Journal Ps 35-40 (all references are from the ESV; changes in punctuation are mine)
Scripture: “Transgression speaks to the wicked deep in his heart; there is no fear of God before his eyes. For he flatters himself in his own eyes that his iniquity cannot be found out and hated.
The words of his mouth are trouble and deceit; he has ceased to act wisely and do good. He plots trouble while on his bed; he sets himself in a way that is not good; he does not reject evil.” Ps 36:1-4
Observation: The Holy Spirit keeps us informed of the “human condition” and how it works—what it is like and how it is practiced.
Analysis: Sometimes study in the Scriptures has to do with information concerning Doctrines. In this case, a subset of the Doctrine of Sin.
“All have sinned, all fall short of the Glory of God.” (Ro 3:23) is pretty familiar to most. This scripture reference is related to the condition of Man, his need before God, and how the Atonement addressed that need. Most conversations like this fall into the Sovereignty of God category: those things that are all of His decision and will alone.
Every so often He provides a clue about how Sin (evil) germinates and is practiced.
How is Sin (transgression, evil, wrongdoing, misbehavior, etc.) found in wicked people:
- Spoken deep in the heart.
- No fear of God is a key component.
- Self-flattery (subset of pride).
- Secretive, even to himself; has the dark side of the noggin working full time.
- Puts head on pillow and plots (or even imagines) evil.
- Does not intentionally and fiercely rejects/opposes evil and any wicked way.
Writing these down like this frightens me.
Why? Because this has nothing to do with having faith in the Atonement, that Jesus went to the Cross for my Sin; it has everything to do with what I fight every day in the power of the Holy Spirit. There is not one point on this list that I don’t flirt with at times—sometimes many times in a day (or night).
And I am not alone…
This Scripture reference has two aspects: It is Mirror work and Window work. I should be recognizing my own heart, and if I am fooling myself by saying “No application in me” I should be asking the Holy Spirit to check me out.
The Window work aspect is recognizing this is the kind of stuff that happens in people: Men and Women alike. It is not used in Judgment/Condemnation (for that is God’s province alone) but to understand through discernment in the Holy Spirit what is going on with someone else so that words of testimony can be guided in a godly manner.
The Scriptures are cool and illuminating. Two-edged sword kind of stuff….
Prayer: Finding jewels in your Word is fun, Father. It brings joy to my soul.
AMEN