Day Sixteen
Psalm 91:8
Only with your eyes shall you look, And see the reward of the wicked.
NKJV
I would not have used the word “reward” to describe what the wicked will receive as a result of their depraved lifestyle. Reward conjures up visions of winning a prize. Would we want to “reward the wicked” for their wickedness? Punishment seems like a better word.
In order to understand why the word was translated as “reward,” one must understand the Hebrew word “peri.”
Peri has three meanings.
The tangible fruit produced by a plant
The offspring of the womb
The consequences or the result of a particular action
The “reward” of the wicked is actually the fruit produced by living an ungodly life. The reward will be the consequences of a wicked lifestyle. A closer look at the writings of the Apostle Paul will help us understand this “reward.”
Read Galatians 5:17-21. It is interesting to note in these verses that there is a particular lifestyle that will bring destruction into a person’s life. Paul speaks of this lifestyle in verses 19-21 when he describes the characteristics of the “flesh life.” In the second part of verse 21 he states that those who practice this kind of lifestyle will not inherit the kingdom of God. These are very strong words. Christians can sin and still inherit the Kingdom of God. This verse must be speaking to the unbeliever. Although a Christian may commit some of the sins Paul lists, it is highly unlikely that a believer would actually want to continue in the lifestyle that Paul describes.
The reward is the offspring of the curse of sin. The reward of the wicked in Psalm 91 is the “tangible fruit” produced by living an ungodly lifestyle. . The reward is the consequences or the result of a particularly fleshly action in the life of a person.
The Christian has two choices:
Walk according to the flesh (vs. 19-21) where one will reap the consequences of living an ungodly life. Jesus said in John 10:10, “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” (NKJV) Satan will use these sins in our lives to kill, steal and destroy the abundant blessings in which Jesus wants us to live.
Walk according to the Spirit (vs. 22-23) where one is filled with the fruit (reward) of the Holy Spirit. By faith we make the choice to appropriate the abundant life of Christ in us each day so that the Spirit is giving us the reward of “love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.”
Psalm 91:8
Only with your eyes shall you look, And see the reward of the wicked.
NKJV
I would not have used the word “reward” to describe what the wicked will receive as a result of their depraved lifestyle. Reward conjures up visions of winning a prize. Would we want to “reward the wicked” for their wickedness? Punishment seems like a better word.
In order to understand why the word was translated as “reward,” one must understand the Hebrew word “peri.”
Peri has three meanings.
The tangible fruit produced by a plant
The offspring of the womb
The consequences or the result of a particular action
The “reward” of the wicked is actually the fruit produced by living an ungodly life. The reward will be the consequences of a wicked lifestyle. A closer look at the writings of the Apostle Paul will help us understand this “reward.”
Read Galatians 5:17-21. It is interesting to note in these verses that there is a particular lifestyle that will bring destruction into a person’s life. Paul speaks of this lifestyle in verses 19-21 when he describes the characteristics of the “flesh life.” In the second part of verse 21 he states that those who practice this kind of lifestyle will not inherit the kingdom of God. These are very strong words. Christians can sin and still inherit the Kingdom of God. This verse must be speaking to the unbeliever. Although a Christian may commit some of the sins Paul lists, it is highly unlikely that a believer would actually want to continue in the lifestyle that Paul describes.
The reward is the offspring of the curse of sin. The reward of the wicked in Psalm 91 is the “tangible fruit” produced by living an ungodly lifestyle. . The reward is the consequences or the result of a particularly fleshly action in the life of a person.
The Christian has two choices:
Walk according to the flesh (vs. 19-21) where one will reap the consequences of living an ungodly life. Jesus said in John 10:10, “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” (NKJV) Satan will use these sins in our lives to kill, steal and destroy the abundant blessings in which Jesus wants us to live.
Walk according to the Spirit (vs. 22-23) where one is filled with the fruit (reward) of the Holy Spirit. By faith we make the choice to appropriate the abundant life of Christ in us each day so that the Spirit is giving us the reward of “love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.”
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