So this morning I woke up early  and did my devotion to God’s word, Psalm 34, primarily vs 16.

Here I was reminded of a fundamental biblical reality often watered down in our day, in our culture: God is FOR the righteous and  AGAINST evildoers.

We know the “goodness” of God, It’s preached almost everywhere. Righteousness is rewarded, duh!  But there is a scary truth too: God protects and blesses His people while ensuring that unrepentant evil does not endure.

“The face of the LORD is against evildoers, To cut off the memory of them from the earth.”   (Psalm 34:16). This verse stands in sharp contrast to the preceding one (v. 15), which promises the LORD’s attentive eyes and open ears toward the righteous. It reminds  us that God is not neutral or indifferent towards unbelief and wickedness.

God actually sets Himself against evildoers to thwart their purposes, ultimately leading to their judgment and the erasure of their legacy.  Think about this! He is determinately resolved that the ungodly shall not prosper and he sets himself with all his might to overthrow them. Not only to cast them into hell, but to erase the very memory of them. This should  be a sobering reminder that while God rewards the faithful and “wishes all would come to repentance,”  He also sets his face against  the wicked and persistent wickedness.

It kinda reminds me of one beating their head against the wall, but worse! Matthew Henry said, “He can “out-face the most proud and daring sinners and can frown them into hell.” So not only will He cut them off at the pass and block them from doing evil, but He will “cut off the remembrance of them,” – their posterity, achievements, and their legacy will fade into obscurity and disgrace.

This verse also reminds  me that evil is short-lived. God paints a picture of total destruction and complete desolation. This should more than urge believers  to flee evil for the sake of mere self -preservation and legacy. It should produce a holy fear and love for the God who so decisively stands against evil.

The good stuff, you ask? God’s love and holy wrath are not at odds with each other. The bottom line is that evil cannot ultimately claim space in God’s universe; it self-destructs under His gaze. These are not just my thoughts, C.S. Lewis frequently explored how evil is inherently parasitic, self-undermining, and ultimately incompatible with God’s reality. Evil ultimately disintegrates when confronted by divine goodness and truth. So the verse stuck out as a reminder that forgetting God leads to being forgotten, while those who seek Him find enduring life.

Have a great day!