Are you an optimist or a pessimist? Do you focus on the positive or the negative? The evil or the good?

Perhaps we should be biblical and focus on both. In fact, there is a psalm that, in just twelve verses, deals with both the wickedness of some people and the goodness of God—Psalm 36. I have been listening to and reading this psalm for the past week or so. The psalm may be short, but what it lacks in size, it more than makes up in depth and power. I plan to spend several days blogging about it. Here is the psalm in its entirety”

“Psa. 36:1        Transgression speaks to the wicked

                        deep in his heart;

             there is no fear of God

                        before his eyes.

2          For he flatters himself in his own eyes

                        that his iniquity cannot be found out and hated.

3          The words of his mouth are trouble and deceit;

                        he has ceased to act wisely and do good.

4          He plots trouble while on his bed;

                        he sets himself in a way that is not good;

                        he does not reject evil.

Psa. 36:5         Your steadfast love, O LORD, extends to the heavens,

                        your faithfulness to the clouds.

6          Your righteousness is like the mountains of God;

                        your judgments are like the great deep;

                        man and beast you save, O LORD.

Psa. 36:7         How precious is your steadfast love, O God!

                        The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings.

8          They feast on the abundance of your house,

                        and you give them drink from the river of your delights.

9          For with you is the fountain of life;

                        in your light do we see light.

Psa. 36:10       Oh, continue your steadfast love to those who know you,

                        and your righteousness to the upright of heart!

11        Let not the foot of arrogance come upon me,

                        nor the hand of the wicked drive me away.

12        There the evildoers lie fallen;

                        they are thrust down, unable to rise.” (Psalm 36:1-12, English Standard Version)

That’s it—the whole thing! So, let’s begin by making some very general comments.

This psalm begins by acknowledging the presence and seriousness of sin. And Psalm 36 makes no bones about it: Wickedness is a serious matter. The psalm acknowledges that there are people who have become so devoted to evil that they have reached the point of no return.

Fortunately, in my judgment, such commitment is rare. Many people really do want to change, but don’t know how. They need a helping hand. I hope that I am one of those people. You probably are too, or you wouldn’t be reading this post. Take heart!

However, the psalmist recognizes that there are people for whom there is very little hope. How can they be identified? Primarily, says the psalmist, they can be identified by the fact that they have become so committed to an evil lifestyle that they don’t even want to change. They are too busy plotting evil to have time to plot a different, better course.

But then, in verse 5, the psalmist abruptly changes his focus. Now, he turns his eyes from the wicked to God. He says certain things about God that, if they are true, would make the most committed atheist want to believe in such a God. I do believe these things about God, but even when I was an atheist, I would have wished that I could believe in a God like the one described here.

Go back over verses 5-9. Read them slowly. Think about what they say about God. If God really is like that, oh my!

It is necessary to acknowledge that there are evil people in the world who really do not want to change. But it is also good to acknowledge that there is a God who is good to the very depth of God’s character, and that God’s goodness leads him to be good to all God’s creation. And such a God probably doesn’t need to change.

So, you want me to take out the word “probably” in the preceding sentence? Okay!

And such a God probably doesn’t need to change. Maybe we are the ones who need to change. We should change our focus from wicked people to the Good God.