Proverbs 21:10
“The soul of the wicked desires evil; his neighbor finds no favor in his eyes.”
In order to fully grasp this verse, the definitions of the words must be given and accepted. At first glance, the impression of haughtiness, or judgement is elicited from the reader. They believe that because they have been saved, then they are no longer “the wicked”. This is of course true, but these salvation recipients are still very capable of behaving like the wicked. To begin, let us understand that the “soul” of any human houses the mind, will and emotions. So in this way the verse expresses that the wicked thinks about and plots evil toward others. The word for desire here is very poignant in that it means to crave, wish for, and long for. It is almost a passionate anticipation that is fantasized about. These are very acceptable concepts to those who have been saved and likewise very easy to propel the pointing of fingers toward “the wicked.” However, therein lies the issue. “The wicked”… does not exclusively and solely refer to those who are outside the body of Christ, but it defines anyone who is guilty. Their “guilt” can be a result of not accepting the payment of Jesus Christ or it can be an expressed opinion of someone who has received salvation and yet does not believe that their sins are completely forgiven. These are the most dangerous of all people because they are those who become judgmental hypocrites. They are those who have accepted Jesus as their Lord, yet they believe that they must still work for their salvation or that they must bear some continued shame and guilt for sins committed.
When someone commits a sin or has a hidden lifestyle of sin, the natural mind wants to do two main things. First, it wants to run from God and second it wants to blame shift. This is precisely the case with Adam and Eve. Adam ate of the fruit that God instructed him not to and when confronted, he hid from God and then blamed Eve for his behavior. This is the way of the natural man, and so if Proverbs 21:10 is illustrated in this context, the understanding becomes fuller. The mind, will, and emotions of anyone who remains guilty of their sin either by lack of acceptance of their propitiation {ie Jesus} or by mindful retention of guilt will provoke the passionate cravings and imaginations of evil toward others.
There is hope, nevertheless. Hebrews 4:12 states that the Word of God is quick and powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword and that it {alone} is able to divide between soul and spirit….. Because this is true, then when one who has received their salvation engages in such evil fantasies against others the Word of God will provoke them to change their minds. This action presents itself as what is referred to in church services as “stepping on toes.” Specifically, the congregant will hear the sermon and feel offended or “called out” as it were. This “feeling” is the word of God dividing between their soul and their spirit. To some extent those who are outside the body of Christ feel this way too because the word of God has come to all men and all sin has been forgiven, and His word has been written on all hearts. This is precisely the reason that those who do not have a relationship with God rebel at His word. The feeling they receive when they hear the word of God makes them uncomfortable.
In conclusion, we can see that those who do not believe that all of their sins have been forgiven and all of their guilt wiped clean will crave and fantasize about the destruction of others so that they themselves can hide their own shortcomings.
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