David described the heart of the wicked — those who do not believe in Sovereign God. This daily devotional looks at why non-believers won’t be moved and the consequences of thinking they won’t meet adversity.
Nuggets
- The heart of a wicked person does not search for God.
- The heart of the wicked believes in themselves, not God.
David was a man after God’s own heart, but he had a perception of people who were the exact opposite. He was describing people in his day.
The wicked haven’t changed much.
Let's Put It into Context #1
I bet someone is screaming about the use of the term wicked. There are those who don’t want anyone to be termed as wicked.
The Scriptures has a very specific way that the term is used. Non-believers are identified in Scriptures by the terms wicked, dead, cursed, and evil.
- Wicked means that the person purposefully does not follow God’s laws and commandments.
- Spiritual death is the separation from God that occurred as a consequence of Adam and Eve’s original sin.
- Sins are actions by humans that disobey God and break one of His reasonable, holy, and righteous laws and commandments, goes against a purpose He has for us, or follows Satan’s promptings.
- Holy means to be set apart — because of our devotion to God — to become perfect, and morally pure while possessing all virtues.
- Perfection means we reach a state of maturity because the combination of the spiritual graces form, when all are present, spiritual wholeness or completeness — holy, sanctified, and righteous.
- Spiritual graces are worldly morals that have been submitted to God to further His kingdom instead of enhancing this world.
- Sanctified means to be set free from sin.
- Righteous means we are free from sin because we are following God’s moral laws.
- Pure means not being sinful or having the stain of sin.
- Virtues are standards of moral excellence.
- Perfection means we reach a state of maturity because the combination of the spiritual graces form, when all are present, spiritual wholeness or completeness — holy, sanctified, and righteous.
- Holy means to be set apart — because of our devotion to God — to become perfect, and morally pure while possessing all virtues.
- Sins are actions by humans that disobey God and break one of His reasonable, holy, and righteous laws and commandments, goes against a purpose He has for us, or follows Satan’s promptings.
- Cursed is the consequence of being spiritually dead, as noted in Genesis 3.
- Evil is equated with sin because it is that which goes against God and His purposes.
Glossary
Let's Put It into Context #2
“In the pride of his face the wicked does not seek him; all his thoughts are, ‘There is no God’ (Ps. 10: 4 ESV)
Because we are beginning several verses into the chapter, we have a dangling pronoun. Verse 6 starts with he. But who is he?
Verse 1 doesn’t really help. “Why, O LORD, do you stand far away? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?” (Ps. 10: 1 ESV). David is not talking about God — he is talking to God.
Verses 2 through 5 tell us David is talking about wicked mankind. “For the wicked boasts of the desires of his soul, and the one greedy for gain curses and renounces the LORD” (Ps. 10: 3 ESV)
Wicked People Won’t be Moved
“He says in his heart, ‘I shall not be moved; throughout all generations I shall not meet adversity’” (Ps. 10: 6 ESV)
The heart of a wicked person does not search for God.
I about cried when I read this verse.
In his heart. In his character.
The wicked person doesn’t want to change. He wants to stay in his own wicked ways.
Why?
“His ways prosper at all times; your judgments are on high, out of his sight; as for all his foes, he puffs at them” (Ps. 10: 5: ESV).
Let’s unpack this.
The wicked person doesn’t want to change because the worldview way is more profitable. Brooks said that this gives worldview people a sense of false security. This isn’t good because, as Brooks wrote, “Carnal security opens the door for all impiety to enter into the soul.”
Resource
If worldview people are secure in their lives, they aren’t going to be searching for God.
But God will judge them. Judgment day will come where we will be asked one question.
Is Jesus Christ your Savior and Redeemer or not?
Wicked people will answer no. They will be judged accordingly.
The Wicked Think They Won’t Meet Adversity
The heart of the wicked believes in themselves, not God.
David said that worldview people don’t think they will meet adversity. This is because they put their security in their jobs, their skills, their knowledge, etc.
In other words, they put their security in themselves.
Maclaren thought that worldview people think God has forgotten them. We know that doesn’t happen.
Resource
God is a hands-on God. He wants our relationships with Him restored.
Worldview people are wrong if they think they can keep going on in their present ways. Those are opposite to how God is calling us to live.
Because they have not ABCDed, though, they have no security whatsoever. Their lives for eternity are not secured in Heaven. They are secured in hell.
“And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire” (Rev. 20: 15: ESV).
Making the Connections
Ooo, baby. Maclaren just threw me for a loop. He said it wasn’t worldview people.
Maclaren wrote, “The tacit assumptions on which a life is based, though they may never come to consciousness, and still less to utterance, are the really important things. I daresay this ‘wicked man’ with his lips was a good Jew, and said his prayers all properly, but in his heart he had two working beliefs.”
Resource
This was not only a Jew, but he was a good Jew. He prayed like he was supposed to pray.
But his heart was wrong. He didn’t get his love of God to the heart level.
Yes, even those of us who have made a profession of faith can still get it wrong. That is why Jesus said, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven” (Mt. 7: 21 ESV).
How Do We Apply This?
We need to put our faith in Jesus. We need to ABCD.
The ABCDs of Salvation
If you have not become a believer in Christ, please read through the
Plan of Salvation and prayerfully consider what God is asking you to do.
A – admit our sins
B – believe His Son Jesus is our Redeemer
C – confess God as Sovereign Lord
D – demonstrate that commitment by making any changes needed in our lives to
live the way in which God has called us
The Disciple’s Job Description
Father God. We choose to admit we are sinners. We choose Jesus as our Savior and Redeemer. We choose to recognize You as Sovereign God. Thank You for giving us salvation. Amen.
What do you think?
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