Tag: wicked
Speechless before the King!
Scripture reading for August 14th: Isaiah 1-3, Psalm 9, Matthew 22
Key Scriptures: Matthew 22:11-14 “”But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment. And he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment? And he was speechless. Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.””
Jesus told another parable about a wedding feast for the son of a king. This king sent his servants to call the invited guests to the wedding feast but they would not come. The invited guests made excuses and had other interests and refused and even killed the king’s servants. The king destroyed them and their city and then invited whoever would come from the highways and byways. The wedding hall was full, but when the king entered he asked one man who had no white wedding garment how he had entered. The man was speechless with no excuse–and suffered a humiliating ejection into outer darkness!
Psalm 9:17 “The wicked shall return to Sheol, all the nations that forget God.”
Faith confession and prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for providing white garments for all included in Your wedding feast. May I never be speechless before You.
Isaiah 1:18 “Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.”
Contrasts: the wicked and the righteous!
Scripture reading for July 6th: Proverbs 10-13
Solomon used the literary device of contrasts to highlight God’s wisdom and truth. Two types of people were contrasted to help the reader discern which path of life to choose and evaluate how they wanted to live. The righteous man was wise and feared the Lord but the wicked man was foolish and hated God’s Word. These paths each had consequences.
Let’s look first at the foolish or wicked man. Proverbs 10:1 states that the foolish son brought grief to his mother. The foolish man was lazy and slept during harvest instead of working. (Proverbs 10:4-5) The wicked man’s mouth was filled with violence and caused dissension and strife. (Proverbs 10:11-12, 31-32) The wicked earned wages of punishment and poverty and have no hope. (Proverbs 10:15-16) (Proverbs 10:28, 11:23) Their own ways brought judgment and ruin into their lives and those around them. (Proverbs 10:27-29) The wicked may gain wealth, but it would not help them in the day of judgment! (Proverbs 11:4, 18) There would be shouts of joy when the wicked perished from the land. (Proverbs 11:10) God, Himself, detested those with perverse hearts and makes sure they were punished! (Proverbs 11:20-21)
By contrast, the righteous man was a joy to his father! (Proverbs 10:1) His righteousness delivered him from death, hunger and lack. He was a worker and enjoyed plenty because he gathered his crops during harvest season. (Proverbs 10:3-5) He was blessed and his would be remembered as one who was a blessing. (Proverbs 10:6-7) He was always open to correction and was teachable. (Proverbs 10:17) His mouth was a fountain of life and wisdom was found on his lips. (Proverbs 10:8-11) He was a man of integrity and rested securely. His love covered over many wrongs. (Proverbs 10:12) He would enjoy a long life filled with joy because his way is the Lord’s way! (Proverbs 10:27-29) He would be rescued from trouble and escape destruction because of his faithfulness to the Lord! His life would bless the city he lived in! (Proverbs 11:10-11) He was generous and gave, yet gained even more! (Proverbs 11:20,24-25) He would become a tree of life and win souls for the Lord! (Proverbs 11:30)
It doesn’t take a genius to figure out which way is the most profitable and blessed! If you are wise, you will enjoy the blessings listed for the righteous! If you are a fool and unteachable, no one can help you! The choice is yours!
The Blessed Man
Scripture reading for June 4th: Psalms 1-6
Today we embark on a study of the psalms. The Book of Psalms was the hymnbook of the Hebrew people and was used in worship and prayer. The word “psalm” denotes a “song sung to the accompaniment of a plucked instrument.” These psalms had at least seven different authors and were written over nearly a thousand years, from the time of Moses to the return from exile in Babylon. David was one of the primary authors of the psalms. Many reflect his own prayers, worship, fears, and desires as he experience the full range of life in all it’s emotional ups and downs! As we study this book, let’s ask the Lord to open our eyes to see Jesus Christ and to know Him more intimately!
This book opens with a psalm about a man who is blessed by God. There are some things this man does not do. He doesn’t walk in the counsel of the wicked. He also doesn’t stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. What is wickedness? How do we know what counsel we should avoid? What is a sinner? What is the mocker mocking? That’s easy to know from this Psalm. This man knows because he delights in the law of the Lord! He is meditating on that law day and night. From that law he clearly understands good and evil, righteousness and wickedness. He understands sin by knowing God’s law!
This man who is blessed is pictured as like a tree planted by streams of water. This tree is always bearing fruit and is leafy and green because it’s roots are well supplied with moisture and nutrients. Even when it is dry and hot, it is not lacking because of the water supply it draws from. God abundantly supplies this man because of the Word he meditates on. Circumstances may change the climate, but the roots are well supplied! What an encouraging picture to begin worship with!
This blessed man is contrasted with the wicked man. The wicked man is pictured as the chaff off of the wheat. The wind comes and blows it away. It is good for nothing but to be burned up. Just like the chaff that is separated from the wheat by the wind, so the sinner and wicked man will not stand in the time of God’s judgment! They will be separated from the assembly of the righteous and blessed! God is watching over the righteous to provide and protect and ultimately reward them. God is also going to make sure the wicked perish!
This song about the blessed man is for us today! We are to meditate on the Word of God and focus on the living Word, Jesus Christ! Life flows from Him and in Him we find eternal life! Blessing is favor and a river of good flowing from the source of all blessing, God. God loves to bless those who sit at His feet, stand in His way and walk by faith in His Word.