, that is under consideration.
Spoken Of Frequently
The subject of hell is found frequently in Scripture. The Bible speaks of God's wrath more than His love or mercy. It is not because His wrath is greater than His mercy, it is to warn the people of the upcoming judgment. Jesus said.
The one who has an ear, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death (Revelation 2:11).
The Scripture says.
Blessed and holy is the one who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power . . . Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death (Revelation 20:6,14).
Actual Place
As heaven is an actual place, so is hell. The Bible links the two places together. It not the playground of the Devil, nor does it refer to any punishment here on earth. It is a real place where real people will spend eternity apart from God.
Created For Sinning Angels.
When God created the heavens and the earth, everything was very good.
God saw everything that He had made, and indeed, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day (Genesis 1:31).
Sometime in the past, there was an angelic rebellion. When this occurred, sin entered the previously sinless universe. Hell was then created. It was not part of God's original creation or design, but was made specifically for the Devil and his angels. Jesus said.
Then He will say to those at His left, 'You that are accursed, depart from Me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels (Matthew 25:41).
Sinful Humans
Although hell was not created for humanity, those humans who reject God's gift of salvation will be sent to this place of judgment. Since everyone has been made to exist eternally, those who reject Christ and His gift of salvation must be sent somewhere. The spiritual condition in which a person dies will continue for all eternity. Jesus said.
I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am the one I claim to be, you will indeed die in your sins (John 8:24).
Summary
Hell, or the final judgment, is an actual place of punishment. It does exist. It was not made for humanity but rather for the Devil and his angels. When God created the heavens and the earth, He created them very good. After the angelic rebellion occurred, God made hell as a place to send these evil creatures. Those who reject God's free gift of salvation will be sent there.
According to Scripture, God has appointed a day when He will transfer the wealth of the wicked to the righteous. In fact, this is the primary theme and promise of the Bible.
Here are three passages in Daniel that point to this transference of wealth:
But the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom, and possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever.
Daniel 7:18none
I [Daniel] was watching; and the same horn [the antichrist] was making war against the saints, and prevailing against them, until the Ancient of Days came [God the Father], and a judgment was made in favor of the saints of the Most High, and the time came for the saints to possess the kingdom.
Daniel 7:21-22none
Then the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people, the saints of the Most High.
Daniel 7:27none
Proverbs 28:1 – “The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are bold as a lion.”
by Dr. Bill Edgar, Geneva College Board of Trustees Member, Former Geneva College President and longtime pastor in the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America (RPNCA)
Really? The wicked flee, and righteous people are bold as lions? Many Psalms lament the success of the wicked. Bullies often rule school playgrounds. Bad guys win their share of wars. So how is this proverb true?
The Living God, Maker of heaven and earth, cut a covenant with Israel after He rescued them from slavery in Egypt. He would be their God, and they would be His People, obeying His Law, which contained blessings and curses to enforce it.
One of God’s curses was this: “I will set my face against you, and you shall be struck down before your enemies. Those who hate you shall rule over you, and you shall flee when none pursues you (Leviticus 26:17, 36).” When God’s People live wickedly, they lose courage and retreat even when no one is after them. Sinners who know better fear being found out and become paranoid and jumpy, fleeing from rumors and imagined dangers.
Why does the Christian Church in the West steadily retreat? It tolerates sin and has a bad conscience. Catholic bishops decline to discipline politicians who defy Catholic teaching on such basic things as murder (abortion) and marriage (same sex), while Protestant churches have given up disciplining members for unbiblical divorces.
The young David, in contrast, was “bold as a lion.” Goliath’s challenge of Israel and her God outraged him. He would fight the giant. So a teen-aged shepherd with his sling and a few stones ran at a huge, armed, and armored professional soldier. Who was the lion and who was the prey? David’s stone slung from a distance knocked Goliath out, and David’s bold follow-up using Goliath’s own sword to cut off his head made it clear: David, not Goliath, was the lion!
Jesus, the lion of the tribe of Judah, combines what seems false about this proverb with the deeper truth that it conveys. He fell before His enemies, crucified, but He did so boldly, never quailing before His enemies. In fact, He unsettled Roman Governor Pilate (John 19:11-12), and the centurion in charge of the crucifixion said at last, “Truly, this man was the son of God (Mark 15:39).” On the third day after His death, God gave Jesus victory, raising Him from the dead and making Him King over all nations. When His Body in the world, the Church, follows in His footsteps, it is triumphant even in martyrdom, like the Egyptian Coptic Christian beheaded on the seashore in Libya in 2015, who gave his Arabic Bible to his executioner and cried “Jesus, help me,” as he died victorious.
A very difficult text from Judges 19 which I preached several years ago describes the gruesome account of the attempted homosexual rape of a Levite, the brutal rape of his concubine, and the dismembering of her body into twelve pieces, which were sent to the twelve tribes of Israel by her husband. Several who were asked to read this scripture passage in our teaching hour declined. The one who did consent asked to pray before the text was read rather than afterward as was our custom!
Psalm 109 is a similarly unpleasant passage for many. If classified as movies are today, it would hardly receive a “G” rating. Some psalms are soothing, such as Psalm 23. Others like Psalm 91 are comforting. There are soul-stirring psalms which inspire us to worship and praise such as Psalm 103. Psalm 109 is very troubling to most because it is perhaps the strongest imprecatory183 psalm in the psalter. David, the author of the psalm as indicated in the superscription, calls upon God to destroy his enemies in the most horrible ways. According to Perowne, there are no less than 30 anathemas pronounced upon David’s enemies in this one psalm.184 David not only seeks the punishment of his enemy but also the painful consequences brought on his family: “Let his children be fatherless, and his wife a widow. Let his children wander about and beg; and let them seek sustenance far from their ruined homes” (vv. 9-10).
