The Downfall of the Wicked 

The following is a Bible study posted on our Bible Study Group.

Happy Wednesday, everyone! While today's topic looks rather gloomy, I can assure you it's not. In fact, I am very excited to write to you today, because this topic is full of hope and rejoicing for the Christian. However, I'm going to stray a bit from my normal format. I won't be listing the usual Strong's references, but I will be writing out a lot of verses for you to read, from Proverbs as well as other passages in the Bible. Finally, I'm going to be using the NIV today, instead of just the KJV, to help you possibly see these verses in a new light. I hope you are greatly encouraged!

The next verses for us to look at are Proverbs 1:10-19, which say,

"My son, if sinners entice you,
do not give in to them.
If they say, "Come along with us;
let's lie in wait for someone's blood,
let's waylay some harmless soul;
let's swallow them alive, like the grave,
and whole, like those who go down to the pit;
we will get all sorts of valuable things
and fill our houses with plunder;
throw in your lot with us,
and we will share a common purse"-
my son, do not go along with them,
do not set foot on their paths;
for their feet rush into sin,
they are swift to shed blood.
How useless to spread a net
in full view of all the birds!
These men lie in wait for their own blood;
they waylay only themselves!
Such is the end of all who go after ill-gotten gain;
it takes away the lives of those who get it." (NIV)

I'm sure we've all heard gruesome tales of wicked people and their exploits against the innocent. The September 11th bombing is evidence of the evil in our world. Many times, even our own neighbors and friends turn against us, falsely accusing us or plotting to do us harm.

I have been slowly reading through the Bible, about two chapters a day, in the Living Bible. I've enjoyed it because, even though I know it is not a literal translation of the original Greek Scriptures, I've learned so much from the man who paraphrased the Bible in a way his own sons could understand. I recently finished the books of 1 and 2 Samuel, where I read about the great adventures of David as he fled from King Saul and later from his own sons who tried to steal his throne. King David wrote many beautiful Psalms in which he poured out his grief about the wicked to God. He complained to God about their unfair treatment, and he begged God for justice.

Why, O LORD, do you stand far off?
Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?
In his arrogance the wicked man hunts down the weak,
who are caught in the schemes he devises.
He boasts of the cravings of his heart;
he blesses the greedy and reviles the LORD .
In his pride the wicked does not seek him;
in all his thoughts there is no room for God.
His ways are always prosperous;
he is haughty and your laws are far from him;
he sneers at all his enemies...

Arise, LORD! Lift up your hand, O God.
Do not forget the helpless...

Break the arm of the wicked and evil man;
call him to account for his wickedness
that would not be found out... (Psalm 10:1-5,12,15, NIV)

But in another Psalm, David praises God before he even sees how God is going
to answer:

How long, O LORD ? Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
How long must I wrestle with my thoughts
and every day have sorrow in my heart?
How long will my enemy triumph over me?

Look on me and answer, O LORD my God.
Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death;
my enemy will say, "I have overcome him,"
and my foes will rejoice when I fall.

But I trust in your unfailing love;
my heart rejoices in your salvation.
I will sing to the LORD,
for he has been good to me. (Psalm 13, NIV)

You see, God IS going to bring justice someday. Let's look at some verses
in Proverbs where God warns the wicked of their downfall.

"The wicked will be cut off from the land,
and the unfaithful will be torn from it." (Prov. 2:22, NIV)

"Have no fear of sudden disaster
or of the ruin that overtakes the wicked,
for the LORD will be your confidence
and will keep your foot from being snared." (Prov. 3:25-26, NIV)

"But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness;
they do not know what makes them stumble." (Prov. 4:19, NIV)

"But whoever fails to find me harms himself;
all who hate me love death." (Prov. 8:36, NIV)

"Ill-gotten treasures are of no value,
but righteousness delivers from death.
The LORD does not let the righteous go hungry
but he thwarts the craving of the wicked." (Prov. 10:2-3, NIV)

"Blessings crown the head of the righteous,
but violence overwhelms the mouth of the wicked.
The memory of the righteous will be a blessing,
but the name of the wicked will rot.
The wise in heart accept commands,
but a chattering fool comes to ruin.
The man of integrity walks securely,
but he who takes crooked paths will be found out.
He who winks maliciously causes grief,
and a chattering fool comes to ruin.
The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life,
but violence overwhelms the mouth of the wicked." (Prov. 10:6-11, NIV)

"What the wicked dreads will overtake him;
what the righteous desire will be granted.
When the storm has swept by, the wicked are gone,
but the righteous stand firm forever.
The fear of the LORD adds length to life,
but the years of the wicked are cut short.
The prospect of the righteous is joy,
but the hopes of the wicked come to nothing.
The way of the LORD is a refuge for the righteous,
but it is the ruin of those who do evil.
The righteous will never be uprooted,
but the wicked will not remain in the land." (Prov. 10:24-25,27-30, NIV)

"The righteousness of the blameless makes a straight way for them,
but the wicked are brought down by their own wickedness." (Prov. 11:5, NIV)

I could keep going and going, for there seems to be no end to verses like these. I don't think it would be right for us to gloat over the doom of the wicked. We need to follow Christ's example (and David's, too) by having a loving attitude toward them, praying for them and doing good to them. On the other hand, we shouldn't wring our hands when we see the trouble they cause.

Way back in the garden of Eden, God promised the defeat of Satan and his followers. God said to Satan, "And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel" (Genesis 3:15). From that moment on, mankind had hope that God would one day send a Savior.

I picture King David reading from the Law and seeing God's promise of a Savior, given first to Adam and reiterated to many generations after him. Then I read where God promised David that his kingdom would last for eternity, a promise that could only be fulfilled by Jesus Christ Himself.

Finally, I am encouraged by the words of the Apostle Paul, written over a thousand years after King David and his son Solomon wrote of the downfall of the wicked.

"Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?"
The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.
But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord
Jesus Christ.

And Paul's next words apply to us today...

"Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give
yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor
in the Lord is not in vain." (1 Corinthians 15:55-58, NIV)

So, I say to you, don't worry about the wicked. When it seems like they'll always win, remember that they won't. Turn to the Psalms for comfort when life is hard. Remember that Jesus conquered death and sin when He rose from the grave. And He wants us to:

- Stand firm!
- Let nothing move us!
- Always give ourselves fully to the work of the Lord!

God is watching. Payday is coming. In the meantime, press on.

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