Passage Read: Psalm 140-143
Meditation Verses: 140:1-4
Thought
There are wicked men who seek to do evil, who look for opportunities to do violence. And there are evil men who are evil just because they don't know God, but they aren't looking to attack or harm anyone. They keep mostly to themselves; they don't go out of their way to hurt others. There are those who make their living from harming others or those who are just so filled with hatred that they set as their target anyone who opposes them or slights them, and they look for ways to avenge themselves. Those are the kind that David had in mind in all of these imprecatory psalms, the actively evil, the attackers, the plotters and schemes who are working against him.
Application
It's rare that I run into this kind of violent man, and that's a mercy from the Lord. I should continue to pray to the Lord to keep me from meeting anyone like this. But I need to be careful to distinguish between the lost who just don't know God and do wrong things, and those who are violent and hate-filled. The latter I can pray against, like David did, though if I can share the Gospel with them, I should take the opportunity. Chances are good they won't have anything to do with it, but still I should try. The former are all around me, most are nice people to one degree or another, and they are the ones with whom I should normally be looking to share the Gospel. They're not normally the kind of people I should be praying that God brings evil back on their own heads.