The problem we face in Psalm 109 is not restricted to this psalm, however. Other Psalms contain similar prayers for the punishment of evildoers: “Do Thou add iniquity to their iniquity, and may they not come into Thy righteousness. May they be blotted out of the book of life, and may they not be recorded with the righteous” (Ps. 69:27-28).
To some the beauty of Psalm 139 is shattered by these words:
O that Thou wouldst slay the wicked, O God; depart from me, therefore, men of bloodshed. For they speak against Thee wickedly, and Thine enemies take Thy name in vain. Do I not hate those who hate Thee, O Lord? And do I not loathe those who rise up against Thee? I hate them with the utmost hatred; they have become my enemies (Ps. 139:19-22).
In Psalm 137 we find a cry of vengeance against the Babylonians:
Remember, O Lord, against the sons of Edom the day of Jerusalem, who said, “Raze it, raze it, to its very foundation.” O daughter of Babylon, you devastated one, how blessed will be the one who repays you with the recompense with which you have repaid us. How blessed will be the one who seizes and dashes your little ones against the rock (Ps. 137:7-9).
The problem we face in Psalm 109 is one that is far broader than just one passage, or even one book of the Bible. Prayers of imprecation for the destruction of the wicked are to be found throughout the entire Word of God. Moses (the “meekest man on the face of the earth,” Num. 12:3) prayed, “Rise up, O Lord! And let Thine enemies be scattered, and let those who hate Thee flee before Thee” (Num. 10:35).
The prophet Jeremiah spoke stinging words of imprecation which parallel the prayers of David and others in the psalms:
Do give heed to me, O Lord, and listen to what my opponents are saying! Should good be repaid with evil? For they have dug a pit for me. Remember how I stood before Thee to speak good on their behalf, so as to turn away Thy wrath from them. Therefore, give their children over to famine, and deliver them up to the power of the sword; and let their wives become childless and widowed. Let their men also be smitten to death, their young men struck down by the sword in battle. May an outcry be heard from their houses, when Thou suddenly bringest raiders upon them; for they have dug a pit to capture me and hidden snares for my feet. Yet Thou, O Lord, knowest all their deadly designs against me; do not forgive their iniquity or blot out their sin from Thy sight. But may they be overthrown before Thee; deal with them in the time of Thine anger! (Jer. 18:19-23; cf. also 11:18ff.; 15:15ff.; 20:11ff.).
There are numerous imprecations in the New Testament also, such as that of the saints who were slain for their righteousness:
And when He broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained; and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, wilt Thou refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” (Rev. 6:9-10).
Imprecations such as those found in Psalm 109 have caused some Christians to question the value of the imprecatory prayers of the Bible for New Testament believers:
It is surely a debatable question as to whether the church should retain the whole Psalter in its worship, including these troublesome passages, or whether the Psalter should be censored at those points which seem to be inconsistent with God’s revelation in Jesus Christ. It would be interesting to check the responsive readings included in modern hymnals or books of worship, to see the degree to which the Psalms have been edited for Christian worship.185
No matter how perplexing the problem of imprecatory psalms may be, we cannot easily dismiss them. Imprecations, as we shall later point out, are also to be found in the New Testament. We know also that “all Scripture is profitable …” (2 Tim. 3:16) and therefore these prayers have a lesson for us to learn. In addition we must remember that all the psalms were recorded and preserved for public worship. The imprecatory psalms were not merely the passionate pleas of one man (spiritually or carnally motivated), but were rather a pattern for the worship of Israel. Can you imagine coming together to worship and singing a psalm like Psalm 109? Because ancient Israel did so, we must look very carefully at this passage to learn its message to us.
This lesson is intended to accomplish two purposes. We will seek to understand the message of Psalm 109, both as it related to the saints of old and as it applies to men today. In addition this psalm will be used to address the broader subject of imprecatory prayers. We will strive to understand the purpose of such prayers, and the principles which underly them, that apply equally to the saints today. Because of this two-fold purpose, our exposition of Psalm 109 will be more general to allow space for addressing the broader issues involved. Let us look first to the God to whom these prayers were addressed and His Spirit who inspired them, and then to the text itself for His message to us. May we not quickly disregard the stern warning of this psalm.
David’s Indictment of His Enemies:
His Innocence and Their Iniquity
(109: 1-5)
1 For the choir director. A Psalm of David. O God of my praise, Do not be silent! 2 For they have opened the wicked and deceitful mouth against me; They have spoken against me with a lying tongue. 3 They have also surrounded me with words of hatred, And fought against me without cause. 4 In return for my love they act as my accusers; But I am in prayer. 5 Thus they have repaid me evil for good, And hatred for my love. (NASB)
Verses 1-5 are crucial, not only to this psalm, but to our understanding of imprecation. In this introductory section David makes two claims: (1) his innocence and (2) the iniquity of his enemies. The God who is the object of his praise (v. 1; cf. also Deut. 10:21; Jer. 17:14) is also the One who receives his petitions. David’s plea that God not remain silent in verse 1b is a cry for help, as elsewhere (cf. Ps. 28:1; 35:22; 83:1). The basis for David’s petition is then given in verses 2-5. David is accused by his enemies but is innocent of their charges. He has done good to his enemies, which they have repaid with evil.
I believe that verses 1-5 are crucial to a correct understanding of imprecatory prayers because they inform us about the prerequisites for imprecation. The requirements are rigorous for those who would thus pray. Likewise, those who are worthy of divine wrath are carefully defined. Only the innocent dare pray as David does, and only the wicked need fear the fate which David petitions God to execute.
