Psalm 64 – Wicked
The musical Wicked, based on the book of the same name, explores the nature of wickedness. Who determines what is wicked? Society? Is the wicked one the one who looks different or the one who is beautiful based on society but acts unkindly? Psalm 64 – wicked, explores this question.
Psalm 64
In the first two lines of Psalm 64 – wicked, we hear David’s prayer to God. Once again he is under threat from his enemies.
“Hear me, my God, as I voice my complaint; protect my life from the threat of the enemy.
Hide me from the conspiracy of the wicked, from the plots of evildoers.” (1-2)
He goes on to speak about the traits of the wicked, especially their use of their tongues. Their tongues are like swords, their words like arrows.
“They sharpen their tongues like swords and aim cruel words like deadly arrows.
They shoot from ambush at the innocent; the wicked shoot suddenly, without fear.
Their plans are evil and unjust.
They encourage each other in evil plans, and talk about hiding their snares; saying, “Who will see it?”
They plot injustice and say, “We have devised a perfect plan!” Surely the human mind and heart are cunning.” (3-6)
God’s Response
Then follows God’s response.
“But God will shoot them with his arrows; they will suddenly be struck down.
He will turn their own tongues against them and bring them to ruin; all who see them will shake their heads in scorn.
All people will fear; they will proclaim the works of God and ponder what he has done.” (7-9)
The psalm ends with words about the righteous.
“The righteous will rejoice in the Lord and take refuge in him;
all the upright in heart will glory in him!” (10)
Question of Evil
In Psalm 64 – wicked, was see evil is born of lies and spreads through lies. Lies destroy trust, erode confidence, attack the stability of the world. No wonder that Satan is called prince of lies. He seeks to destroy truth. The kingdom of lies is his domain. Psalm 64 doesn’t talk about actions but words, evil words, spoken in hiding that lead to wicked actions. This message of secrecy, plotting, and evil intention recurs in the Psalms and elsewhere in Scripture.
But, again, what determines wickedness? Canon law, church law, has always emphasized the role of intent. Was evil intended or was it an unintended consequence of a decision? What of the kindnesses we don’t do, or sins of omission? As the saying goes, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” Or mistakes along our journey that we come to regret? Are these evil?
It has long been acknowledged that there are different levels of sin, venial and mortal, with venial being lesser sins and mortal those that murder the soul. But again, are these evil? According to Webster, evil is morally reprehensible. Whereas sin is an immoral act considered to be a transgression against divine law. It can rise to the level of being evil but isn’t intrinsically evil.
Psalm 64 – Wicked
God sees into the hearts of all people, sees their lies and their intents. The intent of David’s persecutors in Psalm 64 is clear. They sought to destroy David. As such their actions are wicked.
In Psalm 64 – wicked, God turns the words of the wicked against them. By this, all will know God. As one commentator stated: “When people see God bringing upon the wicked the evil they intended against others, they will know who is the true ruler of the world.” (NAB commentary)
The message is clear. Those who plot evil and wickedness will not prevail. They may appear to prevail but ultimately, good will overcome evil, God’s ways will prevail.
What is the nature of wickedness? It has nothing to do with appearance but lies in the heart. Ultimately it is our God, who knows the human heart, who determines who is wicked and who is good.
(For another take on this psalm, see Psalm 64: Fear – Friend or Foe? – Patricia M Robertson)
This post is part of a series of blog posts on the Psalms. Sign up to follow this blog and receive a free copy of Still Dancing, the second book in my Dancing through Life Series. click here to sign up
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