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Keep An Eye On That Wicked Man Or
Woman
In
our everyday relationships or business
transactions, God does not want us to be
tricked, fooled, "burnt," taken
advantage of, or deceived by others. In His
Word, He teaches us certain characteristics
of the wicked to watch out for in order to
avoid hurt, pain, shame, or loss. It is
imperative that we study them and keep them in
mind at all times so that we are never
deceived. One thing we must understand is that
wicked people are deceitful. This is their
nature. If they appear otherwise, it is usually
a false front.
The Scriptures plainly and clearly tell us that
the Wicked are
"...full of...deceit..."(Romans
1:29).
What this means is that fraud, falsehood, and
lying are so often practised by them that it has
become commonplace or second nature to them.
They cannot help but utter that which is false
and treacherous every time that they talk.
Psalm 10:7 says that their
mouths are "...full
of cursing and deceit and fraud..."
Psalm 36:3 tells us that the
words of their mouths are
"...iniquity and
deceit..."
They exercise no conscience over what they say -
whether it be true or false or right or wrong.
Proverbs 11:18 makes it plain
and clear when it says that
"The wicked worketh a
deceitful work..." We must
be aware of that fact. We cannot ignore it or be
gullible.
Proverbs 12:5 tells us that
their
"counsels" "are deceit." In
other words, they act with
"deceit,"
using tricks and devious designs for their own
benefit.
Both Psalms 35:20 and
38:12 tell us that they devise or plan
deceits -
"For they
speak not peace: but they devise deceitful
matters against them that are quiet in the
land."
"They also
that seek after my life lay snares for me: and
they that seek my hurt speak mischievous things,
and imagine deceits all the day long."
Those who are
"quiet in the land" are the
godly. They are the ones who are the target for
these deceitful workers.
These deceivers are contentious and quarrelsome.
They "feed" on lies or
misrepresentations of the truth.
Hence, they seek to falsely represent the
character of the godly by misconstruing or
perverting their words and actions. In order to
justify their own wicked ways, they will
oftentimes state something to be true about the
righteous which never occurred. They circulate
false reports about the godly, hoping to render
them disgusting or obnoxious in other's eyes.
The Prophet Jeremiah described
these evildoers well, in saying -
"And they will deceive
every one his neighbor, and will not speak the
truth: they have taught their tongue to speak
lies..."(Jeremiah 9:5).
Since childhood, they have learned how to lie,
so now in adulthood, they are very skillful at
it.
Whether in a friendly conversation or in a
business deal, they cannot ever be trusted.
There is nothing sincere or honest about them.
They carry slanders or false reports with them
at all times.
They lie for lying sake.
The reason why they can deceive others is
because they are deceived themselves.
Through the
"pride" of their own
hearts, they have deceived themselves(Obadiah
3).
They have given place to Satan - the Master
Deceiver - by entertaining exaggerated thoughts
of self-worth, self-glory, and self-confidence.
Unless they repent and surrender their lives to
the Lord Jesus, don't look for them to change in
any way, shape, or form. In fact, they will not
get any better, but grow worse and worse.
In 2 Timothy 3:13, the Apostle
Paul told us -
"But evil men and seducers
shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being
deceived."
We must never forget that the way of Sin is
always downhill. Unless people are saved from
their sins, Born Again, or redeemed by the Blood
of Jesus, they will only sink deeper and deeper
into the pit of iniquity and grow worse and
worse in their evil ways.
Lastly, Proverbs 20:17
describes the wicked man or woman by saying -
"Bread of
deceit is sweet to a man..."
We understand that people generally do that
which they love and avoid that which they hate.
These "characters" find
great profit in
"forbidden fruit"
or that which is stolen or gotten through
deceit. They will oftentimes manipulate to get
wealth, property, assets, promotions, titles,
fame, etc. by using fraud and falsehood. And
they take great pleasure in doing so.
This is a
Biblical description of the Wicked Man or Woman.
It would
behoove us to take this study to heart and be
very discerning in dealing with such people in
this life.
God does not
want us to be ignorant or naive. He wants us to
be informed.
In Psalm 39:1, we read
how David was on guard against the wicked
workers in his day when he said -
"I said, I will take heed
to my ways, that I sin not with my tongue: I
will keep my mouth with a bridle, while the
wicked is before me."
While the wicked is
before you, O Saint of God, take heed to your
ways!
You will surely avoid
much hurt if you do.
May God Bless His Word.
Connie |