Let us first consider the innocence of David, which qualifies him to pray as he does. David is, first and foremost, a worshipper of God. He dares not petition his God apart from being a man given to the praise of God (v. 1). While the accusations against David by his enemies are many, they are without basis (cf. Ps. 69:4). He not only has refrained from evil toward the wicked, he has done them nothing but good (v. 5; cf. Ps. 35:12). They hate, but he loves (v. 5). They accuse him, but he prays (for them, it would seem, v. 4).186The underlying assumption is that David is suffering, not for his sin, but “for righteousness sake”:
Because for Thy sake I have borne reproach; dishonor has covered my face. I have become estranged from my brothers, and an alien to my mother’s sons. For zeal for Thy house has consumed me, and the reproaches of those who reproach Thee have fallen on me (Ps. 69:7-9).
David does not claim to be sinless here, but he is a worshipper whose heart is right before God.187 Often in the psalms David confesses his own sins: “For I confess my iniquity; I am full of anxiety because of my sin” (Ps. 38:18). “O God, it is Thou who dost know my folly, and my wrongs are not hidden from Thee” (Ps. 69:5; cf. 32:5; 51:5). If he has sinned, David asks God to deal with him accordingly:
O Lord my God, if I have done this, if there is injustice in my hands, if I have rewarded evil to my friend, or have plundered him who without cause was my adversary, let the enemy pursue my soul and overtake it; and let him trample my life down to the ground, and lay my glory in the dust (Ps. 7:3-5).
In Psalm 139 while David prayed that God would “slay the wicked” (v. 19), he immediately opens his own heart to God, so that he may have his sins exposed and cleansed: “Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my anxious thoughts; and see if there be any hurtful way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way” (Ps. 139:23-24).
David makes his petition to God as one who is dependent on Him for righteousness (cf. Ps. 130:3-8; 143:2). While he is not entirely free from sin, he is right with God by His grace, and he is righteous with regard to the charges of his opponents.
No one dare implore God to act as David does in Psalm 109 unless he himself is innocent in the sense that David was: innocent of the charges of the wicked, and in right standing before God. Let those who would pray for the destruction of their enemies be as quick as David to have God search their own hearts and to deal with them in justice, just as they would have Him judge their enemies. Imprecatory prayers must only be made by the righteous.
Second, let us give due consideration to the wickedness of David’s enemies, which made them worthy of God’s wrath. In Psalm 109 the sin of David’s enemies is expressed almost entirely in terms of the wrongs they have committed against him.188 Elsewhere, however, it is shown that how the wicked treat the righteous is symptomatic of their rebellion against God (cf. Ps. 37:12; 139:19-20).
The nature of the sin of the wicked against David is especially informative. The primary instrument of evil is the tongue of the wicked. They have “opened the wicked and deceitful mouth” and spoken with “a lying tongue” (v. 2). They have surrounded the psalmist with “words” (v. 3) and have “accused” him of wrongdoing (v. 4). I believe that Derek Kidner has best captured the essence of this evil by the title, “The Character-Assassin.”189
In most churches there is some kind of written or understood list of sins which its members are forbidden to commit. For some it may be smoking, drinking, dancing, going to movies, cursing, or perhaps (though less frequently) immorality. I am not trying to challenge here any of the items which may be on your particular list (though they made need challenging!). What I want to stress is how seldom the sin of backbiting is included in those lists. In fact, we have developed very subtle and spiritual-sounding means of committing the sin of character assassination. We “share” the problems of others as prayer requests. This sounds so pious, but frequently it is simply gossip by another label. Let us learn from this psalm that the most severe judgment is called down (and rightly so) upon the sin of character-assassination.
Two lessons should be learned from verses 1-5 concerning those against whom imprecations are made: (1) The imprecations which God hears are those which are made by those who have clean hands and a clean heart. Imprecations are effective only when we see sin as God does and when we ask Him to deal with sin as He has promised to deal with it in His Word. (2) Those against whom imprecations are effective are those who are truly wicked, those who are not just our enemies, but God’s enemies. Psalm 109 is vastly different from a “voodoo” curse. Imprecations are prayers for the punishment of the wicked. While the psalmist is innocent, his enemies are not. This is the basis for his petition for the punishment of the wicked. We are taught in Proverbs that a curse without basis has no effect: “Like a sparrow in its flitting, like a swallow in its flying, so a curse without cause does not alight” (Prov. 26:2).
Let us not leave these introductory verses without learning that those who would pray a prayer similar to David’s must be like David—they must be those who praise God (not just petition Him), and those who are right before God and men. Those who seek God’s wrath on the guilty should be innocent. Imprecations are only effective against the guilty. In this context and many others, their guilt is the offense of the tongue. God takes our words seriously, and so should we.
A brief word should be said about the identity of the wicked. They apparently were closely associated with David. According to verse 5, they had been the recipients of David’s love, which they had spurned and showed him hatred instead. Examples of David’s enemies include Doeg the Edomite (Ps. 52:1; 1 Sam. 21:7), Shimei (2 Sam. 16:5-8), and Saul (1 Sam. 18–31).190 While it is tempting to try to identify the name of the culprit, it seems obvious that the psalmist did not intend for us to know the individual’s identity. There are good reasons for this. First, the psalmist is committing the wicked to God’s judgment, not man’s. Why should he name the individual when God knew who it was? David, unlike his enemies, was not willing to engage in character-assassination. Secondly, David may have wanted his readers to give more thought to the one behind all accusation, Satan.191 Since the Hebrew word rendered “accuser” is translated satan, Satan’s role may well be indicated. We will return to this subject below.
Third, since the psalms were intended for general use, David did not identify his enemies so that the righteous could supply the names of their adversaries, so to speak.192
David’s Imprecation Against His Enemies
(109:6-20)
6 Appoint a wicked man over him; And let an accuser stand at his right hand. 7 When he is judged, let him come forth guilty; And let his prayer become sin. 8 Let his days be few; Let another take his office. 9 Let his children be fatherless, And his wife a widow. 10 Let his children wander about and beg; And let them seek sustenance far from their ruined homes. 11 Let the creditor seize all that he has; And let strangers plunder the product of his labor. 12 Let there be none to extend lovingkindness to him, Nor any to be gracious to his fatherless children. 13 Let his posterity be cut off; In a following generation let their name be blotted out.
