2 Samuiel 7:10 “Moreover I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in a place of their own, and move no more; neither shall the children of wickedness afflict them any more, as beforetime,” In this passage, God is sending
Michael Martin King David a message at the hand of Nathan, the prophet. David wanted to build God a house instead of Him residing in the tabernacle which harc% more than animal skins to keep off the elements. God is rehearsing the history of His time with Israel since He led them out of Egypt. In rehearsing this history, God promises them peace (if they will obey His rules and laws). But God mentions a type of people that are not of Godly origin. The children of wickedness.
You say, “But wait! Didn’t God create all mankind?” Yes, He did and He gave them free will to choose their path in this life. Let me define wickedness for you. In the Old Testament: The state of being wicked; a mental disregard for justice, righteousness, truth, honor, virtue; evil in thought and life; depravity; sinfulness; criminality. Many words are rendered “wickedness.” There are many synonyms for wickedness in English and also in the Hebrew.
So you see, these people were faced with a choice and they chose the path that disregards Gods desire for them. God desires justice, righteousness, truth, honor and virtue. God hates sin.
Whoa, you say. Doesn’t God love everyone like it tell us in John 3:16? John 3:16-17 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
My question to you is this: saved from what? What did God send His Son to save us from? The simple answer is wickedness or sin, to use the New Testament word for it.
The children of wickedness are simply people who reject the principles of God! They chose their own path and when that path deviates (and it always will) from the principles of God, their sin is condemned and it condemns them to judgment for their willing act of sinning.
The Old Testament also tells us of the sons of Belial. (Judges 19:22; 1 Samuel 2:12; 2 Samuel 23:5; I Kings 21:10) Now let me share a scary thought with you. In 1 Samuel 2:12 we are not talking about heathen, ungodly nations. 1 Samuel 2:12 “Now the sons of Eli were sons of Belial; they knew not the LORD.” We are talking about men of the priesthood of God who made the wrong choices in life. Eli was the chief priest, but his sons became sons of Belial” because of their choices in life. They had the appearance of serving God, yet in their hearts they were wicked and lived for wickedness.
By the way, notice that Belial is capitalized as if it is a proper noun? Notice it would likely refer to a person instead of an act of wickedness? Belial is used 16 times in the Old Testament and it is capitalized every time. It speaks of a corrupt person, not just an act of wickedness.
Paul angrily denounced a man in the Book of Acts and called him by what he had become. Acts 13:10 “And said, O full of all subtilty and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord?”
Child of the devil? Enemy of all righteousness? Yes, this is what he had become. He was a son of wickedness and a son of Belial. His choices had condemned him not only to a life of wickedness, but the untimate judgment against his sin: Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
What the child of the devil, the sons of Belial, the children of wickedness earns in this life is the judgment of death condemning himself to hell and the torment that follows the rejection of God and His Son jesus Christ.
Remember Eli’s sons? You can go to church, you may appear Christian on the outside, you may be a pillar in your commumity, but God sees the heart. God’s judgment is always right. Psalms 19:7-9 “The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple. The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether.”
The choice you are called on to make is this: Do you believe God sent His Son to pay the wages of sin for you? That is the beginning of what you need to understand. God has a literal hatred of sin in all of its forms. Romans 3:23 “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”
Every man, woman, and child old enough to know right from wrong, is condemned by the simple fact of unbelief. John 3:18 “He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”
Listen to this: Ephesians 2:8-9 “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”
And lastly, this: Romans 10:13 “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Call today! If you need help, Vian Baptist Church can help you!
