Devotional Tuesday: The desires of the wicked will perish
The ending of Ps 112
6 For the righteous will never be moved;
he will be remembered forever.7 He is not afraid of bad news;
his heart is firm, trusting in the Lord.8 His heart is steady; he will not be afraid,
until he looks in triumph on his adversaries.9 He has distributed freely; he has given to the poor;
his righteousness endures forever;
his horn is exalted in honor.10 The wicked man sees it and is angry;
he gnashes his teeth and melts away;
the desire of the wicked will perish!Psalm 112:6–10
So often in life we are blinded by the desires of our flesh.
More simply, we are blinded by the enticing desires of the sin that so easily consumes our minds.
I like to think that as I grow older I become more self controlled—especially since its one of the fruit of the Spirit. In many ways, I am. Yet, there are many areas I feel less than encouraged by my lack of self control.
Sin and the desires of the wicked are so enticing.
Think about it, our society glorifies hedonism (the pursuit of pleasure or personal gratification). From ads to modern “self care”, many aspects of our world demand us to choose choices that best benefit us. Our world worships the self.
When I read the end of this Psalm is was quickly prompted by the Holy Spirit that this is a demanding idea that we must submit to.
It goes against everything our natural minds believe. We think our desires will lead us to happiness, success, and fulfillment. God says otherwise.
Our wickedness will only lead to emptiness and perishing.
Our wickedness leads to:
“19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these.” Galatians 5:19–21.
All of these things will perish eventually. The only thing that last will be the resurrection of Jesus. The greed that pushes us up and others down… The lust that destroys our bodies and humanity... The insecurity that hurts others… The selfishness that cares for no one else… The pride that invalidates others… They all will fade and perish.
6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. Matthew 5:6.
For the righteous will never be moved;
he will be remembered forever.
7 He is not afraid of bad news;
his heart is firm, trusting in the Lord.
Ps. 112:5–6.
The desires of the wicked will perish, but the righteous will never be moved. Even in death, they will live through the power of Jesus and his life everlasting.
Amen.