Psalm 37:32-33

Psalm 37:32-33

Beware the wicked!

The commentaries on these verses suggest that the Hebrew meaning is not as simple as our Bible versions make it seem. The text is not saying that wicked people are lurking in every shrubbery and dark alley hoping to exterminate a few righteous people! That is true in some parts of the world and in some eras in the history of most nations but, there is an interpretation that suggests that “putting to death” does not just mean taking life. Putting to death can mean robbing someone of their reputation. It can mean taking away their livelihood, it can mean making their shame public or laying false charges against them in a Court of Law. Even if exonerated, few people come out of such experiences with no stain on their reputation and their previous status unaffected. There are no depths to which mankind will not go to wipe out the knowledge of God, the reputation of God and obedience to His commands. The world is born to hate Him, it is not in the nature of people to seek God or to honour Him. Thus, when people like you and me raise our hands and say that we love and serve Him, of course the wicked, despite their talk of tolerance, are going to try to stop us. They cannot bear to be wrong or to have living evidence that God is real! And there are some who will go to any lengths to dispose of such “ignorant fanatics”. Do not be surprised when persecution visits your door, but remember the Lord loves you for your loyalty and He will guard you. That is the promise of verse 33, you and I trust in a far greater power than the minor threats of nobodies, whose days are numbered and whose end is destruction! 

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