Romans: Sin, Judgment, and Gospel Foundations: Prepared Hearts

The Wrath of God - 3 of 5

Transcript: AI Transcript

Professor: John Weaver

Subject: New Testament Studies

Genre: Sermon

Dictation Name:

Date: 2007-04-08

Synopsis: John Weaver continues his series on the wrath of God, focusing on Nahum 1:9 and Psalm 10 to expose the vain imaginations of the wicked. He explains that the unregenerate, in their pride, refuse to acknowledge God, imagine they will never need Him, think God does not see or forgets their sins, and believe He will not judge them. Weaver contrasts theoretical and practical atheism, emphasizes God's omniscience and certain judgment, and calls believers to submit to God's Word as the only source of truth, finding refuge in Christ.

[John Weaver] So I want you to open your Bibles today to the book of Nahum chapter 1. The book of Nahum chapter 1. And if you would please, also go ahead and turn in your Bibles to Psalm 10. Psalm 10. Because although we're going to be taking our text from Nahum chapter 1, I'm going to be explaining the text from the 10th Psalm. So, if you would hold both of those, please. And look in Nahum chapter 1, beginning with verse 7, and we'll read through verse 13.

[John Weaver] The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble, and He knoweth them that trust in Him. But with an overrunning flood, He will make an utter end of the place thereof, and darkness shall pursue His enemies. What do you imagine against the Lord? He will make an utter end Affliction shall not rise up the second time. For while they be folded together as thorns, and while they are drunken as drunkards, they shall be devoured as stubble fully dry. There is one come out of thee that imagineth evil against the Lord, a wicked counsellor. Thus saith the Lord, though they be quiet, and likewise many, yet thus shall they be cut down when he shall pass through. Though I have afflicted thee, I will afflict thee no more.

[John Weaver] For now will I break his yoke from off thee, and will burst thy bonds in sunder." Now, we've been dealing with the subject of the wrath of God for the last two weeks, and I have covered the fact that the book of Nahum deals with God's wrath and God's judgment against the Assyrian Empire, and especially Nineveh, the capital. I've shown you not only the chief verse, verse 3, the Lord is slow to anger and great in power and will not at all acquit the wicked, and how the Lord then hath his way in the world when in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet. And I told you there were two books that dealt with Nineveh in the Bible, Jonah and Nahum. And of course, the Bible says, Behold the goodness and the severity of God. So you have the goodness of God in the book of Jonah and the severity of God in the book of Nahum. Now, last week we really dealt with verse 6. who can stand before his indignation, who can abide the fierceness of his anger.

[John Weaver] His fury is poured out like fire and the rocks are thrown down by him. I pointed out the fact that there are three things that we need to understand about the judgment of God. The first one was the character of God demands it. Secondly, the power of God assures it. And thirdly, the inability of man to hinder it guarantees it.

[John Weaver] Now today, I'm going to be dealing primarily with verse 9, if you will look there, where the question is asked, what do you imagine against the Lord? I would remind you of the definition that I gave you concerning the wrath of God. I said that the wrath of God was God's holy revulsion of the entirety of his being against that which is a contradiction to himself. It is His holy revulsion against sin. So the justice of God, then, is the penal infliction upon the ungodly due to an exercise of God's wrath. So God, then, has a holy and eternal and immutable detestation of sin. Now, when you look at verse 9, and the question is asked the wicked, what do you imagine against the Lord? It is really difficult for a child of God to conceive of men imagining against the Lord. Why? Because the true child of God submits his mind, his life, and his actions to his Lord and to his Word.

[John Weaver] But you see, the unregenerate and the unconverted have swallowed the lie of Satan hook, line, and sinker. You remember how he came to Adam and Eve in the garden in Genesis chapter 3 and verse 5, and he told them that you shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. In other words, if you disobey God, you shall be your own god. You can determine for yourself right and wrong, good and evil. And hence, those who believe that lie, basically believe that they have become gods. Now, not some fallen God, but they believe that they are a God in and of themselves.

[John Weaver] I'll explain that a little more fully today. That's why in Psalm 2 and verse 1, the psalm begins with, Why do the heathen rage, listen, and the people imagine a vain thing?

[John Weaver] Now the word vanity usually means useless, worthless. So why are they thinking these useless and worthless thoughts? In Jeremiah 4 and verse 14, God asks this question, how long shall vain thoughts lodge within me? Now, the word vanity sometimes in the Bible refers to idolatries. But the word vain means useless and worthless, and that's exactly what idols are. And when men are thinking wrongly concerning God, they are thinking worthlessly and uselessly, and they are engaged in idolatry because it is self-idolatry. And God does know the thoughts. When He asked the question, How long shall vain thoughts lodge within thee? You must understand in Isaiah 66, in verse 18, God declares, I know their works and their thoughts. So since God knows their thoughts, he knows that they're vain. You've got to remember the passage in Psalm 139, which declares the omniscience of God. What did David said? David said, Thou knowest my down sitting and my up rising. Thou knowest my thought afar off. There's not a word in my tongue, but lo, Lord, Thou knowest it altogether.

[John Weaver] He said, Such knowledge is too wonderful for me. It is high. I cannot attain unto it. And certainly God is omniscient. He does know.

[John Weaver] Now look down in verse nine. What do you imagine against the Lord?

[John Weaver] Now, the word imagine is the Hebrew word Shashab, which literally means to invent, to scheme, to devise, to impute, to plan, to charge, And to imagine. So the question is literally, what are you inventing? What are you scheming? What are you devising? What are you planning? What are you vainly imagining against the Lord? So let's ask this question. What are some of the thoughts? Let me rephrase that. What are some of the vain thoughts? That the wicked foolishly imagine against the Lord. Well, a lot of those thoughts are revealed to us in Psalm 10. And I ask you to turn their whole name chapter one. And let me just very quickly tell you in advance what I'm going to show you from Psalm 10. Lord willing, I'm going to cover about five points today. First of all, I want you to note that the wicked vainly refuse to acknowledge or reckon with God. You're going to find that in verse four. Secondly, The wicked vainly imagine they will never be in a position to need God.

[John Weaver] You're going to find that in verse 6, which we'll look at just momentarily. And thirdly, the wicked vainly imagine that God does not notice their sins, or if He does, He forgets them. That's in verse 11. And fourthly, The wicked vainly imagine that even if God does see and not forget, that He will not judge them. You'll find that in verse 13, and then I'm going to conclude with some applications. So, let's look in Psalm 10 and verse 4, and let me demonstrate that the wicked vainly refuse to acknowledge or reckon with God. In verse 4, the Bible says the wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God. God is not in all of his thoughts. Now look at that. The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God and then discharge. God is not in all of his thoughts.

[John Weaver] Let me begin by giving you a quote. John Gill, the old Baptist expositor, expounds Nahum chapter 1 in verse 9, which leads us to Psalm 10. And Nahum 1 in verse 9 says, What do you imagine against the Lord? John Gill says this. He's explaining that verse. O ye Ninevites, or Assyrians, do you think you can frustrate the designs of the Lord, resist His power, and hinder Him from executing what He has threatened and has determined to do?

[John Weaver] or what mischief is it you devise against his people, which is the same as against himself? Can you believe that you shall prosper and succeed and your schemes be carried into execution when he, the all-wise and powerful being, opposes you?" So that's trying to explain the question, what do you imagine against the Lord? Evidently, the Ninevites thought that they were dealing with mere mortals. They thought they were dealing with man and not God and they did not reckon with or count on the sovereign God of heaven and earth.

