Monday, June 3, 2013

The Root of Wickedness

Psalm 10
English Standard Version (ESV)

10 Why, O Lord, do you stand (A)far away?
    Why (B)do you hide yourself in (C)times of trouble?
In arrogance the wicked hotly pursue the poor;
    let them (D)be caught in the schemes that they have devised.
For the wicked (E)boasts of the desires of his soul,
    and the one greedy for gain (F)curses[a] and (G)renounces the Lord.
In the pride of his face[b] the wicked does not (H)seek him;[c]
    all his thoughts are, (I)“There is no God.”
His ways prosper at all times;
    your judgments are on high, (J)out of his sight;
    as for all his foes, he (K)puffs at them.
He (L)says in his heart, “I shall not be moved;
    throughout all generations I (M)shall not meet adversity.”
7 (N)His mouth is filled with cursing and (O)deceit and (P)oppression;
    (Q)under his tongue are (R)mischief and (S)iniquity.
He sits in ambush in the villages;
    in (T)hiding places he murders the innocent.
His eyes stealthily watch for the helpless;
    he lurks in ambush like (U)a lion in his (V)thicket;
he (W)lurks that he may seize the poor;
    he seizes the poor when he draws him into his (X)net.
10 The helpless are crushed, sink down,
    and fall by his might.
11 He says in his heart, “God has forgotten,
    he has (Y)hidden his face, he (Z)will never see it.”
12 (AA)Arise, O Lord; O God, (AB)lift up your hand;
    (AC)forget not the afflicted.
13 Why does the wicked (AD)renounce God
    and say in his heart, “You will not (AE)call to account”?
14 But you do see, for you (AF)note mischief and vexation,
    that you may take it into your hands;
to you the helpless (AG)commits himself;
    you have been (AH)the helper of the fatherless.
15 (AI)Break the arm of the wicked and evildoer;
    (AJ)call his wickedness to account till you find none.
16 (AK)The Lord is king forever and ever;
    the (AL)nations perish from his land.
17 Lord, you hear the desire of the afflicted;
    you will (AM)strengthen their heart; you will incline your ear
18 to (AN)do justice to the fatherless and (AO)the oppressed,
    so that (AP)man who is of the earth may strike terror no more.

We have probably all seen the person who mocked God, took advantage of others, only looked out for himself but prospered on this earth.  We have probably also asked the question, “Why?”  What we don’t understand is that his prosperity is this man’s reward for he will have eternal punishment after his death on this earth.  If we live solely to prosper on this earth then our reward will only be found on this earth.  All this world has to offer us is temporal.  Some people preach that prosperity is a sign from God that you are walking in His will.  My husband has even been told by a friend that the reason we suffer is because we are not in the will of God.  Yet this passage is very clear that in fact that statement is not true.  David pleads with the Lord as he sees the poor being afflicted and the wicked prospering.

I want us to look closely as to how David described “wicked”. 
1.       In pride the wicked do not seek God.  Psalm 10:4
2.      The wicked believe they are in control. Psalm 10:6
3.      The wicked care not about others but only themselves.  Psalm 10:8-10
4.      The wicked do not see God as omniscient (ever present).  Psalm 10:11
5.      The wicked renounce God.  Psalm  10:13

Make no mistake the wicked will be punished.  The righteous will be rewarded.  The problem is that we think that reward will be here on earth.  We think we as Christians deserve more but we forget that this world is not our home.  We forget the promises that God has promised us regarding eternal life.  We think only about our current situation and we can begin to doubt that God really even cares about us.  When we do that we fall into the category of the wicked.  We begin to think that we are the ones in control and we start going out their fighting for our rights.

This is why it is so important to seek God.  Notice the first characteristic of wickedness in that they do not seek God.  Don’t find yourself in the category of the wicked but rather seek God with all your heart.  We must rest in His assurance that there is so much more to gain than this world.  Honor Him and He will bring peace to you in times of trouble.

Seeking Him with all my heart,

Sheila


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