When the wicked perish there is rejoicing Proverbs 11:10 (Jonathan Sacks translation) When – Do you have a religious duty to report and testify against a criminal? While most of us might say, “Yes,” when it comes to actually following through, we are often much more hesitant. We imagine the protracted process of the courts,…
“They say to God, ‘Depart from us! We do not even desire the knowledge of Your ways. Who is the Almighty, that we should serve Him, and what would we gain if we entreat Him?’” Job 21:14-15 NASB Do not even desire – Job suffers. So do you. If God is so good, why should…
For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish. Psalm 1:6 NASB Wicked – It is a laughable fact that statistically most people believe they are above average. It is a very sad fact that most people believe they are not among the wicked. Despite considerable warnings…
“And you, son of man, say to your fellow citizens, ‘The righteousness of a righteous man will not deliver him in the day of his transgression, and as for the wickedness of the wicked, he will not stumble because of it in the day when he turns from his wickedness; whereas a righteous man will…
Every morning I will destroy all the wicked of the land, so as to cut off from the city of the Lord all those who do iniquity. Psalm 101:8 NASB Every morning – When you walk the streets of Jerusalem as the sun rises, you are likely to say, “Boqer tov” to those you meet. “Good…
You have condemned and put to death the righteous man; he does not resist you. James 5:6 Resist – Is James a pacifist? Does he really intend us to offer no opposition to those who seek to harm us? He’s quite clear about the immoral behavior of the wicked. They murder the righteous. But does…
And they say, “How could God know, and is there knowledge with the Most High?” Psalm 73:11 (Robert Alter translation) Know – Put this verse into the ancient near-Eastern world. Is there any doubt that God knows? Of course not. God knows everything that happens. But in the ancient near-East, God (and the gods) doesn’t…
But to the wicked God says, “What right have you to tell of My statutes and to take My covenant in your mouth? For you hate discipline, and you cast My words behind you.” Psalm 50:16-17 NASB Cast behind you – Who are the wicked? Who qualify as rasha? We can probably recount a number…
Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright; for the end of that man is peace. Psalm 37:37 End – “Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever.” So says the Shorter Catechism of the Westminster Confession. In order to align this with David’s insight, we must recognize that glorifying God…
The wicked borrows and does not repay but the righteous is gracious and giving. Psalm 37:21 Wicked – Does this verse mean that those who do not repay are wicked or does it mean that one of the characteristics of the wicked is their intention not to repay? If we knew that a man never…