14 Let the iniquity of his fathers be remembered before the LORD, And do not let the sin of his mother be blotted out. 15 Let them be before the LORD continually, That He may cut off their memory from the earth; 16 Because he did not remember to show lovingkindness, But persecuted the afflicted and needy man, And the despondent in heart, to put them to death. 17 He also loved cursing, so it came to him; And he did not delight in blessing, so it was far from him. 18 But he clothed himself with cursing as with his garment, And it entered into his body like water, And like oil into his bones. 19 Let it be to him as a garment with which he covers himself, And for a belt with which he constantly girds himself. 20 Let this be the reward of my accusers from the LORD, And of those who speak evil against my soul. (NASB)
Verses 1-5 are the basis of David’s imprecation. David is innocent, yet his enemies have accused him of wrong-doing. They have engaged in character-assassination. David appeals to God, the object of his praise and adoration, to come to his rescue and to punish his wicked opponents. Verses 6-20 spell out the form which David believes this punishment should take. David’s imprecation is certainly fierce and forthright, but I believe that it is not excessive. The details of David’s imprecation and its doctrinal basis will be the primary aim of our study of these verses.
There is a change in the reference to David’s enemies in the plural (vv. 1-5) to that of the singular in the following verses (vv. 6ff.). The most plausible explanation is that David is moving from the general to the specific. In verses 1-5 his enemies are described as a group, but in verse 6 and following the punishment for which David prays is viewed as occurring individually. Some have suggested that the person singled out in these verses is the leader of David’s opposition.193
Verses 6-13 concentrate on the consequences for sin which are sought both for the man and his family. David asks that a wicked man be set over his foe and that an adversary accuse him (v. 6). If Saul were the enemy in mind, the punishment would simply be to receive in return what he had meted out to David. Let those who oppress those under them taste what it is like to have an evil man over them. Verse 7 seeks a verdict of “guilty” when his enemy is brought to court. David asks God to look upon the prayers of his enemies as sin (v. 7b). David can pray thus because it is consistent with the teaching of the Old Testament that the prayers (and indeed all religious acts) of the wicked are an abomination to God (cf. Prov. 28:9; Isa. 1:15).
Verses 8 and 9 petition God to shorten the life of David’s enemy. This is expressed in a variety of poetic terms. The days of his enemy should be few. His untimely death will require another to take his office (v. 8). It is this verse, you will recall, that was applied to Judas, the betrayer of our Lord, prompting the disciples of our Lord to choose a replacement for Judas among them (cf. Acts 1:20). The death of David’s foe would make his wife a widow and his children orphans (v. 9).
While it may seem unnecessarily severe for David to pray for his enemy’s untimely death and for his family to suffer for his sins, David’s petition is based upon the principles and practices of the Old Testament. God said that the sins of the fathers would be visited on the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate God (Exod. 20:5; Deut. 5:9). Also in the Law of Moses God warned that certain sins would bring consequences on the families of the sinner:
“You shall not afflict any widow or orphan. If you afflict him at all, and if he does cry out to Me, I will surely hear his cry; and My anger will be kindled, and I will kill you with the sword; and your wives shall become widows and your children fatherless” (Exod. 22:22-24).
This same principle was expressed in the Book of Proverbs:
The curse of the Lord is on the house of the wicked, but He blesses the dwelling of the righteous (Prov. 3:33).
He who returns evil for good, evil will not depart from his house (Prov. 17:13).
Proverbs 17:13 is especially relevant to David’s imprecations in Psalm 109 because it speaks of the penalty borne by those who return evil for good, precisely the sin of David’s foes (Ps. 109:5; cf. 35:12; 38:20). In addition, it warns that the consequences for sin fall on the house of the wicked, not just the individual.
What God taught in principle, He also practiced. God commanded the Israelites to destroy all the Canaanites, including their children (Deut. 20:16-18; Josh. 6:17,21). In response to the rebellion of Korah, God destroyed Korah, Dathan and Abiram, along with their wives, their children, their cattle, and their possessions (Num. 16, cf. esp. vv. 27, 31-33). A man’s sins not only have dire consequences for him personally; they also adversely affect his family (cf. also 1 Sam. 2:30-32).
David further prays for the financial ruin (vv. 10-11) and the family extinction (vv. 12-13) of his enemy. God’s blessing included both material gains and a posterity to benefit from the prosperity He gave (cf. Deut. 28:1-14). However, disobedience was to certainly bring about just the opposite result (Deut. 28:15-68). In praying for the financial ruin of his enemies and their family extinction, David was requesting God to act in accordance with the Mosaic covenant.
David, like the prophet Jeremiah (Jer. 18:20-21), cried out to God, petitioning God to do what He had promised. David’s petition may seem harsh to us, but it is no more severe than what God taught and what He personally practiced in dealing with the wicked. Incidentally, the Israelites did not seem to think God’s principles and promises were unreasonable when it came to national blessings, nor when the curses were directed toward their enemies. David’s imprecations in verses 6-13, including the suffering of his enemy’s family, are based upon biblical principles and promises.194
In verses 14-20 David continues to seek the punishment of his foes, but his petition is based upon a slightly different argument. David requested retribution for his enemies.195Retribution is simply getting what you give. Justice was based on the principle of “an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth” (Exod. 21:24; Lev. 24:20; Deut. 19:21). Jesus reminded His hearers that this principle was never intended to encourage revenge, but was a principle governing judgment to be applied by the judges of Israel (cf. Matt. 5:38-42). David does not himself seek revenge, but he requests God to apply the principle of retribution to his foes. He asks simply that God return on the wicked what they meted out to others, and what they therefore deserve.
