Be Wary Of The Wicked

Woe to the wicked! It shall be ill with him, For the reward of his hands shall be given him.

Isaiah 3:11

The Bible contains over 300 references to wicked people and the wicked one altogether. Jesus also told many parables in which he made reference to wicked people and the outcome of their actions. The Proverbs tell us that the sacrifices, ways, and thoughts of wicked people are an abomination to God (Proverbs 15:8,9,26), and 1 Peter 3:12 tells us that the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.

It can be argued that every person apart from Christ is wicked, for this is the nature of unregenerate man. But in everyday life, we see clearly that among the unsaved, there are those whose lives stand out for the fact that they take a special delight in doing wicked things, particularly when it comes to blaspheming God, harming others, and standing against God's truth. I am referring to those whose hearts are hardened and whose tastes for evil are continually indulged without the pinpricks of conscience. They reject God's truth and serve only themselves, pursuing their selfish lusts and seeking to entice others.

The gospel must be preached to the wicked, because the gospel is the power of God unto salvation to those who will believe (Romans 1:16), but believers are certainly not to fellowship with the wicked. Sometimes a believer deceives self into thinking that such fellowship will amount to an evangelistic or missionary effort. I have seen this happen in the real world and even online. Communicating the gospel, or teaching the truth is by no means the equivalent of communion and fellowship. The unsaved should find believers of Jesus Christ to be compassionate, humble, and patient - full of genuine goodness, but can never find a true Christian to be a "kindred spirit". If this were the case, something is very wrong about the Christian's walk with God and inner life - regardless of what is presented on the outside.

The Scriptures contain examples of various wicked people in both the Old and New Testaments. Here is a brief look at just three New Testament examples of people who enjoyed their wickedness and hated the truth:

Herodias (Matt. 14:3-11; Mark 6:17-28; Luke 3:19)
Herodias was the wife of Herod Philip I. She left her husband and entered an adulterous marriage with her husband's brother, Herod Antipas. When John the Baptist confronted Herod Antipas about this unlawful marriage, it was Herodias whose ire was greatly stoked and she wanted to have him killed. In fact, "Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just man and an holy, and observed him; and when he heard him, he did many things, and heard him gladly"(Mark 6:20). Finally, upon a hasty oath that was made by Herod to Herodias' daughter when she pleased him and his guests with a dance, Herodias found a way to get rid of John the Baptist. She instructed her daughter to ask Herod for the head of John the Baptist immediately as her reward. Although Herod was sorry, he had made an oath before many guests and had the murder of John the Baptist carried out immediately.

Elymas the sorcerer (or Bar-Jesus a false prophet) (Acts 13:6-12)
This Jewish false prophet had attached himself to the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, perhaps as a counselor. The proconsul called for the apostles Barnabas and Saul "and sought to hear the word of God. But Elymas the sorcerer (for so his name is translated) withstood them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith." Again, we see that this wicked man hated the truth. Not only would he reject it personally, but he also sought to stand in the way of others who might believe the gospel of Jesus Christ.
"Then Saul, who also is called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him and said, “O full of all deceit and all fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease perverting the straight ways of the Lord?" (vs. 9-10)
God executed a divine judgment of blindness upon this sorcerer immediately which, despite all his wicked efforts to prevent the proconsul from turning to Christ, became the very means of persuading him of the truth of the gospel.

Jezebel (Revelation 2:20-23)
The Lord Jesus sent a message by the apostle John to the church at Thyatira (which seemed to be a model church in love, works, and faith), rebuking them for permitting a false prophetess to seduce many with her teachings into sexual immorality and idolatry.
"Nevertheless I have a few things against you, because you allow that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, to teach and seduce My servants to commit sexual immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols. And I gave her time to repent of her sexual immorality, and she did not repent"
This woman not only rejected truth and enjoyed her sin, but also taught and seduced others to do the same. God's mercy was available and she rejected it.

Believers in Christ are God's sheep and Christ is the great Shepherd (Heb. 11:20). The enemies of God who give themselves to do evil can be likened to goats (Matt. 25:31-46). These are the wicked who reject the gospel of Jesus Christ and are reserved for judgment and punishment. Sheep and goats can often be found in the same fold. David cried out in many of his Psalms for deliverance from wicked men. Christ exhorts us to be "wise as serpents but gentle as doves"(Matt. 10:16). Paul requested prayers "that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men; for not all have faith"(2 Thess. 3:1-2) and in another letter he reported that Alexander the coppersmith had done him much evil (2 Tim. 4:14).

The purpose of this post is to remind you that there are wicked people who are real enemies to your faith, and who can do you and your cause great harm, spiritually and otherwise. I believe it is an error to assume that people are 'basically good'. Many of the unsaved persons we meet are deceived and mean well in various deeds they undertake. But there are many others who are violent enemies of the truth. These are aware and willing agents of satan to entice or seduce believers into sin, or to hinder the work of God. In sharing the gospel of Christ, remember to be wise and discerning about how you relate to the unsaved.