How The Lord Handles The Wicked
There are many places in God's holy word where He tells mankind how He will deal with the wicked and unrighteous. In Psalm 37:13, we have a different observation which might be a little strange to any student of the Bible. Beginning in verse 12, we read: "
The wicked plans against the righteous, and gnashes at him with his teeth,. The Lord laughs at him; for He sees his day is coming".
In another place we read: " 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?" (Ezekiel 33:11). This is a seeming contradiction for it implies that God knows the judgment is coming upon the wicked and they will be punished. Yet God does not desire that any perish, but that all would come to repentance and obedience to His will (2 Peter 3:9). The point is that God knows everything, and those who practice wickedness do not look forward to their end, but seek only for the pleasure they can find now. The wicked do not see, and they do not want to see their destiny. Many just deny that hell is real, and that having a soul is just a myth.
In verse 14 of Psalm 37 we read: "The wicked have drawn the sword and bent their bow, to cast down the afflicted and the needy, to slay those who are upright in conduct". There are two main reasons why the wicked are against the Lord's faithful ones. They do not like being told that their behavior is against God's will. Second, they wish to deny the existence of God, but with so many followers who are faithful, they must find ways to defeat the righteous. Many wicked people take advantage of the poor and find ways to profit off them. This is prevalent in politics, as the politicians just pander to them to get their vote, yet it seems nothing is ever done to help the underprivileged.
God through Jesus tells us the destiny of man is based upon their behavior, and heart. Just a simple claim to be a follower of God or Jesus does not make it so. It takes a lifetime commitment to be faithful and follower of the instructions that God has given us.
In Psalm 37:23 it reads: "The steps of a man are established bty the LORD; and he delights in his way". We are to be guided by the Lord, and we know that God will never lead us into harm or error. His ways are good and will provide the best for all those who seek and follow His ways. The wicked choose their own way and try to live without God. Sadly, many seek for the qualities that God teaches, yet they do not want anything to do with God. They want everyone to be nice to each other, but they think they can accomplish this without God. They are deceived. They choose the wrong path to follow, and their ways are false and deadly.
In Psalm 37:27, it reads: "Depart from evil, and do good, so you will abide forever". When we choose to do those things that are good in the sight of God, everyone benefits. We treat people with kindness and are just and fair in our dealings with them. The faithful are compassionate and willing to assist others. The wicked only look out for themselves, and really do not care about anyone. Over and over the Bible tells us to depart from doing evil, and seek to do good. There will be a spiritual and eternal benefit for doing so. Those who choose to continue in evil, will face God in judgment unprepared, and will face their punishment alone.
By Carey Scott

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