Rather than show his adversaries mercy, let God deal with them in the light of their own sins, as well as those of their fathers (vv. 14-15). After all, the sins of the fathers are visited on the children who hate God (Deut. 5:9). The wicked whom David wishes to see punished are those who have shown no mercy to others, but have instead persecuted the afflicted and needy man, even putting him to death (v. 16). They therefore deserve God’s retributive judgment. The merciless should receive no mercy (Prov. 21:13; cf. Matt. 5:7; James 2:13).
Since the wicked love to curse, let cursing come to them (v. 17a). They withheld blessing, so blessings should be withheld from them (v. 17b). Cursing was like a garment to the wicked (v. 18a), so let it become his only clothing (vv. 18b-19). Let all who would accuse David stand accused before God (v. 20). David has thus asked no more than for God to do as He has promised and as the wicked deserve.
David’s Request for Relief
(109:21-29)
21 But Thou, O GOD, the Lord, deal kindly with me for Thy name’s sake; Because Thy lovingkindness is good, deliver me; 22 For I am afflicted and needy, And my heart is wounded within me. 23 I am passing like a shadow when it lengthens; I am shaken off like the locust. 24 My knees are weak from fasting; And my flesh has grown lean, without fatness. 25 I also have become a reproach to them; When they see me, they wag their head.
26 Help me, O LORD my God; Save me according to Thy lovingkindness. 27 And let them know that this is Thy hand; Thou, LORD, hast done it. 28 Let them curse, but do Thou bless; When they arise, they shall be ashamed, But Thy servant shall be glad. 29 Let my accusers be clothed with dishonor, And let them cover themselves with their own shame as with a robe. (NASB)
While God is a God of wrath, He is also a God of mercy. As the apostle Paul put it, “Behold then the kindness and severity of God” (Rom. 11:22). In the previous verses (6-20) David has made an imprecation against his enemies. The imprecation was based upon the promises of God and upon the evil practices of those who opposed David. David therefore pled with God to give men what they deserved. Now David appeals to God to deal graciously with him on the basis of God’s character and David’s pitiable condition. Not only did David ask justice for his foes, he now asks mercy for himself.
David’s petition is for God’s grace. It is rightly based on several truths concerning God’s character. First, God is a God who is characterized by “lovingkindness” (vv. 21,26). When David asks God to deal kindly with him for His name’s sake (v. 21), he means that since God is full of lovingkindness He can be called upon to be true to His character in showing mercy and kindness to His children. Secondly, God’s lovingkindness causes Him to be especially touched by the pitiable condition of those who trust in Him and are afflicted. Many of the Psalms reflect this aspect of God’s compassion for the “afflicted and needy” (v. 22), and appeal is often made to God based upon His concern for those in such straits:
When they are diminished and bowed down through oppression, misery, and sorrow, He pours contempt upon princes, and makes them wander in a pathless waste. But He sets the needy securely on high away from affliction, and makes his families like a flock. The upright see it, and are glad; but all unrighteousness shuts its mouth. Who is wise? Let him give heed to these things; and consider the lovingkindnesses of the Lord (Ps. 107:39-43).
I know that the Lord will maintain the cause of the afflicted, and justice for the poor (Ps. 140:12).
The Lord supports the afflicted; He brings down the wicked to the ground (Ps. 147:6; cf. also 12:5; 18:27; 35:10; 69:33; 72:4).
Verses 23-25 move from the wounded spirit (v. 22) of the psalmist to his pathetic physical condition, which is a result of oppression at the hand of his enemies. Apparently as skinny as a shadow (v. 23), the psalmist also describes himself as one who is brushed aside as worthless, like a locust is shaken from a garment. His knees are weak from fasting and his body is lean. Rather than inspire pity from his accusers, they despise him and wag their heads in contempt (v. 25). The inference seems to be that they have chosen to interpret David’s suffering as the evidence of his sin, just as Job’s friends reasoned about his condition. A God whose very nature is to take pity on the afflicted can certainly be expected to hear the plea of the psalmist, since he is spiritually and physically miserable.
Verses 26-29 appeal to God for help on the basis of God’s lovingkindness (v. 26) and the fact that the deliverance of David will prove that God’s hand is on him to bless him, not to punish him (vv. 27-29). If the enemies of David have appealed to his suffering as the proof of his guilt, then let God come to his rescue and lift him up. This would show them that God has acted in his behalf. Because they have cursed David, they will be put to shame if God blesses him (v. 28). God’s blessing in David’s life will give him honor and make him glad, but it will reveal that the wicked have covered themselves with shame for their treatment of him (v. 29).
David’s Promise of Praise
(109:30-31)
30 With my mouth I will give thanks abundantly to the LORD; And in the midst of many I will praise Him. 31 For He stands at the right hand of the needy, To save him from those who judge his soul. (NASB)
A final reason is given for God’s intervening on David’s behalf. Since God is the “God of David’s praise” (v. 1), He knows that the punishment of David’s enemies and the rescue of the psalmist will result in praise. Verses 30 and 31 are David’s vow of praise. He will praise God for His deliverance in the midst of the congregation (v. 30). The basis for this praise is the psalmist’s experience of seeing God stand at his right hand to defend. The accusers will finally be silenced when God reveals Himself as David’s defender.
