I have seen the wicked in great power, and spreading himself like a green bay-tree.
Yet he passed away, and lo, he was not.
The two characters
The word “perfect” in the Old Testament is generally used in the same sense as the word “godly” in the New. This “perfect” man is he “He feareth God and escheweth evil.” His perfection is that of an earthly saint, not that of a heavenly saint. The “wicked” of the text are the same as the “evildoers,” “the workers of iniquity,” and the “ungodly” of the preceding verses. There is no need to trace out the character of these people, for do they not work it out in the sight of all in their ungodly conversation and conduct? And yet, forsooth, they dream of heaven. But what sort of a heaven?
I. The wicked as set forth in the text.
1. He is strong in health--“like a green bay-tree.”
2. In riches. His fields have cropped heavily; he has much goods laid up for many years. Pharaoh-like, he defies all authority, and contemptuously asks, “Who is the Lord?”
3. In pride and selfishness. Haman is a correct representation of this class; and Nebuchadnezzar.
4. “Spreading himself out”--ostentatious, pompous, showy. What a contrast with the life of Christ, or with the idea of the Bible concerning the celestial state.
5. “Till he pass away.” He disappears in darkness. “The name of the wicked shall rot.”
II. The perfect, the upright man:
1. Mark him in the virtuousness of his life.
2. In his patience under trials.
3. In the secret comfort he enjoys. He has strong consolations. Where? The natural man cannot understand it.
4. In his departure from this life. Oh yes, mark him, behold him, follow him with the eye; he is drawing towards the close, it is true, but he will not be lost; it is growing light--lighter the deeper he goes. “Christ shall give thee light.” “The end of that man is peace.”
5. “Mark the perfect, behold the upright” once more--to see him entering on his eternal state. If the religion of the Bible lead to and produce such an end, is it not worth our while to seek it? (Anon.)
The wicked in three aspects
I. As favoured with great secular prosperity.
1. Material nature, from which man draws all his secular good, pays no regard to moral character.
2. Greed for gain is one of the strongest passions in the heart of the wicked.
3. The efforts of the wicked are not restricted by moral considerations.
II. As swept unexpectedly from the earth.
1. Though he appeared, the last time he was seen, strong, he is gone.
2. Though he appeared the most important object in the scene, he is gone.
III. As standing in striking contrast to the righteous (Psalms 37:37-40).
1. In relation to character. The good are in these verses called “perfect,” “upright,” “righteous.” All these terms stand for the same thing--moral excellence. The wicked are spoken of as “transgressors”: they outrage the everlasting principles of virtue, truth, and happiness; they are violators of the moral laws of the universe.
2. In relation to their end. Tholuck renders this sentence, “It shall go well with such a man.” Peace is evermore the end of a good man--peace of conscience, peace with God, peace that passeth all understanding. What said Luther in dying? “God is the Lord by whom we escape death.” What said Baxter? “I have pain, there is no arguing against sense; but I have peace, peace.”
3. In relation to God. He is the destroyer of the wicked. (Homilist.)
Why wicked men are spared
I. That the long-suffering and goodness of god may lead them to repentance. The avenues to the heart are accessible in different persons by different ways. While some are naturally led to thought and reflection, by the fear of danger, or the sufferings of distress, others are more sensibly affected by instances of kindness and benevolence. Where there is a strong sensibility, and a sufficient generosity of natural disposition, the blessings of prosperity will be even more effectual than the arrows of adversity to awaken men to the consideration of their ways, to lead them by the pleasing ties of gratitude, to the most affectionate love of God, to the most sincere respect for religion and virtue.
II. For the sake of those with whom they are connected in society.
1. Perhaps this wicked man is the head of a numerous family, and you cannot inflict on him the penalty he deserves, without at the same time entailing misery on his wife, his children, and, probably, a great number of dependants, all of whom may be entirely innocent of the crimes he has committed.
2. Suppose a wicked man to be placed in a public station, a station for which, perhaps, you will imagine he is very unfit, as his bad example, when his influence is thus extended, may be still more contagious in corrupting the morals of others; yet, notwithstanding of this circumstance, which is in itself of great weight, he may still be possessed of several good qualities, which enable him, with superior advantage, to discharge the duties of the distinguished office; he may, perhaps, be possessed of great talents, or great industry, which render him more useful upon the whole, in that particular situation, than another man of more virtue, but of less ability.
III. That they may be the means of administering rebuke and chastisement to others, who, perhaps, are not so wicked as themselves, but who probably are not sufficiently sensible of the advantages they enjoy, or who do not improve these advantages in all respects as they ought. (W. Shiels.)