[John Weaver] Now look in Psalm 10 in verse 4. The wicked through the pride of his countenance will not seek after God. God is not in all of his thoughts. Let me give you what some of the old scholars say concerning verse 4. Some read it like this. No God in all his crafty, presumptuous purposes. Others read it, all of his thoughts are, there is no God. The meaning whereof is not only that among the swarm and crowd of thoughts that fill his mind. The thought of God is seldom to be found and comes started among the rest, which is yet enough of the purpose and end.

[John Weaver] But further, that in all of his projects and plots and consultations of his heart, whereby he contrives to lay the plot, form, and draught of all of his actions, he never takes God or his will into consideration or consultation, to square and frame all accordingly, but proceeds and goes on and on and carries on as if there were no God to be consulted with. He takes not him along with him, no more than if he were no God, The thoughts of him and his will sway him not." Wow!

[John Weaver] Now, I'm going to explain all that and put that down for you, but those old scholars could really put out exactly the thought of these verses. In other words, the wicked not only tried to deny God, but they refused to reckon with Him. They think they have no dealings with Him.

[John Weaver] Now, let me explain to you that there is a difference between theoretical atheism and practical atheism. When you and I think about a theoretical atheist, you think of someone like Voltaire or some of the other noted infidels, and they deny God on the basis of their own intellect. What they say is this. There is no intellectual understanding for the existence of God, and therefore God does not exist. And what they have done, basically speaking, is they've made a god out of their own mind, but they are denying God based upon their own intellectual presuppositions. So we refer to them as theoretical atheists. But there are those who are practical atheists, and many times professing Christians, are nothing more than practical atheists. Now, the difference between a theoretical atheist and a practical atheist is very simple. Whereas a theoretical atheist will say, there is no God, based upon my understanding and based upon my intellect. The practical atheist, on the other hand, will admit that there is a God. He will confess it, yes, many times, God does indeed live and God does indeed exist.

[John Weaver] In fact, you'll find many of them in churches today, parading around and saying, He is risen, He is risen! But yet, they live their life. as if there was no God. They never pray. They never study the Scripture. They never consult Him. They totally ignore Him in all of their lives. Let me show you. Hold Psalm 10, but look in your Bibles to the book of James chapter 4.

[John Weaver] Here's a very practical illustration of a practical atheist. Look in James chapter 4. And let's begin reading there with verse 13, James 4, verse 13. Look what God says, James 4, verse 13. Go to now ye that say today or tomorrow we will go into such a city and continue there a year and buy and sell and get gain, whereas you know not what you shall what shall be on the morrow.

[John Weaver] For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. For that you ought to say, if the Lord will, we shall live and do this or that." So what are they doing? They're planning without God. They don't need God. But this is what we're going to do. We're going to go into that city and we're going to stay there for a year and we'll buy and sell and get gain. This is our plan. This is what... No, no, no. God said, you better consult with me. You better think this through. You better find out what my will is and what you ought to be saying if the Lord will. That is, if He allows it, if He permits it, with His permission, this is what we're planning on doing.

[John Weaver] So a practical atheist, then, is someone who just simply, you know, he might acknowledge there is a God, but he lives as if there is no God. You see, the practical atheist will not seek after God either, just like the theoretical atheist will not. But the practical atheist just lives his life as if there was no God, and as if God had not spoken, which according to Romans 3, verse 11, is the character of every unregenerate man.

[John Weaver] So, what do the wicked do? They live their lives according to their own will because of the pride of their heart. Look at verse 4 again in Psalm 10. The wicked Through the pride of his countenance will not seek after God. God is not in all of his thoughts. So it's the pride of heart. I don't need God. Why should I reckon with him? Why should I include him in my plans?

[John Weaver] I'll do what I want to do. A God forgotten is no God at all. This is one of the main distinctions between the godly and the ungodly in Scripture. In the Scripture, the Bible teaches, for the wicked, God is not in all of his thoughts. For the godly, we think about God. We pray. We read His Word. We seek His will. We want His blessings upon everything that we do. When you look at Proverbs 21 and verse 4, and I'll quote it for you, But there God says even the plowing of the wicked is sin. Now. Is it a sin to work? Did not God command work? Did not God say by the sweat of your brow you're going to earn your bread? Yes, God commanded work, but work is still evil and sinful for the ungodly man. Why? Because he doesn't plow in faith, he doesn't work in faith. And what does the Bible say? The Bible says. Without faith, it's impossible to please him. And the Bible says whatsoever is not of faith is sin.

[John Weaver] That's why I said even the plowing of the wicked is sin. Why does he plow? Without faith, because the pride of his heart. He doesn't think he needs God. He doesn't think he needs to consult with God. He just does it now. I want to read to you About three or four good paragraphs. That was written by Dr. Edward Payson, who died in 1827. And I want you to read, I want you to listen to his exposition of Psalm 10, 4. I want you to look at Psalm 10, 4. Let's read it again and then listen as I read what Dr. Payson wrote. Psalm 10, verse 4, the wicked through the pride of his countenance will not seek after God, God is not in all of his thoughts." Now listen, if you would. The pride of the wicked is the principal reason why they will not seek after the knowledge of God. This knowledge prevents them from seeking in various ways. In the first place, it renders God a disagreeable object of contemplation to the wicked and acknowledge of him as undesirable.

[John Weaver] Pride consists in an unduly exalted opinion of oneself. It is therefore impatient of a rival, hates a superior, and cannot endure a master. In proportion as it prevails in the heart, it makes us wish to see nothing above us, to acknowledge no law but our own wills, to follow no rule but our own inclinations. Thus it led Satan to rebel against his Creator, and our first parents to desire to be his gods. Since such were the effects of pride, it is evident that nothing can be more painful to a proud heart than the thoughts of such a being as God, who is infinitely powerful, just, and holy, who can neither be resisted, deceived, nor deluded, who disposes according to his own sovereign pleasure of all creatures and events, and who in a special manner hates pride and is determined to abase and punish it.

[John Weaver] Such a being, pride, can contemplate only with feelings of dread, aversion, and abhorrence. It must look upon him as its natural enemy, the great enemy, whom it has to fear. But the knowledge of God directly tends to bring this infinite, irresistible, irreconcilable enemy full to the view of the proud man. It teaches him that he has a superior, a master, from whose authority he cannot escape, whose power he cannot resist, and whose will he must obey or be crushed before him and be rendered miserable forever.

[John Weaver] It shows him what he hates to see, that in spite of his opposition God's counsel shall stand, that he will do all his pleasure, and that in all these things that in all things wherein men deal proudly, God is above them. These truths torture the proud, unhumbled hearts of the wicked, and hence they hate the knowledge of God, which teaches these truths, and will not seek it. On the contrary, they wish to remain ignorant of such a being, and to banish all thoughts of him from their minds.

[John Weaver] With this view they neglect pervert, or explain away those passages of Revelation which describe God's true character and endeavor to believe that He is altogether such a one as themselves. How foolish! How absurd! How ruinous! How blindly destructive of its own object does pride appear? By attempting to soar, it plunges itself in the mire, and while endeavoring to erect for itself a throne, it undermines the ground on which it stands and digs its own grave.

[John Weaver] It plunged Satan from heaven into hell, it banished our first parents from paradise, and it will, in a similar manner, ruin all who indulge in it. It keeps us in ignorance of God, shuts us out from His favor, and prevents us from resembling Him, deprives us in this world of all the honor and happiness which communion with Him would confer, and in the next, unless previously hated, repented of, and renounced, will bar forever against the door of heaven, and close upon us the gates of hell.

[John Weaver] Oh, then, my friend, beware. Above all things, beware of pride. Beware lest you indulge it imperceptibly, for it is perhaps of all sins, the most secret, the most subtle and the most insinuating. Wow. No wonder the wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God. He does not want a master. He does not want a ruler. He does not want a Creator. He does not want God. Fallen, proud, arrogant, haughty man tries to be his own God.