Conclusion
It is true, I suspect, that Perowne is correct when he writes, “In the awfulness of its anathemas, the Psalm [109] surpasses everything of the kind in the Old Testament.”196 Because of its fierceness, some scholars such as Kittel have gone so far as to speak of this psalm as containing “… utterly repulsive maledictions inspired by the wildest form of vengeance, which make this one of the most questionable hymns of cursing.”197 Kittel therefore ascribes all of the psalm to “carnal passion that is utterly inexcusable.”198
Others like Cross have questioned the value of such psalms for public worship:
We question the worth for Christian worship of such Psalms as express a spirit of vindictiveness. Christianity is meekness, gentleness, peace. Even the wicked should be regarded as objects of redemptive search. … The spirit of Jesus spoke of forgiveness even upon those who did him to death. As long as we retain in Christian worship material which breathes a spirit of aggression, self-assertion and vengeance, we are contradicting our faith. We cannot hope thus to make our doctrine clear to the world. With such contradictory elements in our worship, we shall not be surprised that the spread of Christianity is slow. We may well wonder that it propagates at all.199
Kidner has stated the problem more conservatively:
The sudden transitions in the psalms from humble devotion to fiery imprecation create an embarrassing problem for the Christian, who is assured that all Scripture is inspired and profitable, but equally that he himself is to bless those who curse him.200
The problems which the imprecatory psalms have raised for the Christian have been answered by a variety of explanations, most of which seem inadequate or inaccurate.201 Before we become too critical of the psalmist and this type of psalm, let us make several observations which must be taken into account.
(1) We are all armchair theologians who have not walked in the shoes of the psalmist. It is easy for those who have not lived through the hellish experiences of saints who have suffered greatly for their faith to be critical of such imprecations. Let us not be quick to criticize those who have tasted the kind of opposition and oppression which David did. Let us learn from the severity of the David’s imprecations the intensity and the cruelty of his adversaries.
(2) The Old Testament saint had a dim picture of the afterlife, thus he was less informed concerning the judgment which will occur after death both for the saved (2 Cor. 5:10) and the unsaved (Rev. 20:12-15). Therefore the Old Testament believer would have been particularly eager to see God deal with the wicked in this life. Consequently a greater urgency is to be expected on the part of the psalmist.
(3) Whatever problems we may have with the imprecations of the Old Testament, the tension between justice and mercy, love and hate, is not a matter of law versus grace or Old Testament versus New Testament. The Old and New Testaments teach the same truths. For instance, the New Testament has much to say about judgment, justice and condemnation. Conversely, the Old Testament teaches us to love our neighbor and not to seek vengeance. In fact, when Paul instructs Christians not to take revenge (Rom. 12:17-21), he uses an Old Testament passage from the Book of Deuteronomy as his proof-text (Rom. 12:19; Deut. 32:35), as well as a quotation from Proverbs 25:21ff. (Rom. 12:20). When Jesus taught the Sermon on the Mount he was not teaching a new law, but was reiterating what the law had always taught. The Jewish religious system had set aside this law, replacing the truth with their own traditions.
(4) The psalms are not hastily scribbled personal vendettas, but carefully penned poetry. The indignation is not that of a quick, volatile explosion but that of a smoldering fire. You will remember that God is not without anger, but rather “slow to anger” (cf. Exod. 34:6; Num. 14:18; Ps. 86:15).
(5) The psalmist claims to be “spiritual” in his petition that God take vengeance on his enemies.Either the psalmist is self-deceived, a hypocrite or a liar.
(6) Every petition for justice and divine retribution is based upon biblical principles, precepts and practices. The psalmist pleads with God to act on the basis of His character (just and righteous), His covenant promises (e.g. Deut. 28), His conduct (e.g., in the destruction of Korah and his entire family, Num. 16).
(7) It is perhaps incorrect to refer to any psalm as an “imprecatory psalm” for the simple reason that while imprecation is a part of the psalm, it is not the whole of it. We are thus judging the whole by one part. Judgment is one theme, one aspect of God’s dealings with men, but not the whole. As Paul put it, let us consider “the goodness and the severity of God” (Rom. 11:22).
(8) When David or any other biblical character prays an imprecation, you will observe that the matter is left entirely with God. Godly men and women prayed to God about their enemies, and they specified (on the basis of God’s word) what they felt should happen to them. Yet they committed the wicked to God to deal with according to His word, in His time and in His own way. I personally believe that just as God’s prophecies left room for repentance and salvation (e.g. Jer. 18:5-10; cp. Jon. 3:8-10), so the very severity with which the psalmist spoke may have shocked some of the wicked into facing the seriousness of their sin and turning them to repentance.
(9) While the prayers of David are severe, his personal actions toward his enemies was gracious and kind. Suppose for a moment that Saul might have been the subject of Psalm 109. Saul deserved everything for which David prayed. Saul also received much for which David prayed. Yet David absolutely refused to take personal revenge, even when he had the opportunity. When he had the chance to kill Saul, he cut off a piece of his robe instead (1 Sam. 24:1-8)—later he was conscience-stricken for the spirit which had prompted this act (v. 5). David may have prayed fiercely, but his actions were absolutely gracious and kind.
(10) The church discipline of the New Testament is not really that different from the imprecatory psalms of the Old Testament. The New Testament also contains curses. Paul cursed Elymas for resisting the gospel (Acts 13:6-11) and damned any who would pervert it (Gal. 1:8-9). Peter pronounced sentence on Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:1-11). Paul delivered Hymenaeus and Alexander over to Satan (1 Tim. 1:20) as he did the man living with his father’s wife (1 Cor. 5:5). I personally believe that the final step of church discipline involves turning the sinner over to Satan (under God’s sovereign control, cf. Matt. 18:17-20) so that he may be severely chastened, with the goal of his repentance and restoration (cf. 1 Cor. 5:5; 2 Cor. 2:5-11).
