The Psalm 34 Challenge Day 21

Psalm 34:21, “Evil shall slay the wicked, and those who hate the righteous shall be condemned.”

Consider this: I have good news and bad news. Today will be the bad news. Tomorrow I will leave you with the best news you will ever hear.

In verse 21, evil is personified as an executioner that slays the wicked. The wicked don’t seem to see the danger of embracing evil. Evil is deadly and condemns sinners.

Evil was born into the human race in the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve took the forbidden fruit. God gave them one rule to follow and they broke that law and evil (sin) entered the world. “…Through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned” (Romans 5:19). Sin continues to this day as the executioner of all mankind. “Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation” (Romans 5:18). Sin came first, then death, followed by condemnation. People may try to deny this, but death statistics don’t lie! One out of one people die!

The problem with evil is that it often wears a mask and people are fooled into believing that evil is good. Eve was deceived. Instead of seeing that taking the forbidden fruit was evil, she saw it as good, as pleasant, and as something to be desired (Genesis 3:6). The result of taking the fruit was death. Evil triumphed and slew the wicked.

Evil is no different today. It is bent on your destruction. But most people are not afraid of evil or its consequences. Evil wears many masks and allures its victims, deceives them, and kills them. Let me give a couple of examples.

Sometimes evil comes in the form of a pretty or handsome face, sweet talk, and the allure of forbidden love. The Bible calls this evil sexual immorality. But people are deceived and see this evil as good, pleasant and something to be desired. If any righteous person calls out their sin, they hate that person and excuse their sin as their right. Remember, this is evil hiding behind a mask and its purpose is to trap you and kill you. The Bible says that the evil of immorality “entraps the wicked man” (Proverbs 5:22); it “destroys his own soul” (Proverbs 6:32) and “slays many strong men and her house is the way to hell, descending to the chambers of death” (Proverbs 7:26-27). This evil deceives you into believing you have, at last, found true love and that she is the sweetest person you have ever met. “But in the end, she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword. Her feet go down to death, her steps lay hold of hell. (Proverbs 5:4-5). If you choose this evil you will die and be condemned (see Proverbs 5). “Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled, but fornicators and adulterers God will judge” (Hebrews 13:4). Hate me for saying it, if you wish, but I love you enough to warn you that what is hiding behind this mask of “love” is Evil – the executioner – who will slay you, and you will be condemned.

Sometimes evil comes wearing the mask of greed – the insatiable lust for more. John D. Rockefeller was one of the richest men who ever lived, owning 90% of the oil and gas industry of his time, and accumulating the equivalent wealth of 1.6% of the entire U.S. economy. When asked “How much money is enough money?” He replied, “Just a little bit more.” The mask of greed does not look evil. It holds out the promise of a better life, less stress, freedom from worry. It teases you with lottery tickets, casinos, risky business ventures, and pyramid schemes. Why are Ponzi schemes so successful? Greed makes it appealing! The mask looks like success, achievement, riches, and fame.

Unmask greed and it is deadly. It is the sin of covetousness. Proverbs 1:10-33 describes the effects of it. But this evil will slay you and condemn you. God says, “They lie in wait for their own blood, they lurk secretly for their own lives. So are the ways of everyone who is greedy for gain; It takes away the life of its owners” (Proverbs 1:18-19). In their pursuit of earthly wealth, they have lost Heaven’s Treasure – the Lord Jesus Christ – and they are condemned. God will laugh at their calamity, mock them when they are judged. In the end, they take nothing with them, they are left penniless, and they will be condemned.

Evil has become fashionable, acceptable, tolerant, and even militant. Woe to the righteous person who speaks out against it. But I do speak up – not to judge, and not because I am (any kind of) “phobic”– but because I love you enough to warn you that by accepting this evil you are embracing your executioner. You are tolerating condemnation.

In the end, it’s not my truth vs. your truth. God is the final Judge. “For He is coming, for He is coming to judge the earth. He shall judge the world with righteousness and the peoples with His truth” (Psalm 96:13). 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, “Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.”

John 3:19-20, “And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.”

God’s laws have been broken. Evil will be unmasked. “Guilty” will be the verdict. And condemnation will be the result. The sentence has already been determined. 2 Thessalonians 1:6-9, “…It is a righteous thing with God to repay with tribulation those who trouble you, and to give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power.”

That’s the bad news. I have told you the truth because I love you and I do not want you to be deceived by evil. Think about it. Tomorrow I will share with you the best news you will ever hear.

Psalm 34:21, “Evil shall slay the wicked, and those who hate the righteous shall be condemned.”