[John Weaver] Look, if you would please, at verse 5 of Psalm 10. Here's an interesting word. Talking about the wicked, his ways are always grievous. Thy judgments, God's judgments are far above, out of his sight. Ask for all of his enemies, Look now, he puffets at them. You say, well, what does that mean? Do you know what the Bible says about God? The Bible says God destroys his enemies with the blast of his nostrils. He blows them away. That's why the psalmist says, let your enemies be as smoke before the wind. God blows them away. And now the wicked thinks that he can do as God, he can just snort and all of his enemies will disappear. Oh, how vain, how foolish, how wicked. All the man thinks that he can dispose of his enemies as quickly and as easily as God does of his. That's pride. The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God. David said this in Psalm 119 in verse 59. David said. I follow my ways. And turn my feet into thy testimonies.

[John Weaver] The wicked through the pride of his countenance will not think on his ways. He will not think about God. He will not think about God's Word, for if he did, He would have to confess and acknowledge that God was right. And so what the wicked do is this. Now listen carefully. The wicked do theologically what a lot of people do practically. Do you realize the average person thinks that if he ignores his problems or pretends he doesn't have them, they'll just go away. Well, a lot of people try to think that if they ignore God and pretend he doesn't exist, then he'll just disappear.

[John Weaver] As Gober Plow used to say, surprise, surprise, surprise, wait till judgment day. Do you remember what the Bible says in Philippians chapter two? Every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father." Listen, men will bow and men will confess either in salvation or damnation, but every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Ignoring God will not make him go away. And so the wicked then vainly refuse to acknowledge God or reckon with Him. They think if they ignore Him sufficiently, He'll just go away. No.

[John Weaver] Look if you would in verse 6. Psalm 10 verse 6. Here's the second vain imagination. The wicked vainly imagine they will never be in a position to need God. He, that is the wicked, hath said in his heart, I shall not be moved, for I shall never be in adversity." Hmm. Let me ask you a question. Shouldn't a God be able to work out his own problems? Well, that's what the wicked say. I'm never going to be in adversity. I'm not going to be moved. Why should I need God? You see, Really and truly wicked, wicked, vain, fallen man.

[John Weaver] Not only thinks he's immutable, he thinks he's omnipotent. He thinks he's going to be able to control every situation and work out every detail. Let me show you. You're close by. Look in Psalm 12. Look in Psalm 12. In fact, let's begin reading with verse one. David cries, help Lord, for the godly man seeth, for the faithful fail from among the children of men. And there's a good reason that David cried for help. Look at it.

[John Weaver] They speak vanity, everyone with his neighbor. He's talking about the wicked now. With flattering lips and with a double heart do they speak. The Lord shall cut off all flattering lips and the tongue that speaketh proud things. Now look what the wicked say. Who have said, with our tongue we will prevail. Our lips are our own. Who is Lord over us? We don't need God. We can talk our way out of any problem.

[John Weaver] Does it work like that? You'll find that your lips will not prevail, especially when it comes to God. I get tickled. I think of my oldest granddaughter. She's 18, will be 19 this year. And most of you know Renee, she's a tiny little thing and cute as a button. Of course, I'm prejudiced. But I was riding with her over in Albany. They own some land not far from their house and she was driving a golf cart. And you know, those golf carts are not supposed to be on the highway. Well, most of the time she was on private land. But there was just a little spot right there where she had to come up on the edge of the road to turn to go home. And just as we got on that little edge of the road, state troopers drove by. And I looked at Renee. I said, Renee, I said, you know, this thing's not supposed to be on the highway.

[John Weaver] She said, oh, Pop, don't worry about it. They're not going to stop me. Well, I said, well, why not? She said, I'm too cute. I said, well, sweetheart, you just go on believing that. I said, one day you're going to find out a little differently. I said, he was just in a hurry, or he probably would have turned around and said, don't put that thing on the highway, you know. But, you know, wicked have faults that, you know, they're never, ever going to be moved. They're never, ever going to be in adversity.

[John Weaver] With our tongue, we will prevail. You look at the attitude of the wicked, and the attitude of the wicked is directly opposite than the attitude of the godly. The godly will say, look how the Lord has blessed me. And the ungodly say, look what I did, and look how much I made. In other words, God is not in all their thoughts. The godly think, look at how much we owe the Lord. Look at the help and the blessings that He's given us. And the wicked say, I don't know Him anything. I made it all myself. I did it all by myself.

[John Weaver] They refuse to even acknowledge Him. Their attitude is like the attitude of Pharaoh in Exodus 5 and verse 2. When Moses said, Thus saith the Lord, let my people go. And Pharaoh responded, I know not the Lord. Neither will I let Israel go. What does Pharaoh say? I don't recognize Him. He has no authority over me. Why should I obey his commands? I don't acknowledge him at all.

[John Weaver] Some of you have heard of William Ernest Henley. Henley wrote a very atheistical poem. Called the Invictus. I want to read it to you. You know my blasphemous, but here it is. Out of the night that covers me black is the pit from pole to pole. I thank whatever gods may be for my unconquerable soul. In the fell clutch of circumstance I have not winced nor cried aloud.

[John Weaver] Under the bludgeoning of chance my head is bloody but unbowed. Beyond the place of wrath and tears looms but the horror of the shade, and yet the menace of the years finds and shall find me unafraid. It matters not how straight the gate, how charged with punishment the stroll. I am a master of my fate. I am the captain of my soul. We could vainly imagine that they are the masters of their fate and they are the captains of their soul.

[John Weaver] Consequently, they think I shall never be in adversity. I shall never be moved. With my lips I will prevail. Such attitudes are blatant, belligerent, bold-faced blasphemy. There is only one God, one Sovereign, and that is not wicked man. It is the Lord Jesus Christ. How vain it is for man to imagine that He is in control. I shall not be moved. I will never be in adversity. That's the idea of the wicked thirdly, if you look in verse 11. The wicked vainly imagine that God does not take notice of their sins, and if he does.

[John Weaver] But he will forget them. Psalm 10 verse 11. He that is the wicked has said in his heart, God had forgotten. He hided this face. He will never see it. Most of you will understand what this means, but in vain do the wicked smoke behind the barn. When you were raised in the country, if you ever wanted to do anything, your parents, you didn't want your parents to find out, you went behind the barn, lit those cigarettes or looked at those magazines or whatever.

[John Weaver] Well, I got news for you folks. There is no barn to hide behind when he comes to God. Because he's omniscient. And here their attitude is, God has forgotten it. He hided his face. He will never, ever see it. I want you to look in your Bibles. Isaiah 29 and verse 15. I could quote it, but I want you to see it. Just to show you there is no barn to hide behind. Isaiah 29. And verse 15. Isaiah 29 verse 15. Look what God says. One of them that seek deep to hide their counsel from the Lord and their works are in the dark and they say who see of us and who knoweth us. God says woe to them. They're trying to hide from me. They think that I don't see them. They think that I don't know what they're doing.

[John Weaver] It is true that some men, and women are included in that, have only a peace of mind that comes from their own forgetfulness. We forget what we did. You know, David said in his prayer, Remember not the sins of my youth. Some of us old enough to have forgotten a lot of our sins and forgotten them all, but we've forgotten a lot of them. But God does not forget. Look in your Bibles to Psalm 50 and verse 21, and I want you to see the charge that God levels against the wicked. Look in Psalm 50 and verse 21. Psalm 50 is a wonderful psalm, but he says this, These things hast thou done, and I kept silent. Thou thoughtest that I was altogether such as one as thyself, but I will approve thee and set them, that is your sins, in order before thine eyes. God said, here's where you messed up.

