In the beginning, God made the Heavens and Earth and all things living and declared “it was all very good”. But it did not take very long before man would mess up and allow wickedness to change everything in Eden. Genesis 3:1 tells us, “Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” Just shortly after Genesis 4 tells us about the first wicked act of murder where Cain killed his brother Abel. Then in Genesis 6 tells the story of how man’s actions have completely gotten out of hand and in 6:5 the Bible states “The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” Noah builds the Arch and the flood destroys all living things to rid the world of evil and wickedness. God warns man in Genesis 9:5-6, “Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image.” But man does not learn from the past and does not heed God’s word and then we are told in Genesis 19:1-13 that Sodom And Gomora and all that lived there was destroyed in fire from the heavens. Evil and wickedness are discussed throughout the Bible. The last book in the Bible is Revelations 22. Revelation 22:11 states, ” He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is “holy, let him be holy still.”
Wickedness is generally considered a synonym for evil or sinfulness. Among theologians and philosophers, it has the more specific meaning of evil committed consciously and of free will. It can also be considered the quality or state of being wicked.” (Staff, 2020) “In the Bible, wickedness is associated with worshipping pagan gods, sexual immorality, oppressing the poor, and cruelty in warfare. Even though Scripture teaches that every person is a sinner, few today define themselves as wicked. Wickedness, or its modern equivalent, evil tends to be associated with mass murderers, serial rapists, child molesters, and drug dealers — in comparison, many believe they are virtuous.” (Fairchild, 2019) Every person has their own definition of what wickedness is. Depending on a person-environment, their parents, their religious believes, and many other factors the definition can vary greatly. But the one thing that seems to be agreed upon is there is a certain type or amount of evil involved. Every person has temperaments or qualities given to them by God. We have strengths and weaknesses that allow us free will to make many behavioral decisions every day. We may not consciously think about our choices, but it is our choices that determine if we allow evil to be a part of our actions or if we choose to act in a way to please God. Satan is always present to help us make bad decisions. 1 Peter 5:8 reminds us of the devils’ presents, “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.’ With Satan’s constant help and his temptation, it is easy to become wicked and to follow the Devil rather than being a virtuous Christian. We are fortunate that in 1 Corinthians 10:13 we are promised help to combat Satan telling us, “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation, he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” “Most of us lie somewhere between the extremes of Gandhi and Hitler on the spectrum of human behavior. Sometimes we may behave badly when egocentric impulses cause us to put our needs before the welfare of others. Sometimes we behave in a saintly fashion when empathy and compassion impel us to put the needs of others before our own, resulting in altruism and kindness. The real difference between this idea of ‘good and evil’ and the traditional concept is that empathy or a lack of empathy aren’t fixed. Although people with a psychopathic personality appear to be unable to develop empathy, for most of us, empathy — or goodness — is a quality that can be cultivated.” (Taylor, 2013) It is up to us to make wise choices.
Have you ever looked around and seen people that acted evil and doing wicked things and wonder how and why they seem to succeed and enjoy riches and the “so-called” good life? A guy named Asaph wrote in Psalm and asked the same question. Asaph was looking at wicked people who had no problems paying their rent, buying food, and enjoying all the indulgences of life. Asaph had a job that didn’t pay much and he lived trying to serve God. It was hard not to envy these people and even more difficult to not question God. Jealousy and envy are tools that Satan uses to take our attention away from what is right and what we should be concentrating on. The devil is very clever and uses his tools wisely against us. “There are many times when we do not understand what is happening to us, nor do we understand how providence works. When Asaph entered the sanctuary of God, he began to see that there was no need for him to be envious of the prosperity of the wicked because their prosperity is an illusion. He began to comprehend that the ancient deceiver, Satan, had used lies to distract him from the reality of God. Upon entering the sanctuary, Asaph realized that prosperity is a fleeting fulfillment, like a pleasant dream that pleases us only for a little while but, when we awaken, we realize it was not real. Asaph rebukes himself for his own stupidity. He admits to being “senseless and ignorant” to envy the wicked or to be jealous of the perishing. His thoughts then returned to his own happiness in God when he realized how much more joy, fulfillment, and true spiritual prosperity he had in the Creator. We may not have everything we want here on earth, but we will one day prosper for all eternity through Jesus Christ our Lord. Whenever we are tempted to try the other road, we should remember that the other road is a dead-end” (Writer, 2021 ) Allowing envy and jealousy to cloud our mind is not healthy. We should appreciate the good we have in our lives and not concern ourselves about what the wicked are enjoying. Many times, we do not know the price the wicked is paying for what appears to be a better life. A simple life, a good attitude, belief in God, and being focused on our Creator will lead us to the eternal life that we all desperately desire. We will not need Earthy rich in Heaven and earthy rich will not carry over into Hell.
Fairchild, M. (2019, 6 25). Learn Religions. Retrieved from What is the Definition of Wicked in the Bible: https://www.learnreligions.com/wicked-bible-definition-4160173
Staff. (2020, 11 23). Wikipedia. Retrieved from Wickedness: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wickedness#:~:text=Wickedness%20is%20generally%20considered%20a,or%20state%20of%20being%20wicked.
Taylor, S. (2013, 8 26). Psychology Today. Retrieved from The Rea; Meaning of “Good” and “Evil”: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/out-the-darkness/201308/the-real-meaning-good-and-evil
Writer, S. (2021, 4 26). Got Questions. Retrieved from Why Does God Allow Good Things to Happen to Bad People: https://www.gotquestions.org/good-things-bad-people.html