"Tangled Up"

"The wicked in his pride doth persecute the poor: let them be taken in the devices that they have imagined." (Psalms 10:2) It is one thing to imagine that you are something that you are not, but it is entirely something else to put others into a lower state in the process. Jesus gave us a good example of this, as He shared about the two men who went up into the temple to pray; the account of which we can find in Luke 18:9-14. Luke sets up what Jesus will be speaking of in verse Nine, as he says, "And He spake a parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:" Yes, David could very well be speaking about wicked barbaric men, filled with pride towards their quest to destroy the poor; however, I believe that there is another wicked that is hiding in the midst of their own righteousness; the wicked that believe themselves to be righteous, based upon what they perceive about themselves, not what is truth! To understand what it is that I am talking about, let's go through the first half of this verse, looking at some key words that David uses here. The "wicked" are those who are guilty of sin, of which we should all be classified as such; however, these are those who are guilty of a crime of which there has not been restitution for, such as would be the case of someone who is actively breaking the law and has not been punished yet; which would better be described as someone that is hostile to God, as someone who has not been convicted of their sins would be. Furthermore, we have the word "pride", which speaks of haughtiness, or excellency and arrogance, of which pride clothes their neck: a stiff neck being regarded as the seat of pride. Then we have the word "persecute", of which it speaks of to burn, to kindle, to inflame; as in, "he makes his arrows flaming", which means he shoots burning arrows. And then finally, we have "the poor", which speak of those who are in need; those who are needy, weak, afflicted, wretched, humble, and lowly; often with the added idea of piety, as in someone with whom you would have piety upon, or that is asking for you to have piety upon them. Now; as we go back to Luke, we find Jesus giving this example to two men; one a publican, the other a Pharisee; both of which have come into the temple to pray. Yet, one was lowly at heart, and could not even lift his head, as he prayed to God for forgiveness; while the other, the Pharisee, stood up boasting and saying, "God, I thank Thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican". Thinking that he was something that he was not, he further went on to boast of all the good that he had done to be set apart from others, saying, "I fast twice a week, I give tithes of all the I possess". Meanwhile, the publican, who stood afar off, would not even so much as lift his eyes to heaven, but beat upon his chest, saying, "God be merciful to me a sinner". It is the pride of those that think themselves better than someone else, which blinds their heart, for they think that they are closer to God in the ignorance of what it is that they think God requires. For, God requires a broken heart of someone that knows that they are a sinner, and that knows that they have sinned against Him, and that knows that He is a God of mercy!!! Because; it is only by realizing that we need mercy, that we are able to receive mercy!!! With that, we have the remainder of David's realization of the wicked, in that he says, "let them be taken in the devices that they have imagined"; whereas, "devices" speak of an evil purpose, discretion, or thought; of which "imagined" is further expressed as something which is invented within one's mind, as would be the cast of the Pharisee who thought himself to be justified before God. Therefore, he that does not seek mercy, will not find mercy; which Jesus expressed in summarizing His parable: "I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted". The wicked's device has been turned upon himself, and he is put down...