Daily in the Psalms : Psalm 36
psalms 36THE CHARACTER OF THE WICKEDThe transgression of the wicked saith within my heart, that there is no fear of God before his eyes. For he flattereth himself in his own eyes, until his iniquity be found to be hateful. The words of his mouth are iniquity and deceit: he hath left off to be wise, and to do good. He deviseth mischief upon his bed; he setteth himself in a way that is not good; he abhorreth not evil. Psalms 36:1-4 It seems that any one that carefully considers the characteristics and profane conduct of the wicked would not want to follow their example in any way. The Psalmist says that there is no fear of the Lord in them. The only way one could not fear the Lord is to deny His existence. The atheist displays this by his corrupt nature, his ungodly speech, and his sinful actions. How awful it is to be without God in this world. There may be some that claim to acknowledge Him, but He has no real influence upon them. They are completely controlled by their own will and desires of the Godless flesh. They do not pray or seek God’s influence in any way. Nothing in their life indicates a true belief on God. The wicked are almost always guilty of self-flattery. By doing so they desire only to please their own flesh and whatever that flesh leads them to do seems right in their own eyes. This flattery is false, but it is necessary to cover their sinful deeds. They cannot admit what they really are and the darkness of their hearts because that would cause them to acknowledge their need for God. The more they brag on themselves they are able to deceive themselves of their own goodness. Self-flattery is much easier than working to obtain the praise of others. The wicked have no case for their false self-flattery; it is based on their wicked pride alone. Any success they may gain in this life will not make up for their guilt before a Holy God and will not alter their appointment with His judgment. The wicked are always recognized by their perverse and profane lips. They speak irreverently concerning God, the people of God, and the things of God. They live counter to morality and their language is not only profane, it is deceitful. The wicked will always do all they can to misrepresent the Godly and the circumstances of life. Their lips are a clear representation of the condition of their soul. A wicked man may have an abundance of secular knowledge, but true wisdom only can come from God. Thus, the wicked lack that which makes men wise. Sin is a clear indication of ignorance and folly. The foolish of this world are marked by the pleasures they seek, their hatred for righteousness, and the future they choose for themselves. The wicked plan mischief on purpose, it is no accident that they do bad and destructive things. Instead of thinking on the goodness and mercy of God, the wicked person will spend their time thinking of ways to go against God. Their motivation for seeking knowledge is for the purpose of sin. There are many very intelligent sinners, but their knowledge is used for wickedness instead of righteousness. Their actions defeat the purposes of good and that is why it is easy to spot them.
A wicked life is an abomination to God THE CHARACTER OF GOD Thy mercy, O LORD, is in the heavens; and thy faithfulness reacheth unto the clouds. Thy righteousness is like the great mountains; thy judgments are a great deep: O LORD, thou preservest man and beast. How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings. They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house; and thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures. For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light. O continue thy lovingkindness unto them that know thee; and thy righteousness to the upright in heart. Let not the foot of pride come against me, and let not the hand of the wicked remove me. There are the workers of iniquity fallen: they are cast down, and shall not be able to rise. Psalms 36:5-12
The character of God is in stark contrast to the wicked. Mercy is the distinguishing attribute of God. He delights in showing mercy and has proven that over and over as He has dealt with us. Praise God, He is still proving it today. He proves it by the gifts He gives, by the goodness He shows us every day, by His redemption plan for hopeless sinners, and by His daily provisions. There are no words that could ever describe His forgiveness and His free pardon for the sinful soul of man. There are no words that can speak of His mercy that is shown to us every day in nature. The cool rain, the warm sunshine, the green grass and the blue sky, and a million other forces of nature all scream of the goodness and mercy of our God. The sinner and the Saint alike experience the mercy of God every day. God’s mercy is much different than Man’s. While He is rich in mercy, He has never done anything but good.
He is righteous altogether! This is a great comfort to those that love Him and a great terror to those that reject Him. The mercy and righteousness of God draws us to Him and invites us to trust Him. In this troubled world, we can find sweet rest simply by trusting in Him. Faith is the natural response of man to such a wonderful God. Every living creature, in Heaven or on earth, derives their very existence from Him. All moral and spiritual life is a gift from the Eternal God. Earth can never produce life; it is only a grave. Life, full, free, and eternal, comes from God. The wicked may seek our harm and they may even seek to harm God, but God is able to bring their efforts to naught. When we are in trouble our only help and refuge is God. It is no wonder that we love and praise Him. He is full of mercy, rich in righteousness, and firm in justice. He invites the confidence of our soul, what more could we ask?
We ought to willfully give our praise to God for revealing Himself to us
So Glad To Be So Saved
Danny "Preacher" Bezet
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