Pondering Proverbial Themes (13): “Wicked!”

If you type “W-I-C-K-E-D” into Wikipedia today, Wicked (the broadway musical by Stephen Swartz) comes up as the first entry after the Disambiguation Page, and if you go to see Wicked (witch I haven’t 🙂 ), you’ll discover which witch is which and that neither of them is really bad. In fact, the Wicked Witch of the West turns out to be the star of the show and sadly misunderstood and maligned. “So sorry to have splashed all that water on you, Sweetie! Wish I hadn’t melted you.”

And, what should my wondering eyes behold when it came time to replace my favorite moccasins (which really do last for about 10 years)? They’ve now become “wicked good” moccasins. Okay!?

“Wicked” is used 477 times in the Bible, 95 of them in the Book of Proverbs—that’s one out of every five occurrences—and every time it means “morally very bad: Evil” (as in the classic Merriam-Webster Dictionary definition). Back in 1900, when Dorothy first visited the Land of Oz, everybody celebrated when the Dorothy doused the Wicked Witch of the West and the townspeople were finally free from her tyranny. Good was good and bad was bad, and three cheers for good overcoming evil! “When it goes well with the righteous, the city rejoices; And when the wicked perish, there is jubilation” (Proverbs 11:10). All was right with the world.

Today, not so much! “Wicked” has taken on a new meaning since the 1980s. There’s now an adverbial form that means “extremely,” so you can have “wicked wicked” (extremely bad) or “wicked good” (extremely good). It reminds me of the 180° turn in the meaning of “gay.” Audrey Hepburn described herself as “gay” repeatedly 70-80 years ago, and I used to think of myself as very gay. It used to mean “bright” and “lively” . . . extremely happy or merry. Now you have to search quite a while to find that definition, since it overwhelmingly means “homosexual,” and nobody who is heterosexual dares to describe themselves as “gay” lest they attract a same-sex suitor.

So, what does the Bible have to say about “wicked”? What is wicked, and how does the wise person interact with wickedness?

What are the marks of true wickedness?

1. Deception (Proverbs 11:18, “The wicked man does deceptive work, But he who sows righteousness will have a sure reward.“)
2. Cruelty (Proverbs 12:10, “A righteous man regards the life of his animal, But the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel.“)
3. Darkness (Proverbs 4:19, “The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble.”)
4. Trouble (Proverbs 15:6, “In the house of the righteous there is much treasure, But in the revenue of the wicked is trouble.“)
5. Violence (Proverbs 21:7, “The violence of the wicked will destroy them, Because they refuse to do justice.”)
6. They are Dishonorable (Proverbs 28:12, “When the righteous rejoice, there is great glory; But when the wicked arise, men hide themselves.“)
7. Evil and untrustworthy (Proverbs 15:28, “The heart of the righteous studies how to answer, But the mouth of the wicked pours forth evil.“)
8. Sinful (Proverbs 10:16, “The labour of the righteous tendeth to life: the fruit of the wicked to sin.” Proverbs 21:4, “A haughty look, a proud heart, And the plowing of the wicked are sin.“)
9. Immoral and self-deceived (Proverbs 30:20, “This is the way of an adulterous woman: She eats and wipes her mouth, And says, “I have done no wickedness.”)
10. Abominable to God (Proverbs 15:26, “The thoughts of the wicked are an abomination to the Lord, But the words of the pure are pleasant.” Proverbs 15:9 “The way of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord, But He loves him who follows righteousness.“)
11. Infamous (Proverbs 10:7,”The memory of the just is blessed: but the name of the wicked shall rot.“)
12. Unenduring (Proverbs 24:19, “Do not fret because of evildoers, Nor be envious of the wicked.” Proverbs 24:16, “For a righteous man may fall seven times And rise again, But the wicked shall fall by calamity.” Proverbs 12:7, “The wicked are overthrown and are no more, But the house of the righteous will stand.”)
13. Eventually to be punished (Proverbs 24:20, “For there will be no prospect for the evil man; The lamp of the wicked will be put out.” Proverbs 11:21, “Though they join forces, the wicked will not go unpunished; But the posterity of the righteous will be delivered.” Proverbs 2:22, “But the wicked shall be cut off from the earth, and the transgressors shall be rooted out of it.“)

Know anybody like this? If you read this list and think to yourself, “This reminds me of [fill-in-the-blank], then you can be sure you know someone who is wicked in the true sense of the word, however charming or clever they are, and no matter how much they’d like to be in a relationship with you. The book of Proverbs gives us some clear advice for how to interact with wicked people:

1. Stay as far away from them as you can! (Proverbs 4:14, “Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men.“)
2. Don’t try to befriend them—even in hopes of “straightening them out”. (Proverbs 12:26, “The righteous should choose his friends carefully, For the way of the wicked leads them astray.“)
3. Don’t try to justify their behavior or defend them (Proverbs 17:15, “He who justifies the wicked, and he who condemns the just, Both of them alike are an abomination to the Lord.”)
4. Don’t feel sorry for them or “cover” for them (Proverbs 18:5, “It is not good to show partiality to the wicked, Or to overthrow the righteous in judgment.”)
5. Don’t say they’re “good” when they’re not. (Proverbs 24:24, “He who says to the wicked, ‘You are righteous,’ Him the people will curse; Nations will abhor him.“)
6. Instead, rebuke them (Proverbs 24:25, “But those who rebuke the wicked will have delight, And a good blessing will come upon them.“)
7. Don’t allow yourself to become confused by their arguments (Proverbs 25:2 6, “A righteous man who falters before the wicked Is like a murky spring and a polluted well.“)
8. Do what’s right yourself and take a clear stand against evil (Proverbs 28:4,”Those who forsake the law praise the wicked, But such as keep the law contend with them.“

Finally, the Bible is clear that there will always be controversy and dissension between the wicked and those who attempt to live by faith. There is no country in the world where Christians can just relax and “fit in.” Part of “taking up our cross” and following Jesus is being willing to suffer for the sake of what is right and true. Here are a few encouragements for us to “keep on keepin’ on,” as the president of my alma mater used to say:

“An unjust man is an abomination to the righteous, And he who is upright in the way is an abomination to the wicked” (Proverbs 29:27).

“For My people are foolish, They have not known Me. They are silly children, And they have no understanding. They are wise to do evil, But to do good they have no knowledge” (Jeremiah 4:22).

“Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!” (Isaiah 5:20).

“Seek good, and not evil, that ye may live: and so the Lord, the God of hosts, shall be with you” (Amos 5:14).

“Depart from evil, and do good; and dwell for evermore” (Psalm 37:27).

“Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution” (2 Timothy 3:12).

“Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee” (Deuteronomy 31:6).