[John Weaver] You thought I was just like you. You thought because you forgot that I forgot. Oh no, said God, I didn't forget. I will set your sins in order before your eyes." Look in your Bibles to Psalm 94. Psalm 94. Turn right over. Psalm 94. Begin there with verse 4. Psalm 94, verse 4. Look. How long shall they utter and speak hard things? And all the workers of iniquity boast themselves.

[John Weaver] They break in pieces thy people, O Lord, and afflict thine heritage. They slay the wit and the stranger, and murder the fatherless. Yet they say, the Lord shall not see, neither shall the God of Jacob regard it. Understand, you brutish among the people, and you fools, when will you be wise? He that planted the ears shall not hear. He that formed the eye shall he not see."

[John Weaver] He says, how foolish can you be? God that made your eyes that gave you sight, do you think He's blind? God that made your ears and gave you hearing, do you think He can't hear? Skip down to verse 11. The Lord knoweth the thoughts of man that they are vanity. How wicked. Verse 13. That thou mayest give him rest from the days of adversity until the pit be digged for the wicked.

[John Weaver] I'm going to preach on that in about two weeks. Where God digs your grave. For the wicked. If you'll look in the book of Amos chapter 8. Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos. Look at Amos chapter 8. Beginning there with verse 4. Just showing you that God doesn't forget. Amos 8 verse 4. Amos 8 verse 4, look what God says,"'Hear this, O ye that swallow up the needy, even to make the poor of the land to fail, saying, When will the new moon be gone, that we may sell corn, and the sabbath, that we may set forth wheat, making the ephah small, and the shekel great, and falsifying the balances of deceit, that we may buy the poor for silver, and the needy for a pair of shoes, yea, and sell the refuse of the wheat.

[John Weaver] The Lord hath sworn by the excellency of Jacob, Surely I will never forget any of their works.'" Wow. When God does not judge sinners instantly and immediately, when God does not slap them down right away for their sins, they either think, number one, that God has not seen them or noticed them, or number two, that God has forgotten their sins, or number three, that He will never judge them for their sins. The problem is. Men do not understand the graciousness or the long suffering of God. God is kind of like a bee in one sense of the word.

[John Weaver] You know how bees give honey naturally. And they only sting. When they're angered and upset. God is naturally gracious. But there is a long suffering of God that will expire when the wrath of the cup is to the brim. Let me just show you this. Look in your Bibles to Genesis chapter 15. Genesis 15. You remember the children of Israel went into Egypt for 400 years. And I don't know if you've ever wondered why they had to be there for 400 years. But here's the answer. God is entering into a covenant with Abraham. And he says in verse 13 of Genesis 15, and he said to Abram, no, but surely that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs and shall serve them and they shall afflict them 400 years. Now look.

[John Weaver] And also that nation whom they shall serve will I judge and afterwards they shall come out with great substance. And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace, and thou shalt be buried in a good old age. But to the fourth generation, they shall come hither again. Why? For the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full." After 400 years, when God brought the children of Israel out of Egypt, you know what He did?

[John Weaver] He put a sword in their hand and said, kill every one of them. The amazing thing is, God in His graciousness waited an additional 400 years before He smoked the Amorites. But when He smoked them, it was to be a full and final smiting. God said, kill every one of them. The wicked vainly imagined That God does not notice their sins. That if he does notice that he'll forget about them. But that's not all.

[John Weaver] Look back at Psalm 10 and verse 13. Here's the final straw. Psalm 10 verse 13. The wicked vainly imagine that God will never judge them for their sins. Verse 13, Wherefore doth a wicked condemn God? He, the wicked, hath said in his heart, Thou wilt not require it. Thou wilt not require it. Wherefore doth a wicked condemn or condemn God?

[John Weaver] Now here are three stupendous facts. First, an astounding fact. the wicked condemn God.

[John Weaver] Second, an amazing reason for their condemnation. God will not require, that is, God will not judge them. And thirdly, an apparent purpose for their vain imagination to quieten their own conscience. They said in their heart, that is, they were giving themselves some assurance. They quieten their conscience for their sins by saying, oh, look, if God sees it, He'll forget it. If He doesn't forget it, He will never judge us. All the self-assurance in the world that the wicked have does not change the reality of God's judgment. Look in verse 14. Thou hast seen it.

[John Weaver] For thou beholdest mischief and spite, to requite it with thy hand, the poor committed himself unto thee, thou art the helper of the fatherless." God does see it, and God will indeed requite it.

[John Weaver] Now, the Bible talks about the hope of the hypocrite, but here is the hope of the wicked. You see, the hope of the hypocrite and the hope of the wicked is basically twofold. The first part is they hope that God will not judge them at all. That somehow, they will escape the judgment of God. In the book of Job, chapter 8 and verse 13, God says this, Soar the paths of all that forget God, and the hypocrite's hope shall perish. Soar the paths of all them that forget God, What's going to happen? Their hope, as well as the hypocrite's hope, shall perish. In other words, their hope of escaping the judgment of God is a false hope. It will vanish away. It is a hope that will destroy the sinner. Again, God asks in Job 27 in verse 8, For what is the hope of the hypocrite, though it gain, when God taketh away his soul?

[John Weaver] What good does it do you for all the people in the world to praise you? If when you die, God condemns you. The second part of this hope is that somehow. If God does judge them. That God will be more lenient with them in the day of judgment. Then the law demands. Well, he may judge me, but. It won't be that bad. Oh. Let me remind you of something, and I'm sure you probably already thought of this verse. In Romans 8 in verse 32. The Bible says. For God spared not his own son.

[John Weaver] But it lived him up for us all. If God did not spare His only begotten Son who was sinless, if God did not spare His own Son when our sin was imputed to Him, if God smote Him and God judged Him and executed His wrath upon Him, what makes you think that He will spare a wicked, vile, rebellious sinner who hated Him all of His life? I don't see the reasoning. But yet, Senator, somehow I hope that if God judges them, oh, they're going to be the exception. Either they won't get judged. Or God's going to be far more lenient than his word. Demands.

[John Weaver] Go back to Nahum chapter one, let me show you something. As you turn back in your Bibles to Nahum chapter 1, let's look at verse 9 again. Watch this carefully. Nahum 1 verse 9. What do you imagine against the Lord? And I just showed you what the wicked imagine, what they think, what they plan, what they scheme, what they devise. But look at this question. What do you imagine against the Lord? Now look at the rest of it.

[John Weaver] He will make an utter end. Affliction shall not rise up a second time. Let me put this in good South Georgia language where you can understand it. God doesn't need a second blow. It's first was going to be quite sufficient. When he slaps you down, he won't have to slap you down twice. He will make an utter in affliction shall not rise up the second time. Listen, God doesn't need a second touch. You think. You're going to imagine something against the Lord and escape. Oh no. His first blow will be quite sufficient. Look at it how God explains it in verse 10.

[John Weaver] He says for while they be folded together as thorns. And while they are drunken as drunkards, they shall be devoured as stubble fully dry." Have you ever seen stubble fully dry burn? Believe me, I have. My father and I were burning off a field, this old sage grass. And I went down to the far end of the field to back burn against the wind. And after it backburned 50 yards, I threw my hand up for Dad to set the fire with the wind. It took all I could do running as quickly as I could to escape the flames, because when the wind caught that sage grass fully dry, it blew mightily. God says that's the way the wicked are going to be before Him.

