Psalm 36:1-4 -

" 1 An oracle within my heart concerning the transgression of the wicked: There is no fear of God before his eyes. 2 For he flatters himself in his own eyes, When he finds out his iniquity and when he hates. 3 The words of his mouth are wickedness and deceit; He has ceased to be wise and to do good.
4 He devises wickedness on his bed; He sets himself in a way that is not good; He does not abhor evil."

Thoughts on today's verses:

I know that sometimes, when I read Scripture that is aimed at the wicked, my mind tends to start putting the names of people I think are wicked in, alongside the passage. In reality, God knows who the wicked are, and nothing will escape his all-seeing eye, or his all-knowing mind. But, one thing that I can do when I read a passage such as this is to examine myself. After all, Paul said in 2 Cor. 13:5 that we ought to examine ourselves and to test ourselves, to see whether or not we are in the faith - that is, whether or not we have a life that is characterized by Christ. What is unique about this passage is the progression of the wicked from dabbling in sin to, in the end, being characterized by a life of sin!

1) He flatters himself when he finds out his iniquities and when he hates - perhaps you think of yourself more highly than you ought to think. Remember that you are to let another praise you and not your own lips! But, this takes it a step further, in that when the wicked does something wrong, he lies to himself and convinces himself that he is okay. Lord, let us be truthful with ourselves as the Spirit examines us!

2) The Words of his mouth are wickedness and deceit - Lying lips are an abomination of the Lord, but they that deal truly are his delight!

3) He has ceased to be wise and to do good. At one time we may have been doing right and good, but we may have stopped.

4) He devises wickedness on his bed. Rather than thinking about things that are good, and build up (see Phil. 4:8), perhaps you think about evil and wicked things.

5) He sets himself in a way that is not good - now you purpose to do that which is displeasing to the Lord.

6) He does not abhor evil - your whole life has changed, starting from the small actions, to your affections, where you actually embrace that which God calls evil.

Oh, may we let this list examine us, and may it not be said of us that any of these traits of the wicked are present in our own lives!