The Wicked Are Destroyed By Violence – (Proverbs 21:7-8)

Daily Bible Study
This is an antithetical proverb, which means it contrasts the wicked with the righteous in order to better show obvious differences between the two. The righteous are those who place their faith in Jesus and receive His righteousness imputed to us by God, because of His work on the Cross. The wicked are those who do not have a relationship with God because they do not have a relationship with Christ Jesus our Lord. In addition, the Holy Spirit who indwells every follower of Christ, changes the hearts of those who are righteous in the eyes of God. The work of the Holy Spirit makes us more sensitive to the things of God, gives us a desire for the word of God and makes us more aware of God's presence in our lives. And from the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives and in our hearts we grow spiritually as we grow closer to God. And as this happens our hearts and minds are transformed by God and we begin to better align our will with God's will.

This in turn leads to more answered prayers as we work in concert with the will of God. The result of which is a transformation of our hearts and mind, where there was once selfishness, greed and envy, there is now humility, meekness, compassion, mercy and grace for others. We develop a love for God, a love for His word and a love for others which results in activities pleasing to God, why? Because they are works done out of our love for God and others. This is contrasted with the wicked, whose thoughts are only for themselves and what they can take from others, usually with little or no thought for those around them. The wicked, show no concern for the well being of others, they do not have a desire to help those in need. Their hearts are not concerned with the things of God, instead their hearts are focused on themselves and their rebellion against God. The source from which they are inspired is not the Holy Spirit, but rather, this fallen world which is under the influence of the one the Apostle Paul calls the, "prince of the power of the air" who is Satan.