[John Weaver] And when this, verse 11, when Sennacherib, the leader, comes out as a wicked counselor against the Lord? God said, I'll destroy them. And then verse 12, God says this, look at it. Thus saith the Lord, though they be quiet and likewise many, yet they shall be cut down. When he shall pass through, though I have afflicted thee, I will afflict thee no more. In other words, once God passes through on judgment, That's it. All the false hopes, all the false and vain and wicked imaginations are gone. God does not need to smite twice.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to turn in your Bibles to Acts 17. The book of Acts. Chapter 17. And I'm not going to be preaching on this subject anytime soon, but I want you to see this. I want to show you the absolute. Certainty of judgment. You know, sometimes we sit back and we think, look at the wicked, look, they're getting away. No, they're not getting away. God is not only going to judge them in this life in some degree, but He's certainly going to get them in the Day of Judgment fully, totally, completely. But let me show you how absolutely certain their judgment is. Now look at Acts 17. Paul has been preaching on Mars Hill. He's bringing his sermon to a close and he says this, Acts 17 verse 30, And the times of this ignorance God winked at, but now commandeth all men everywhere to repent. Now, God commands all men everywhere to repent. Why? Here's why, look carefully, verse 31, because he God, God the Father, hath appointed a day in which he God will judge the world in righteousness by that man, Jesus Christ, whom he hath ordained.

[John Weaver] Now look, whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, and that he hath raised him from the dead. Now let me explain that. The Bible says that God is going to judge the world in righteousness by Jesus Christ. Now listen, and He has given assurance unto all men in that He hath raised Him from the dead. So just as surely as God raised Jesus Christ from the dead, just that surely God's going to judge His enemies. If you can overthrow the resurrection of Jesus Christ, you can stop the Day of Judgment. But if you could not have stopped Jesus Christ from raising from the dead and you could not. And you can't stop the day of judgment.

[John Weaver] It is sure it is absolute. Certain. Because God did indeed raise his son from the dead. And God says, therefore, I've given assurance in all men in that I will judge the world.

[John Weaver] Now let me make some applications. The first one is this, and it should be obvious. It is useless to imagine vainly against the Lord and His Word. It is useless to listen to the fables of men and the wishful thinking of those who are deluded and deceived. Do you think for one minute that I would waste my time watching the Gospel of Judas on TV. Why would I sit and watch the History Channel, Jesus Christ, fact, fiction, or myth?

[John Weaver] I know what they're going to say. They want it to be myth. They want it to be fiction. Why? That way, they will not have to face the judgment of God. I'm not going to waste my time Let me tell you something. God is truth. His word is truth. And if you think I'm going to listen to the deluded. Deceived. Vain imaginations of fallen man who try to hope that somehow. This whole thing is not true so that they can escape judgment. You're mistaken. I'm not going to listen to them. I'm not going to believe them. God is the creator, the Savior, the sustainer and the judge.

[John Weaver] Therefore, he will call all into an account. The second application is this. Listen carefully. We must endeavor to bring men Here's a big, long word, I'm going to break it down into an epistemological self-consciousness. What in the world do you mean by that? Epistemology refers to your source of knowledge or your source of truth. When I talk about being epistemologically self-conscious, I'm talking about the fact I recognize my source of truth. What is my source of truth? It's the Word of God. It's not my own mind.

[John Weaver] The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. Who can know it? What we need to point men to is this, that reality is determined by God and not by man's wishful thinking and vain desires. Reality is truth and it's God's truth. I've told you this before, but it came to my mind and I'm going to tell you again. I love the word utopia. I love it. You hear about the socialistic utopia, all these utopias. Remember I told you what the word utopia means. It comes from two Greek words, u, which is a negative, which means no, and topos, which means place. The word utopia means no place. It doesn't exist. It's not real. The only place it does exist is in someone's deceived brain. It is not reality. God Gives us reality, not man. And as long as men are not epistemologically self-conscious, that is, if they really do not know their source of knowledge. They're going to always vainly imagine wicked things against God.

[John Weaver] And of course, the answer to all of our problems, if you look back to Nahum 1 in verse 7, I pointed this out last week. I'll point it out again. Nahum 1, verse 7. The Bible says, The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble, and He knoweth them that trust in Him. I'll tell you what, folks. When I die, and when I stand before the Lord, I want him to know that I trusted in him through Jesus Christ.

[John Weaver] And that I've lived my life by his grace and obedience to his word. And I have no righteousness of my own. His is the righteousness that I cling to. He's my strong tower. And my place of defense in judgment in this life And in the next. Because in Christ. We've already been judged. And we may stand before him. In the righteousness of Christ. Do not entertain wicked, vain, thoughts and imaginations. No, it's useless. It's worthless. We have the truth.

[John Weaver] And we need to think righteously and truthfully about God, about our lives, about the world now and the world to come. We need to know that our source of knowledge is God and His Word. Let's pray. In the name of Jesus Christ, we ask that you would speak to us and help us. Help us, Lord, not to vainly and foolishly and wickedly imagine anything against thee. But may we submit to your word.

[John Weaver] And bow to your Lordship in your sovereignty. Give us grace, Lord, that we may indeed serve thee effectually with reverence and godly fear. Make us holy and godly. In the name of Jesus Christ we ask and pray, Amen.

The Wrath of God - 3 of 5

John Weaver | SermonAudio

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	SermonAudio
Media ID	817071818450
Subject	New Testament Studies
Course	Romans: Sin, Judgment, and Gospel Foundations: Prepared Hearts
Genre	Sermon
Date	2007-04-08
Dictation Name
Book	Book 160: The Wrath of God — Chapter 3
Source Timed Segments	77

Formatted Transcript

Introduction and Scripture Reading

Weaver introduces the text from Nahum 1:7-13 and Psalm 10, setting the stage for examining the vain imaginations of the wicked against God.

So I want you to open your Bibles today to the book of Nahum chapter 1. The book of Nahum chapter 1. And if you would please, also go ahead and turn in your Bibles to Psalm 10. Psalm 10. Because although we're going to be taking our text from Nahum chapter 1, I'm going to be explaining the text from the 10th Psalm. So, if you would hold both of those, please. And look in Nahum chapter 1, beginning with verse 7, and we'll read through verse 13.

"The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble, and He knoweth them that trust in Him. But with an overrunning flood, He will make an utter end of the place thereof, and darkness shall pursue His enemies. What do you imagine against the Lord? He will make an utter end; affliction shall not rise up the second time. For while they be folded together as thorns, and while they are drunken as drunkards, they shall be devoured as stubble fully dry. There is one come out of thee that imagineth evil against the Lord, a wicked counsellor. Thus saith the Lord, though they be quiet, and likewise many, yet thus shall they be cut down when he shall pass through. Though I have afflicted thee, I will afflict thee no more."

Review of Previous Sermons on God's Wrath

Weaver reviews the series on God's wrath, highlighting Nahum's judgment on Nineveh, the character of God demanding judgment, and the inability of man to hinder it.

Scripture Reading — Nahum 1:7-13

"For now will I break his yoke from off thee, and will burst thy bonds in sunder."

Now, we've been dealing with the subject of the wrath of God for the last two weeks, and I have covered the fact that the book of Nahum deals with God's wrath and God's judgment against the Assyrian Empire, and especially Nineveh, the capital. I've shown you not only the chief verse, verse 3, "The Lord is slow to anger and great in power and will not at all acquit the wicked," and how the Lord then hath his way in the world when in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet. And I told you there were two books that dealt with Nineveh in the Bible, Jonah and Nahum. And of course, the Bible says, "Behold the goodness and the severity of God." So you have the goodness of God in the book of Jonah and the severity of God in the book of Nahum. Now, last week we really dealt with verse 6: "Who can stand before his indignation? Who can abide the fierceness of his anger?"

