What actions characterize the "wicked" according to Psalm 58:3? Setting the Scene “Psalm 58:3 — ‘The wicked are estranged from the womb; the liars go astray from birth.’” In a single compact line David sketches the essential conduct of the wicked. He speaks of actions that flow from a heart already turned away from God. Core Actions Highlighted in Psalm 58:3 • Estrangement from God from the very start – “Estranged from the womb” describes an immediate separation—an inherent distance from God’s righteous path. – This state of alienation is not acquired later by circumstance; it marks their earliest moments. • Deliberate wandering off course – “Go astray from birth” underscores an active veering away. The wicked aren’t merely passive victims of error; they choose a divergent path. – The verb “go astray” paints them as deliberate wanderers rather than accidental drifters. • Habitual lying – They are called “liars” who “go astray.” Falsehood is their native tongue. – Lying here represents more than isolated misstatements—it reveals a settled pattern of deceit. Wider Scriptural Echoes • Proverbs 6:16-19 lists “a lying tongue” and “a heart that devises wicked schemes” among the things the Lord hates. • Proverbs 12:22 — “Lying lips are an abomination to the LORD, but those who act faithfully are His delight.” • Jeremiah 17:9 — “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure; who can understand it?” • Romans 3:13-14 gathers several Old Testament texts to show that apart from God’s grace, “Their throats are open graves… the poison of vipers is on their lips; their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.” In each case, deceitful speech and a willful turning away from God’s truth stand out as leading marks of the wicked. Living Application • Truth and allegiance to God walk hand in hand; deceit signals estrangement. • When Scripture exposes lying as characteristic of the wicked, it drives home the urgency of repentance and transformation that only Christ provides (John 14:6). • The believer is called to the opposite path—“speaking the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15) and walking in the light rather than wandering farther into darkness. Psalm 58:3, though brief, gives a piercing profile: the wicked are alienated from God, they choose error, and they practice deceit. |
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