I am not sure exactly when it started. Maybe it was with Madeline Murray O’Hare and the banning of prayer in our schools. Maybe it started with Hugh Hefner or Elvis Presley. Maybe it was with Vietnam and Woodstock. Maybe it was the Roe v. Wade decision. Maybe it was simply a slow erosion over time.

Whenever it happened, it happened. Wickedness is in vogue. No longer any stigma attached to it, wickedness is accepted and even idolized in our American culture. The name of a very highly acclaimed and popular Broadway show is known simply as “Wicked.” Movies titles, rap music, specialized lifestyles, commercial television, advertisements, magazines, and more all glamorize wickedness.

How do you and we as a people define wickedness? Is evil the same as wickedness? What specifics should be included in your definition of ‘wicked?’ The definition of ‘wickedness’ has been and continues to change from a negative to a positive.

It was a bright, sunny, cloudless, cool Tuesday in early September. My daughter Stephanie called to me that a plane had hit the World Trade Towers. We watched in curiosity and uncertainty as to what was going on. Then in horror as the second plane struck the second tower.

America changed that day. Americans changed that day. The world changed that day. For a period of several years we basked in seeming safety and relief following the collapse of the Soviet communist dynasty. And now a new evil, a new wickedness that rivals Nazi Germany has appeared on the world scene. Six years after 9/11, every time we walk into an airport we are reminded of it, of this ‘new normal.’ Renewing your driver’s license is now a major event. Wickedness, we are discovering, takes on many different names and faces. I believe that there is a direct correlation between the wickedness of America and the wickedness of Islamic terrorists.

The Psalmist describes this kind of situation in Psalm 36 as he describes the “transgression of the wicked.” Verses 1-4 describe those who do evil and wickedness. There is no fear of God. There is no understanding of judgment—immediate nor eternal. There is no worse evil than religious evil, done in God’s name whether that ‘god’ is Allah, Lenin, the Emperor, Jehovah, or Jesus. Those who planned and perpetrated the 9/11 attacks were and are absolutely convinced they were right, much like the Nazis, the Fascists, and the kamikazes. And they will not hesitate to do it again. This week I read in Newsweek magazine that a planned cyanide attack on the New York subways was mysteriously called off at the last minute.

They see themselves as patriots doing what is right, good and beneficial. They see the wickedness in America, the Great Satan, and are repulsed and offended by it. So am I! But the words that come out of their mouths are truly sincere, but are hateful and misguided lies used to cover their deeds. They have perverted goodness, and hate the true good and ally themselves with evil and wickedness.

Look at verse 4,”Even on his bed he plots evil.” The wicked are so all consumed by evil that they go to sleep and wake up thinking and plotting about it. But he doesn’t stop and the plotting, he acts upon it by “committing himself to an evil course.” What is in your heart will eventually come out. Attitude leads to action. What you believe, you do. “And he does not reject what is wrong.” Why? Because he believes what he is doing is right! This is exactly why a Christian worldview is so important. This is exactly why our culture in America today is so messed up, because our moral code/worldview is becoming more and more hedonistic. Muslims operate by the worldview/moral code of Islam. The Russians operated under the communist moral code and the Germans functioned under the moral code of the Nazis.

As the Psalmist continues to reflect on the wicked situation he finds himself in, and of the evil perpetrators to have made it evil, it is kind of ironic that he doesn’t dwell on the evil, but dwells on the lovingkindness of God. As we read the rest of this Psalm we find a stunning contrast between the evil wickedness in which he finds himself and the mercy, love and forgiveness and goodness of the Lord.

In these verses we see some images, some word pictures, describing the opposite of evil and wickedness. The first picture is that of God’s giant hand reaching down from heaven protecting His people both man and beast. Notice in verse 6 that God’s purpose is to preserve not to destroy. God’s goodness and lovingkindness here is described as ‘precious’ and to be cherished. Think about that word ‘cherish’ for a moment. What does it mean to cherish something?

The second picture we see is in verse 7. It is the image of a bird protecting her chicks beneath her wing. The lovingkindness of God is a protecting aspect of God’s character and allows us to come to him for our refuge and sanctuary. God is worthy of our trust and praise for the goodness of his protection. Please note that “both high and low among men” find refuge in the Lord’s wing. God is no respecter of persons. But here’s the caveat of God’s protective wings from the words of Jesus as He looked out over Jerusalem and lamented, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you wouldn’t let me.” (Mt 23:37)

The third picture is that of a feast. There are no lies here, no deceit, no evil cunning in this picture. There is rather trust and faith and love and joy from “the abundance of your house.” God is not a prissy little, dainty restaurant where you get a few morsels of food. God is a buffet on a cruise ship, an all-you-can-eat meal, a feast—no limits with God’s goodness. There is life, and light and goodness with our God. What a contrast with the death, darkness and evil of the wicked.

In the last verses the Psalmist looks to the future even in the midst of the prevailing wickedness. As a nation we have had our moments of deep pain in our past perpetrated by others as well as brought on by our own sinfulness and straying from God’s truth. The question that faces us is two-fold: 1. How are we going to handle the growing world threat of radical Islam that is bent on our destruction? 2. How are we going to handle the moral/ethical swamp that we have allowed to sweep over us?

The Psalmist prays that God’s lovingkindness and righteousness will continue in the future “for those who know You.” He also asks that God would protect him from wickedness and from his own pride.

Verses 11 and 12 sum it up well in that we focus on the Living God and walk close to Him. That focus is sharpened to God’s goodness and the righteousness He gives.

As the Psalmist looks to the future so must we look to our future. What will it look like? Can we change direction? If so what will it take to turn this ship of state, these United States of America, around? What will be our role as Christians in that process?

Can it happen? Yes it can but only as we are God’s light and God’s salt in our nation and culture.

Thank You for Taking The Time to Read This Message.
May God Use These Words to Help You and Strengthen You.