The wicked plotteth against the just, and gnasheth upon him with his teeth.
The plottings of the wicked against the good
That the wicked plot against the just is matter of history, and of everyday experience. They envy the moral character of the good, with the respect it wins and the influence it wields. They are also rebuked by the quiet dignity of the Christian character, and hence, through sheer hatred, seek to persecute and remove it out of their sight.
I. The plottings of the wicked against the good are wrathful. “And gnasheth upon him,” etc. The wicked show by their gestures the rage they indulge against, and injury they would inflict upon, the good if it were in their power.
II. The plottings of the wicked against the good are cruel. “The wicked have drawn out the sword.” They have drawn the weapon out of the sheath and await the time to use it.
III. The plottings of the wicked against the good are determined. “And have bent their bow.” They take steady aim that they may wound a vital part. And thus the wicked, in their plottings against the just, make use of all the instrumentalities they can command, exercise all the talents they possess, and are strong in their determination to achieve the end they contemplate.
IV. The plottings of the wicked against the good are cowardly. They attack the feeble who are too meek in spirit to suspect their mischief, or to defend themselves from it; they attack the poor who have not wherewith to protect themselves from the assaults of their imperious enemies. Wicked men are generally cowardly. They have not the courage of their rage, or the valour of their determination.
V. The plottings of the wicked against the good are self-destructive. The very weapon intended for the destruction of the good, under the mysterious but retributive arrangements of Divine providence, shall be employed in the defeat of the wicked. The wicked are often hung upon gallows built by themselves. Lessons:--
1. It is foolish for the wicked to plot against the good.
2. Such plottings are intelligible to the good, being explained by the enmity of the world to Christ.
3. Such plottings are not to be feared, but are to be outlived by trust in God. (Joseph S. Exell, M. A.)