More than four years ago I embarked on a meditational journey through the Psalms. My practice has been to move verse by verse through the book asking meditational questions of my readers. You have come up with some great answers over the years, but I have provided few.

I have now finished the journey of asking about the Psalms. Now I have begun asking you about the Proverbs. While I begin that work I am also now beginning the journey of thinking on and answering my own questions through the Psalms. So! Let’s continue:

Why do the nations conspire^[a]
    and the peoples plot in vain?
² The kings of the earth rise up
    and the rulers band together
    against the Lord and against his anointed, saying,
³ “Let us break their chains
    and throw off their shackles.” Psalm 2:1-3

WHAT DO YOU SEE AS THE GREATEST EXAMPLE OF THE PEOPLE OF EARTH TRYING TO “THROW OFF THE SHACKLES” OF THE LORD?

IS THIS DIFFERENT THAN IN AGES PAST?

I think that humanism in the church is one of the greatest examples of people on Earth trying to “throw off the shackles of the Lord.” There is a strong movement in the modern day church to make the greatness of the church something that men attain without God under the guise of doing it “for God”.

Paul the apostle said it this way, “But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 2People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— 5having a form of godliness but denying its power.” 2 Tim. 3: 1-5

We have become very adept at building crowds, capital and cathedrals and making those things look somehow like the success of religion. Yet in making the size of the church and the influence of the church in the culture our goal ,we have somehow also attained an atmosphere in much of the church that echoes Paul’s words to Timothy in verses 3-4. The scariest thing is forms of godliness that are devoid of reliance on God and which are not committed to holiness have none of the power of God to transform lives.

Wisdom will save you also from the adulterous woman,
    from the wayward woman with her seductive words,
¹⁷ who has left the partner of her youth
    and ignored the covenant she made before God.^[a]
18 Surely her house leads down to death
    and her paths to the spirits of the dead.
¹⁹ None who go to her return
    or attain the paths of life.

²⁰ Thus you will walk in the ways of the good
    and keep to the paths of the righteous.
²¹ For the upright will live in the land,
    and the blameless will remain in it;
²² but the wicked will be cut off from the land,
    and the unfaithful will be torn from it. Proverbs 2:16-22

What are the paths of the good?

Wisdom will save you also from the adulterous woman,
    from the wayward woman with her seductive words,
¹⁷ who has left the partner of her youth
    and ignored the covenant she made before God.^[a]
18 Surely her house leads down to death
    and her paths to the spirits of the dead.
¹⁹ None who go to her return
    or attain the paths of life.

²⁰ Thus you will walk in the ways of the good
    and keep to the paths of the righteous.
²¹ For the upright will live in the land,
    and the blameless will remain in it;
²² but the wicked will be cut off from the land,
    and the unfaithful will be torn from it. PROVERBS 2: 16-22

Sexual promiscuity has been downplayed in our culture. Why do you think that is?

My son, if you accept my words
    and store up my commands within you,
² turning your ear to wisdom
    and applying your heart to understanding—
³ indeed, if you call out for insight
    and cry aloud for understanding,
⁴ and if you look for it as for silver
    and search for it as for hidden treasure,
⁵ then you will understand the fear of the Lord
    and find the knowledge of God.
⁶ For the Lord gives wisdom;
    from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.
⁷ He holds success in store for the upright,
    he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless,
⁸ for he guards the course of the just
    and protects the way of his faithful ones.

⁹ Then you will understand what is right and just
    and fair—every good path.
¹⁰ For wisdom will enter your heart,
    and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.
¹¹ Discretion will protect you,
    and understanding will guard you.

¹² Wisdom will save you from the ways of wicked men,
    from men whose words are perverse,
¹³ who have left the straight paths
    to walk in dark ways,
¹⁴ who delight in doing wrong
    and rejoice in the perverseness of evil,
¹⁵ whose paths are crooked
    and who are devious in their ways. Prov. 2:1-15

Define wickedness.