"His fury is poured out like fire and the rocks are thrown down by him." I pointed out the fact that there are three things that we need to understand about the judgment of God. The first one was the character of God demands it. Secondly, the power of God assures it. And thirdly, the inability of man to hinder it guarantees it.

Now today, I'm going to be dealing primarily with verse 9, if you will look there, where the question is asked, "What do you imagine against the Lord?" I would remind you of the definition that I gave you concerning the wrath of God. I said that the wrath of God was God's holy revulsion of the entirety of his being against that which is a contradiction to himself. It is His holy revulsion against sin. So the justice of God, then, is the penal infliction upon the ungodly due to an exercise of God's wrath. So God, then, has a holy and eternal and immutable detestation of sin. Now, when you look at verse 9, and the question is asked the wicked, "What do you imagine against the Lord?" it is really difficult for a child of God to conceive of men imagining against the Lord. Why? Because the true child of God submits his mind, his life, and his actions to his Lord and to his Word.

The Question: 'What Do You Imagine Against the Lord?'

Weaver explains the Hebrew word 'chashab' (imagine) and introduces the five vain thoughts of the wicked from Psalm 10.

But you see, the unregenerate and the unconverted have swallowed the lie of Satan hook, line, and sinker. You remember how he came to Adam and Eve in the garden in Genesis chapter 3 and verse 5, and he told them that "you shall be as gods, knowing good and evil." In other words, if you disobey God, you shall be your own god. You can determine for yourself right and wrong, good and evil. And hence, those who believe that lie, basically believe that they have become gods. Now, not some fallen God, but they believe that they are a God in and of themselves. I'll explain that a little more fully today. That's why in Psalm 2 and verse 1, the psalm begins with, "Why do the heathen rage," listen, "and the people imagine a vain thing?"

Scripture Reading — Psalm 2:1

Now the word "vanity" usually means useless, worthless. So why are they thinking these useless and worthless thoughts? In Jeremiah 4 and verse 14, God asks this question, "How long shall vain thoughts lodge within me?" Now, the word "vanity" sometimes in the Bible refers to idolatries. But the word "vain" means useless and worthless, and that's exactly what idols are. And when men are thinking wrongly concerning God, they are thinking worthlessly and uselessly, and they are engaged in idolatry because it is self-idolatry. And God does know the thoughts. When He asked the question, "How long shall vain thoughts lodge within thee?" you must understand in Isaiah 66, in verse 18, God declares, "I know their works and their thoughts." So since God knows their thoughts, he knows that they're vain. You've got to remember the passage in Psalm 139, which declares the omniscience of God. What did David say? David said, "Thou knowest my downsitting and my uprising. Thou knowest my thought afar off. There's not a word in my tongue, but lo, Lord, Thou knowest it altogether."

He said, "Such knowledge is too wonderful for me. It is high. I cannot attain unto it." And certainly God is omniscient. He does know.

Now look down in verse nine. "What do you imagine against the Lord?" Now, the word "imagine" is the Hebrew word "chashab," which literally means to invent, to scheme, to devise, to impute, to plan, to charge, and to imagine. So the question is literally, what are you inventing? What are you scheming? What are you devising? What are you planning? What are you vainly imagining against the Lord? So let's ask this question. What are some of the thoughts? Let me rephrase that. What are some of the vain thoughts that the wicked foolishly imagine against the Lord? Well, a lot of those thoughts are revealed to us in Psalm 10. And I ask you to turn there, hold Nahum chapter one. And let me just very quickly tell you in advance what I'm going to show you from Psalm 10. Lord willing, I'm going to cover about five points today. First of all, I want you to note that the wicked vainly refuse to acknowledge or reckon with God. You're going to find that in verse four. Secondly, the wicked vainly imagine they will never be in a position to need God.

You're going to find that in verse 6, which we'll look at just momentarily. And thirdly, the wicked vainly imagine that God does not notice their sins, or if He does, He forgets them. That's in verse 11. And fourthly, the wicked vainly imagine that even if God does see and not forget, that He will not judge them. You'll find that in verse 13, and then I'm going to conclude with some applications. So, let's look in Psalm 10 and verse 4, and let me demonstrate that the wicked vainly refuse to acknowledge or reckon with God. In verse 4, the Bible says, "The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God. God is not in all of his thoughts." Now look at that. "The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God" and then discharge. "God is not in all of his thoughts."

First Vain Imagination: Refusing to Acknowledge God

The wicked, through pride, do not seek God or include Him in their thoughts, living as practical atheists even if they theoretically acknowledge His existence.

Scripture Reading — Psalm 10:4

Let me begin by giving you a quote. John Gill, the old Baptist expositor, expounds Nahum chapter 1 in verse 9, which leads us to Psalm 10. And Nahum 1 in verse 9 says, "What do you imagine against the Lord?" John Gill says this. He's explaining that verse. "O ye Ninevites, or Assyrians, do you think you can frustrate the designs of the Lord, resist His power, and hinder Him from executing what He has threatened and has determined to do?" "Or what mischief is it you devise against his people, which is the same as against himself? Can you believe that you shall prosper and succeed and your schemes be carried into execution when he, the all-wise and powerful being, opposes you?" So that's trying to explain the question, "What do you imagine against the Lord?" Evidently, the Ninevites thought that they were dealing with mere mortals. They thought they were dealing with man and not God and they did not reckon with or count on the sovereign God of heaven and earth.

Now look in Psalm 10 in verse 4. "The wicked through the pride of his countenance will not seek after God. God is not in all of his thoughts." Let me give you what some of the old scholars say concerning verse 4. Some read it like this: "No God in all his crafty, presumptuous purposes." Others read it, "All of his thoughts are, there is no God." The meaning whereof is not only that among the swarm and crowd of thoughts that fill his mind, the thought of God is seldom to be found and comes started among the rest, which is yet enough of the purpose and end.

But further, that in all of his projects and plots and consultations of his heart, whereby he contrives to lay the plot, form, and draught of all of his actions, he never takes God or his will into consideration or consultation, to square and frame all accordingly, but proceeds and goes on and on and carries on as if there were no God to be consulted with. He takes not him along with him, no more than if he were no God. The thoughts of him and his will sway him not." Wow! Now, I'm going to explain all that and put that down for you, but those old scholars could really put out exactly the thought of these verses. In other words, the wicked not only tried to deny God, but they refused to reckon with Him. They think they have no dealings with Him.

Now, let me explain to you that there is a difference between theoretical atheism and practical atheism. When you and I think about a theoretical atheist, you think of someone like Voltaire or some of the other noted infidels, and they deny God on the basis of their own intellect. What they say is this: "There is no intellectual understanding for the existence of God, and therefore God does not exist." And what they have done, basically speaking, is they've made a god out of their own mind, but they are denying God based upon their own intellectual presuppositions. So we refer to them as theoretical atheists. But there are those who are practical atheists, and many times professing Christians are nothing more than practical atheists. Now, the difference between a theoretical atheist and a practical atheist is very simple. Whereas a theoretical atheist will say, "There is no God," based upon my understanding and based upon my intellect. The practical atheist, on the other hand, will admit that there is a God. He will confess it, yes, many times, God does indeed live and God does indeed exist.

In fact, you'll find many of them in churches today, parading around and saying, "He is risen, He is risen!" But yet, they live their life as if there was no God. They never pray. They never study the Scripture. They never consult Him. They totally ignore Him in all of their lives. Let me show you. Hold Psalm 10, but look in your Bibles to the book of James chapter 4.