All of the above observations lead me to the conclusion that the imprecatory psalms are far more relevant and applicable to Christians today than we would like to admit. Why then are we so uneasy about them? Essentially I think the answer is that we have a distorted view of God, perverted by our own sin. We want to think of God only in terms of love and mercy, but not in terms of justice and judgment. We are soft on sin. I think we have become entangled in a satanic conspiracy. We have adopted the thinking summarized by the expression, “I’m O.K., You’re O.K.” If you will pardon me for doing so, I could entitle Psalm 109, “I’m O.K., but You’re Not.” Such was the conviction of the psalmist. Most of us know that we are not O.K. Therefore we respond by going easy on others, hoping our laxity will make things easier on us. Let me tell you that if we had the courage and the conviction to pray as David did, we would be very ill at ease in regard to our own sins. Our greatest problem with imprecatory psalms is that the psalmist takes sin much more seriously than we do.
You may wish to challenge me by stressing that while we must hate sin, we should not hate the sinner. We want to think that God hates the sin, but He loves the sinner. I must ask you then, why does God send men to hell? Why isn’t hell a terrible place of torment for Satan and his angels and sin? Why is hell a place where people go? I don’t think it is as possible as we think to separate the sin from the sinner. This is not the solution to our problem.
I believe that in David’s case his enemies were God’s enemies whom God hated (cf. Rom. 9:13—in some sense, at least, God “hated” Esau). The solution was not to separate the sin and the sinner, but to commit both to God. This freed David from personal vengeance, enabling him to “love his enemies” (cf. Ps. 109:5) and treat them with kindness (as David did to Saul, Shimei, and the rest of his enemies). Let us not strive so hard to separate the sin from the sinner as to separate the sin from our attitudes and actions toward the sinner. I believe that David responded as he did to his enemies because he was a “man after God’s own heart.” Our problem is that we look at sin and sinners more from a human viewpoint than from the divine.
The amazing thing is that when we strive to conjure up human feelings of love and forgiveness, we really can’t love or forgive our enemies. The best we can do is to suppress our feelings of anger and hostility. When the psalmist prayed as he did in Psalm 109, he admitted his feelings and his desires (which were in accordance with God’s character and His covenant with men). He was thereby relieved of his hostility by committing the destiny of the wicked to God. Punishment and vengeance belong to God. By giving up vengeance we free ourselves to love and to forgive in a way that we cannot produce in and of ourselves.
Let us learn from the imprecatory psalms that a hard stand on sin is the best way to prevent sin. Let me tell you it must have been some experience to gather as a congregation in days of old and sing Psalm 109. Remember, the psalm was written for public worship. To sing its words was to remind the saints how the godly should respond to sin. In so doing each individual was reminded of the seriousness of sin and the dire consequences which accompany it. To be soft on sin is to give it a greenhouse in which to grow. To be hard on sin is to hinder its growth, not only in the lives of others but in our own as well.
My friend, the beautiful message of the Gospel is that the vengeance for which the psalmist prayed need not fall upon you. Jesus Christ came to the earth to take upon Himself our sins and our punishment. God placed upon His Son the punishment which David petitioned God to bring upon his enemies. No one who places his trust in the solution to sin—the Savior, Jesus Christ—need suffer the consequences of sin. It is only those who resist and reject God’s solution who suffer His temporal and eternal wrath. The psalmist who prayed for God’s justice for his enemies also petitioned God for His mercy and lovingkindness. God offers mercy and forgiveness to all, but He also promises justice and judgment to all who reject His Son. I encourage you to place your trust in Jesus Christ, the sin-bearer who died in your place and suffered even more than Psalm 109 describes.
183 In a more secular sense an imprecation is a curse on one’s enemies. In religious terms an imprecation is a prayer for evil or misfortune to befall another. In the Bible an imprecatory prayer is the prayer of a righteous man petitioning God to carry out justice by bringing punishment or destruction upon evildoers, especially those who have mistreated him.
184 J. J. Stewart Perowne, The Book of Psalms (Grand Rapids: Zondervan [reprint], 1976), I, p. 305.
185 Bernhard W. Anderson, Out of the Depths: The Psalms Speak for Us Today (Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1974), pp. 61-62. Anderson’s words here do not reflect his position, but are intended to bring the problem of the imprecatory prayers of the Bible into focus. His comments on the imprecatory psalms (pp. 60-67) are excellent.
186 In Psalm 35 David illustrates the wickedness of his enemies by contrasting his mercy with their cruelty. When they were afflicted, he fasted and prayed for them (vv. 13-14), but when he was afflicted they rejoiced, smiting and slandering him (vv. 15-16).
187 In the introduction to his commentary on the Psalms, Kirkpatrick addresses the subject of the innocence of the psalmists: “Some of these utterances are no more than asseverations that the speaker is innocent of particular crimes laid to his charge by his enemies (vii. 3ff.); others are general professions of purity of purpose and single-hearted devotion to God (xvii. 1ff.). They are not to be compared with the self-complacency of the Pharisee, who prides himself on his superiority to the rest of the world, but with St Paul’s assertions of conscious rectitude (Acts xx. 26ff.; xxii. 1). They breathe the spirit of simple faith and childlike trust, which throws itself unreservedly on God. Those who make them do not profess to be absolutely sinless, but they do claim to belong to the class of the righteous who may expect God’s favour, and they do disclaim all fellowship with the wicked, from whom they expect to be distinguished in the course of His Providence.” A. F. Kirkpatrick, The Book of Psalms (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House [reprint], 1982), p. lxxxvii.
Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
The societal conditions of the world prior to the Flood had so degraded that mankind had become completely characterized by wickedness and evil. As a result, we are told that God “grieved in His heart” (Genesis 6:6) for creating man.
This is the first verse in the Bible where the word “heart” (Hebrew labe) is used. In the Bible, when the term “the heart” is used in the context of human character, it is referring to “the seat of the mind, intellect, purpose” (Soncino Books of the Bible, Vol. 1, p. 19). In other words, “the heart” refers to who we are and what we are down to the core of our being. God is revealing that He is not just concerned with outward conduct—but with the inward thoughts and motivations of human beings.
