The character of the wicked, as depicted in the Bible, often includes a disdain and contempt for the saints—those who are set apart and devoted to God. This animosity is rooted in the fundamental opposition between the ways of the wicked and the righteous paths of the saints. The wicked, in their rebellion against God, naturally find themselves at odds with those who seek to live according to His statutes.

Biblical Instances and Descriptions:

1. Hatred and Persecution:
The wicked are frequently portrayed as persecutors of the righteous. In the Psalms, David laments the hostility he faces from the wicked: "The wicked lie in wait for the righteous, seeking to slay them" (Psalm 37:32). This enmity is not merely passive but often manifests in active persecution and attempts to undermine the faith and integrity of the saints.

2. Mockery and Scorn:
The wicked are described as mockers who scorn the righteous. In the book of Proverbs, it is written, "The proud mocker acts with overbearing pride" (Proverbs 21:24). This pride leads them to ridicule those who follow God's commandments, viewing their devotion as foolishness.

3. Rejection of Godly Wisdom:
The wicked reject the wisdom and counsel of the saints, preferring their own understanding. Proverbs 1:7 states, "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline" . This rejection is indicative of their broader disdain for those who embody and impart godly wisdom.

4. Opposition to God's People:
Throughout biblical history, the wicked have opposed God's people, often seeking to thwart their mission and destroy their testimony. In the New Testament, Jesus warns His disciples of this reality: "If the world hates you, understand that it hated Me first" (John 15:18). This opposition is a continuation of the age-old conflict between the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent (Genesis 3:15).

5. Envy and Resentment:
The wicked often harbor envy and resentment towards the saints, who are blessed by God. This is exemplified in the account of Cain and Abel, where Cain's envy of Abel's favor with God leads to murder (Genesis 4:3-8). The wicked's inability to attain the spiritual blessings of the saints fuels their animosity.

6. Spiritual Blindness:
The wicked's despising of the saints is also a result of their spiritual blindness. As Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 2:14, "The natural man does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God. For they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned" . This blindness prevents them from recognizing the true value and righteousness of the saints.

Implications for Believers:

Believers are called to remain steadfast in the face of such opposition, trusting in God's justice and ultimate vindication. The Psalms frequently remind the faithful that the Lord will uphold the righteous and bring the wicked to account: "For the LORD loves justice and will not forsake His saints. They are preserved forever, but the descendants of the wicked will be cut off" (Psalm 37:28). This assurance encourages the saints to persevere, knowing that their reward is secure in Christ.Nehemiah 2:19
But when Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, and Geshem the Arabian, heard it, they laughed us to scorn, and despised us, and said, What is this thing that you do? will you rebel against the king?
Nave's Topical Index

Nehemiah 4:2
And he spoke before his brothers and the army of Samaria, and said, What do these feeble Jews? will they fortify themselves? will they sacrifice? will they make an end in a day? will they revive the stones out of the heaps of the rubbish which are burned?
Nave's Topical Index

2 Timothy 3:3,4
Without natural affection, truce breakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
Nave's Topical Index

Reprobation.
... found any among them neglecting and despising the only ... disposes of the destinies
of both saints and sinners ... forming or creating in them of a wicked character. ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/finney/systematic theology/lecture xliv reprobation.htm

Letter vii. --For 335. Easter-Day iv Pharmuthi, iii Kal. April; xx ...
... 6. Now wicked men hunger for bread like this ... he was sanctified a profane thing, and
despising the Spirit ... adduced in them, to illustrate the character of sinners ...
/.../select works and letters or athanasius/letter vii for 335 easter-day iv.htm

Differences in Judgment About Water Baptism, no Bar to Communion ...
... notice, I do not plead for a despising of baptism ... in pieces, or the truly visible
saints excluded communion ... conscience only: that which is no character of my ...
/.../the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/differences in judgment about water.htm

The Declensions of Christianity, an Argument of Its Truth.
... It was never the character of that church to ... pretending to superior knowledge and
penetration, despising law and ... the pains occasioned in the wicked, by the ...
/.../lee/sermons on various important subjects/sermon iv the declensions of.htm

Easter Sunday
... the Corinthians to the true character and purpose ... wickedness"; he means whatever
is evil and wicked. ... Christian liberty; for that is despising and blaspheming ...
//christianbookshelf.org/luther/epistle sermons vol ii/easter sunday.htm

Lessons from Nature
... is made is somewhat akin to the despising of the ... and where, through the example of
the wicked, his heart ... The same holds good as to individuality of character. ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 17 1871/lessons from nature.htm

The First Epistle to the Corinthians
... emerging from heathendom and situated in a wicked city, is ... is, whether we can determine
the character of the ... of the ultra-pious ones who, despising all human ...
/.../drummond/introduction to the new testament/the first epistle to the.htm

Father and Child
... is the witness of God and of the character of God. ... Despising the goodness of God,
by which He has been ... and the torments prepared not merely for wicked men, but ...
/.../kingsley/all saints day and other sermons/sermon xxi father and child.htm

The Wedding Garment
... Judas exemplified in his own person this character. ... bread that you could put into
your wicked mouths but ... care to make it true"willfully despising the Lord's ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 17 1871/the wedding garment.htm

Conflict.
... set before Him endured the Cross, despising shame, and ... our Lord Himself was the malice
of the wicked. ... God requires personal fitness of character, and manifests ...
/.../the expositors bible the epistle to the hebrews/chapter xiv conflict.htm

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