Here's a very practical illustration of a practical atheist. Look in James chapter 4. And let's begin reading there with verse 13, James 4, verse 13. Look what God says, James 4, verse 13.

Scripture Reading — James 4:13-15

"Go to now, ye that say, Today or tomorrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow." "For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live and do this or that."

So what are they doing? They're planning without God. They don't need God. But this is what we're going to do. We're going to go into that city and we're going to stay there for a year and we'll buy and sell and get gain. This is our plan. This is what... No, no, no. God said, you better consult with me. You better think this through. You better find out what my will is and what you ought to be saying, "If the Lord will." That is, if He allows it, if He permits it, with His permission, this is what we're planning on doing.

Scripture Reading — Romans 3:11

So a practical atheist, then, is someone who just simply, you know, he might acknowledge there is a God, but he lives as if there is no God. You see, the practical atheist will not seek after God either, just like the theoretical atheist will not. But the practical atheist just lives his life as if there was no God, and as if God had not spoken, which according to Romans 3, verse 11, is the character of every unregenerate man. So, what do the wicked do? They live their lives according to their own will because of the pride of their heart. Look at verse 4 again in Psalm 10. "The wicked through the pride of his countenance will not seek after God. God is not in all of his thoughts." So it's the pride of heart. I don't need God. Why should I reckon with him? Why should I include him in my plans?

I'll do what I want to do. A God forgotten is no God at all. This is one of the main distinctions between the godly and the ungodly in Scripture. In the Scripture, the Bible teaches, for the wicked, God is not in all of his thoughts. For the godly, we think about God. We pray. We read His Word. We seek His will. We want His blessings upon everything that we do. When you look at Proverbs 21 and verse 4, and I'll quote it for you, but there God says even the plowing of the wicked is sin. Now, is it a sin to work? Did not God command work? Did not God say by the sweat of your brow you're going to earn your bread? Yes, God commanded work, but work is still evil and sinful for the ungodly man. Why? Because he doesn't plow in faith, he doesn't work in faith. And what does the Bible say? The Bible says, "Without faith, it's impossible to please him." And the Bible says, "Whatsoever is not of faith is sin."

That's why I said even the plowing of the wicked is sin. Why does he plow? Without faith, because the pride of his heart. He doesn't think he needs God. He doesn't think he needs to consult with God. He just does it. Now, I want to read to you about three or four good paragraphs that was written by Dr. Edward Payson, who died in 1827. And I want you to listen to his exposition of Psalm 10:4. I want you to look at Psalm 10:4. Let's read it again and then listen as I read what Dr. Payson wrote. Psalm 10, verse 4, "The wicked through the pride of his countenance will not seek after God, God is not in all of his thoughts." Now listen, if you would. "The pride of the wicked is the principal reason why they will not seek after the knowledge of God. This knowledge prevents them from seeking in various ways. In the first place, it renders God a disagreeable object of contemplation to the wicked and acknowledge of him as undesirable."

"Pride consists in an unduly exalted opinion of oneself. It is therefore impatient of a rival, hates a superior, and cannot endure a master. In proportion as it prevails in the heart, it makes us wish to see nothing above us, to acknowledge no law but our own wills, to follow no rule but our own inclinations. Thus it led Satan to rebel against his Creator, and our first parents to desire to be as gods. Since such were the effects of pride, it is evident that nothing can be more painful to a proud heart than the thoughts of such a being as God, who is infinitely powerful, just, and holy, who can neither be resisted, deceived, nor deluded, who disposes according to his own sovereign pleasure of all creatures and events, and who in a special manner hates pride and is determined to abase and punish it."

"Such a being, pride, can contemplate only with feelings of dread, aversion, and abhorrence. It must look upon him as its natural enemy, the great enemy, whom it has to fear. But the knowledge of God directly tends to bring this infinite, irresistible, irreconcilable enemy full to the view of the proud man. It teaches him that he has a superior, a master, from whose authority he cannot escape, whose power he cannot resist, and whose will he must obey or be crushed before him and be rendered miserable forever." "It shows him what he hates to see, that in spite of his opposition God's counsel shall stand, that he will do all his pleasure, and that in all things wherein men deal proudly, God is above them. These truths torture the proud, unhumbled hearts of the wicked, and hence they hate the knowledge of God, which teaches these truths, and will not seek it. On the contrary, they wish to remain ignorant of such a being, and to banish all thoughts of him from their minds."

"With this view they neglect, pervert, or explain away those passages of Revelation which describe God's true character and endeavor to believe that He is altogether such a one as themselves. How foolish! How absurd! How ruinous! How blindly destructive of its own object does pride appear? By attempting to soar, it plunges itself in the mire, and while endeavoring to erect for itself a throne, it undermines the ground on which it stands and digs its own grave." "It plunged Satan from heaven into hell, it banished our first parents from paradise, and it will, in a similar manner, ruin all who indulge in it. It keeps us in ignorance of God, shuts us out from His favor, and prevents us from resembling Him, deprives us in this world of all the honor and happiness which communion with Him would confer, and in the next, unless previously hated, repented of, and renounced, will bar forever against the door of heaven, and close upon us the gates of hell."

"Oh, then, my friend, beware. Above all things, beware of pride. Beware lest you indulge it imperceptibly, for it is perhaps of all sins, the most secret, the most subtle and the most insinuating." Wow. No wonder the wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God. He does not want a master. He does not want a ruler. He does not want a Creator. He does not want God. Fallen, proud, arrogant, haughty man tries to be his own God.

Look, if you would please, at verse 5 of Psalm 10. Here's an interesting word. Talking about the wicked,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 10:5

"His ways are always grievous. Thy judgments are far above, out of his sight. As for all of his enemies, look now, he puffeth at them."

You say, well, what does that mean? Do you know what the Bible says about God? The Bible says God destroys his enemies with the blast of his nostrils. He blows them away. That's why the psalmist says, "Let your enemies be as smoke before the wind." God blows them away. And now the wicked thinks that he can do as God, he can just snort and all of his enemies will disappear. Oh, how vain, how foolish, how wicked. All the man thinks that he can dispose of his enemies as quickly and as easily as God does of his. That's pride. The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God. David said this in Psalm 119 in verse 59. David said, "I thought on my ways, and turned my feet into thy testimonies."

The wicked through the pride of his countenance will not think on his ways. He will not think about God. He will not think about God's Word, for if he did, he would have to confess and acknowledge that God was right. And so what the wicked do is this. Now listen carefully. The wicked do theologically what a lot of people do practically. Do you realize the average person thinks that if he ignores his problems or pretends he doesn't have them, they'll just go away. Well, a lot of people try to think that if they ignore God and pretend he doesn't exist, then he'll just disappear.

As Gomer Pyle used to say, "Surprise, surprise, surprise!" Wait till judgment day. Do you remember what the Bible says in Philippians chapter two?

Scripture Reading — Philippians 2:10-11

"Every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father."

Listen, men will bow and men will confess either in salvation or damnation, but every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Ignoring God will not make him go away. And so the wicked then vainly refuse to acknowledge God or reckon with Him. They think if they ignore Him sufficiently, He'll just go away. No.

Second Vain Imagination: Never Needing God

The wicked believe they will never be moved or face adversity, boasting in their own self-sufficiency and rejecting God's authority.

Look if you would in verse 6. Psalm 10 verse 6. Here's the second vain imagination. The wicked vainly imagine they will never be in a position to need God. "He," that is the wicked,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 10:6

"hath said in his heart, I shall not be moved, for I shall never be in adversity."

Hmm. Let me ask you a question. Shouldn't a God be able to work out his own problems? Well, that's what the wicked say. I'm never going to be in adversity. I'm not going to be moved. Why should I need God? You see, really and truly wicked, vain, fallen man.