The majority of people before the Flood became so evil and wicked that their negative character completely overwhelmed any potential for good. The Bible teaches that human nature at its worst is “deceitful … and desperately wicked” (Jeremiah 17:9). (Other scriptures show that the potential for evil within human nature comes to the fore as a result of personal choices; those choices are influenced and the subsequent evil is amplified by Satan the devil.)
The level of human wickedness had reached a unique low before the Flood. Two of the characteristics of the sinful state of antediluvian human beings were sexual lust (Genesis 6:2, 4) and murderous violence (verse 11).
Jesus Christ compared the end times to this antediluvian period: “But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark” (Matthew 24:37-38). This shows us that before the flood, life was being lived as normal, with no regard for God. The flood came upon the antediluvian as a surprise because they lacked any regard for God or the preaching of Noah (2 Peter 2:5). Peter described the people of this time as “ungodly” (2 Peter 2:5).
The social conditions during the end time are described in detail in 2 Timothy 3:1-5. Since Christ likens the end times to the antediluvian world, we can assume many of these same conditions describe what society was like then. Putting all these scriptures together, the fundamental issue during this time period was people living lives totally driven by lust and hate with absolutely no fear of God or sense of morality (Romans 1:28). The Bible also defines this as being “carnally minded” (Romans 8:6-8).
Throughout the Bible, God reveals that His desire is for human beings to repent—which means a change of life to the core of the heart. The New Covenant was prophesied to include God’s law (the definition of His character) being written on the hearts and minds of human beings (Jeremiah 31:33). God wants us to have the opposite of the characteristics of the antediluvian world! We are to be “spiritually minded” (Romans 8:6) and to love God “with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind” and “love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:37, 39).
On the other hand, it will go well for those who fear God (Eccl. 8:12). By linking the lack of fearing the Lord with the failure to prolong one's days (v. 13), the Preacher is pointing us to the fact that the fear of God will lengthen our lives. Thus, we have an implicit reference to heaven, where the redeemed will enjoy life in the Lord's presence forever.
Coram Deo
The fear of the Lord is not only the beginning of wisdom (Prov. 1:7); it is also the prerequisite for eternal life. It is not that such fear is a meritorious work that God rewards with eternal life; rather, such fear is born of saving faith that unites us to Christ, whose merit alone will save us. Though fearing the Lord may not bring with it much earthly success, it will bring us to eternal life, where we will see justice win and evil vanquished. Let us fear the Lord as we look for that day.
Proverbs 6:18: “An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief.”
The Oxford Advance dictionary defines wicked as being morally bad. The synonym is mischievous. We also have more wicked and most wicked.
A close look at this scripture shows that to be wicked is doing that which is wrong and an unacceptable behaviour to man and in the sight of God. It is to know what is right and refuse to do it. There is a difference between a sinner and a wicked man, even though a sinner can be termed wicked. For a sinner, doing evil or wickedness is his nature. It is natural for a sinner to do wrong, as he does not even see it as wrong. It is the believer who is being transformed by salvation that knows what is wrong.
The Bible uses the words ‘wicked’ and ‘sinner’ because they are different. Oftentimes, the wicked is used to describe a believer’s act. When he did not do what is right in the sight of God and for the good of others. “But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the Lord exceedingly.” Genesis 13: 13. “And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked?” Genesis 18: 23.
Abraham negotiated with God and asked concerning Sodom and Gomorrah, “Will you destroy the righteous and the wicked?” He was differentiating the righteous who should not be destroyed, then the righteous who was wicked in nature, those who are doing wrong. That is, ‘God will you destroy the righteous and the wicked; those doing right and wrong together?’ He asked God, “If you find five righteous will you still destroy them with the wicked? This is because God judges right and He rewards right attitude and character.
“And Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the Lord; and the Lord slew him,” Genesis 38:7.
Er was term wicked in the sight of the Lord. That is he did not do according to God’s will, he worked against the counsel of God.
“And Pharaoh sent, and called for Moses and Aaron, and said unto them, I have sinned this time: the Lord is righteous, and I and my people are wicked,” Exodus 9:27.
When Moses was talking about Pharaoh, he mentioned he disobeyed God’s instruction. Not obeying God’s instruction is an act of wickedness. To witness or testify to a lie is an act of wickedness.
“Thou shalt not raise a false report: put not thine hand with the wicked to be an unrighteous witness,” Exodus 23:1. Unfortunately, God does not justify a wicked man.
“Keep thee far from a false matter; and the innocent and righteous slay thou not: for I will not justify the wicked,” Exodus 23:7.
When Korah, Dathan and Abiram rebelled against Moses, it was seen as an act of wickedness, which in essence is working against the covenant. A believer trying to be wise in his or her own eyes against the instruction and word of God is practising wickedness. That is why Moses warned them that there should be no thought of wickedness in their hearts.
“Beware that there be not a thought in thy wicked heart, saying, The seventh year, the year of release, is at hand; and thine eye be evil against thy poor brother, and thou givest him nought; and he cry unto the LORD against thee, and it be sin unto thee,” Deuteronomy 15:9.
When a child of God does not put his skills and talent to make profit and come out of poverty, this is tagged as wickedness.
We see the example of Matthew 25, the parable of the talent. Jesus gave one five talents, to another two talents and to another one talent. Those given five and two talents multiplied their talents and made profit, but the one given one talent did not work according to the master’s expectation because his heart was wicked. He hid it so that people will not benefit from it. Not being a blessing is an act of wickedness. Hiding your talent or what could be of benefit unto others or service to God is wickedness unto yourself and not unto God because you are hindering your light from shining.
“His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed,” Matthew 25:26.
You should note that this servant is a servant of Jesus, one of the trusted disciples, but he had mischief in him. Jesus called the man wicked and slothful.
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