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Photo Credit: Scott Cooper Flickr Creative Commons http://www.flickr.com/people/nimrodcooper/ |
I am sure that most of us have no use for heartless and
self-serving people who prey on seniors and the elderly of society. That takes
nerve. That takes wickedness. That takes a “wicked
scheme.” What constitutes a “wicked scheme?” The word “wicked” really doesn’t need to be defined; we all know that it means bad, evil and sinful. The word “scheme” denotes a plan or a plot. Put the two words together, and a “wicked scheme” becomes a premeditated evil act against someone else. This the Lord hates! Before we go any further, though, let’s revisit the text and the list of “The Things the Lord Hates.”
“There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him; haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness that pours out lies and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers.” (Proverbs 6: 16-19; NIV)
When I think of wicked and evil, I also think of the devil.
The New Testament speaks of the “Devil’s Schemes,” that is, his sinister plots
to entrap human beings. We see examples of this in 2 Corinthians 2:11 and
Ephesians 6:11. People who also plot to entrap fellow human beings, I would
argue, have the mind of the devil within them and are rightly called his
children. In fact, the New Testament goes so far as to say that “He who does what is sinful is of the devil”
(1 John 3:8). It’s no wonder the Lord hates “a
heart that devises wicked schemes.”
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You devour widows’ houses … " (Matthew 23:14).
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Photo Credit: Ben Rollman Flickr Creative Commons http://www.flickr.com/people/xadrian/ |
The ironic thing is that this allegedly happened right under
the nose of one of Canada’s largest financial institutions, RBC, for which they faced legal action. Earlier this year they settled for $17 million, though they denied any wrong doing. No wrong doing? Really? Maybe it's just me, but I cannot imagine settling for any amount if I was sure of my innocence. Can we now no longer even trust that
banks will watch out for those who would fraudulently steal the life savings of
widows and the elderly?
Do we really have to go back to the mattress bank?
It all makes one wonder how some people can even live with
themselves? I know it sounds harsh and judgmental, but maybe such schemers
really are children of the devil. How could that which these con artists do be
considered anything less than wicked?
The religious huckster ends up with just as lavish a
lifestyle, and maybe even more so, than the wicked Ponzi schemer, as evidenced by this post. Is one
really any worse than the other? Both “devour
widows’ houses.” It is interesting that these so-called preachers of the
gospel of Jesus Christ have such incredible wealth, and yet my New Testament
says “but the Son of Man has no place to
lay his head” (Luke 9:58). Let me see if I’ve got that right; Jesus has
nothing by earthly standards, but those who preach about him live as royalty in
king’s palaces? Hmm, yea, that makes a lot of sense.
In the end, the question isn’t even about earthly riches. The issue is not about being rich versus being poor. The issue is about those who “devour widows’ houses” by milking them of their life savings. The issue is about "a heart that devises wicked schemes." That is one of “The Things the Lord Hates.”
Anyway, that’s the way I see it.
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In Part 5 we will consider the fifth thing the Lord hates, "feet that are quick to rush into evil."
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In Part 5 we will consider the fifth thing the Lord hates, "feet that are quick to rush into evil."
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