David prayed that the Lord would watch over his safety but also prayed that the Lord would hinder the efforts of the wicked. He asked God to refuse to grant the desires of the wicked and return their mischief upon their own heads. Within this context, he also prayed that the evil conceived by the wicked might “hunt the violent man to overthrow him.” He spoke of a similar theme when he sang of the wicked, “His mischief shall return upon his own head, and his violent dealing shall come down upon his own pate” (Psalm 7:16) or crown of his head. David knew the reward eventually yielded by violence was the return of violence upon the offender.
It may appear at times as though the wicked have all the advantage over the righteous, but it is important to note that the LORD has never lost His control of this world. The Bible says of God that His soul hateth “him that loveth violence.” Yet, “The LORD trieth the righteous” and often accomplishes this through the wickedness of the wicked. According to the psalms, the wicked “bend their bow, they make ready their arrow upon the string, that they may privily shoot at the upright in heart” (Psalm 11:2), and the Lord allows this to happen. Why? Because He wants to reveal the hearts of those who claim to fear Him. In the end, the Lord will take care of His own but will “rain snares, fire and brimstone, and an horrible tempest” upon the wicked (Psalm 11:6).
The world is increasingly becoming more filled with violence. At times, it may seem like judgment and justice are silent while the wicked continue to thrive. Throughout the years, this has caused many to question the Lord’s existence or, in the least, His presence and love. The seeming absence of God during these violent times is nothing more than proof He is longsuffering with mankind. King Solomon suggested the same when he said, “If thou seest . . . violent perverting of judgment and justice in a province, marvel not at the matter: for he that is higher than the highest regardeth; and there be higher than they.” It was likewise Solomon who said, “The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good” (Proverbs 15:3). God’s longsuffering does not indicate indifference or apathy.
The focus of people’s speech generally revolves around things they find most important. This is why the Bible says, “The mouth of a righteous man is a well of life.” How is that so? Because righteous things are important to him; they tend to dominate much of his conversation and focus. To the contrary, the wicked enjoy violence and tend to focus upon it, sometimes even unintentionally. They stir up controversy in the hopes that it yields the violence they crave. They view violent material in order to analyze the various aspects of violence ever needing new forms to entertain. It tends to dominate their discussions whether amongst friends or strangers. They pay money to view various events containing violence and leave disappointed if the violence does not reach their level of satisfaction. As a generation becomes enamored by violence, it consumes their thought life and their speech.
Our passage tells us that God is not in all the thoughts of the wicked (Psalm 10:4). It also points out that the thoughts of the wicked “are thoughts of iniquity” (Isaiah 59:7). Obviously, the wicked despise the Lord in their thoughts, but the Lord also despises the thoughts of the wicked. This is why we are told that “The thoughts of the wicked are an abomination to the LORD” (Proverbs 15:26). King David, whom God called “a man after mine own heart” (Acts 13:22), added that the thoughts of the wicked were against him for evil (Psalm 56:5). These wicked thoughts are based upon pride (Psalm 10:4). Conversely, a man yielded to the Lord desires to bring “into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5).
If asked concerning the origin of thoughts, the average person would swiftly respond with “the mind” or some similar answer. This is not, however, the emphasis of scripture. Overwhelmingly, scripture indicates that thoughts proceed from the heart. This does not mean the beating organ within one’s chest since the scriptures use “heart” in a different manner. When God brought judgment in the days of Noah, He saw that the thoughts of man’s “heart was only evil continually” (Genesis 6:5). In Matthew 15:19, the Bible says, “For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts.” In Luke 24:38, the Lord Jesus asked the disciples, “why do thoughts arise in your hearts?” When one’s thoughts are not according to God’s will, it is a matter of the heart not being right with God.