Not only thinks he's immutable, he thinks he's omnipotent. He thinks he's going to be able to control every situation and work out every detail. Let me show you. You're close by. Look in Psalm 12. Look in Psalm 12. In fact, let's begin reading with verse one. David cries, "Help, Lord, for the godly man ceaseth, for the faithful fail from among the children of men." And there's a good reason that David cried for help. Look at it.

"They speak vanity, everyone with his neighbor." He's talking about the wicked now. "With flattering lips and with a double heart do they speak. The Lord shall cut off all flattering lips and the tongue that speaketh proud things." Now look what the wicked say. "Who have said, With our tongue we will prevail. Our lips are our own. Who is Lord over us?" We don't need God. We can talk our way out of any problem.

Does it work like that? You'll find that your lips will not prevail, especially when it comes to God. I get tickled. I think of my oldest granddaughter. She's 18, will be 19 this year. And most of you know Renee, she's a tiny little thing and cute as a button. Of course, I'm prejudiced. But I was riding with her over in Albany. They own some land not far from their house and she was driving a golf cart. And you know, those golf carts are not supposed to be on the highway. Well, most of the time she was on private land. But there was just a little spot right there where she had to come up on the edge of the road to turn to go home. And just as we got on that little edge of the road, state troopers drove by. And I looked at Renee. I said, "Renee, I said, you know, this thing's not supposed to be on the highway."

She said, "Oh, Pop, don't worry about it. They're not going to stop me." Well, I said, "Well, why not?" She said, "I'm too cute." I said, "Well, sweetheart, you just go on believing that." I said, "One day you're going to find out a little differently." I said, "He was just in a hurry, or he probably would have turned around and said, 'Don't put that thing on the highway,' you know." But, you know, wicked have faults that, you know, they're never, ever going to be moved. They're never, ever going to be in adversity. "With our tongue, we will prevail." You look at the attitude of the wicked, and the attitude of the wicked is directly opposite than the attitude of the godly. The godly will say, "Look how the Lord has blessed me." And the ungodly say, "Look what I did, and look how much I made." In other words, God is not in all their thoughts. The godly think, "Look at how much we owe the Lord. Look at the help and the blessings that He's given us." And the wicked say, "I don't owe Him anything. I made it all myself. I did it all by myself."

They refuse to even acknowledge Him. Their attitude is like the attitude of Pharaoh in Exodus 5 and verse 2. When Moses said, "Thus saith the Lord, let my people go." And Pharaoh responded, "I know not the Lord. Neither will I let Israel go." What does Pharaoh say? "I don't recognize Him. He has no authority over me. Why should I obey his commands? I don't acknowledge him at all."

Some of you have heard of William Ernest Henley. Henley wrote a very atheistical poem called "Invictus." I want to read it to you. You know it's blasphemous, but here it is. "Out of the night that covers me, black is the pit from pole to pole. I thank whatever gods may be for my unconquerable soul. In the fell clutch of circumstance I have not winced nor cried aloud." "Under the bludgeonings of chance my head is bloody but unbowed. Beyond the place of wrath and tears looms but the horror of the shade, and yet the menace of the years finds and shall find me unafraid. It matters not how straight the gate, how charged with punishment the scroll. I am the master of my fate. I am the captain of my soul." They vainly imagine that they are the masters of their fate and they are the captains of their soul.

Consequently, they think, "I shall never be in adversity. I shall never be moved. With my lips I will prevail." Such attitudes are blatant, belligerent, bold-faced blasphemy. There is only one God, one Sovereign, and that is not wicked man. It is the Lord Jesus Christ. How vain it is for man to imagine that He is in control. "I shall not be moved. I will never be in adversity." That's the idea of the wicked. Thirdly, if you look in verse 11, the wicked vainly imagine that God does not take notice of their sins, and if he does,

Third Vain Imagination: God Does Not See or Forgets Sin

The wicked think God overlooks their sins or forgets them, but Scripture declares God's omniscience and His intention to set sins in order before them.

but he will forget them. Psalm 10 verse 11. "He," that is the wicked, "has

Scripture Reading — Psalm 10:11

said in his heart, God hath forgotten. He hideth his face. He will never see it."

Most of you will understand what this means, but in vain do the wicked smoke behind the barn. When you were raised in the country, if you ever wanted to do anything your parents didn't want you to find out, you went behind the barn, lit those cigarettes or looked at those magazines or whatever. Well, I got news for you folks. There is no barn to hide behind when it comes to God. Because he's omniscient. And here their attitude is, "God has forgotten it. He hideth his face. He will never, ever see it." I want you to look in your Bibles. Isaiah 29 and verse 15. I could quote it, but I want you to see it. Just to show you there is no barn to hide behind. Isaiah 29 and verse 15. Isaiah 29 verse 15. Look what God says. "Woe unto them that seek deep to hide their counsel from the Lord, and their works are in the dark, and they say, Who seeth us? and who knoweth us?" God says, "Woe to them." They're trying to hide from me. They think that I don't see them. They think that I don't know what they're doing.

It is true that some men, and women are included in that, have only a peace of mind that comes from their own forgetfulness. We forget what we did. You know, David said in his prayer, "Remember not the sins of my youth." Some of us are old enough to have forgotten a lot of our sins and forgotten them all, but we've forgotten a lot of them. But God does not forget. Look in your Bibles to Psalm 50 and verse 21, and I want you to see the charge that God levels against the wicked. Look in Psalm 50 and verse 21. Psalm 50 is a wonderful psalm, but he says this, "These things hast thou done, and I kept silent. Thou thoughtest that I was altogether such as one as thyself, but I will reprove thee and set them," that is your sins, "in order before thine eyes." God said, "Here's where you messed up."

Scripture Reading — Psalm 50:21

"You thought I was just like you. You thought because you forgot that I forgot. Oh no," said God, "I didn't forget. I will set your sins in order before your eyes." Look in your Bibles to Psalm 94. Psalm 94. Turn right over. Psalm 94. Begin there with verse 4. Psalm 94, verse 4. Look. "How long shall they utter and speak hard things? And all the workers of iniquity boast themselves."

"They break in pieces thy people, O Lord, and afflict thine heritage. They slay the widow and the stranger, and murder the fatherless. Yet they say, The Lord shall not see, neither shall the God of Jacob regard it. Understand, ye brutish among the people, and ye fools, when will ye be wise? He that planted the ear, shall he not hear? He that formed the eye, shall he not see?" He says, "How foolish can you be? God that made your eyes that gave you sight, do you think He's blind? God that made your ears and gave you hearing, do you think He can't hear?" Skip down to verse 11. "The Lord knoweth the thoughts of man, that they are vanity." How wicked. Verse 13. "That thou mayest give him rest from the days of adversity, until the pit be digged for the wicked."

I'm going to preach on that in about two weeks. Where God digs your grave. For the wicked. If you'll look in the book of Amos chapter 8. Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos. Look at Amos chapter 8. Beginning there with verse 4. Just showing you that God doesn't forget. Amos 8 verse 4. Amos 8 verse 4, look what God says, "Hear this, O ye that swallow up the needy, even to make the poor of the land to fail, saying, When will the new moon be gone, that we may sell corn, and the sabbath, that we may set forth wheat, making the ephah small, and the shekel great, and falsifying the balances of deceit, that we may buy the poor for silver, and the needy for a pair of shoes, yea, and sell the refuse of the wheat."

"The Lord hath sworn by the excellency of Jacob, Surely I will never forget any of their works." Wow. When God does not judge sinners instantly and immediately, when God does not slap them down right away for their sins, they either think, number one, that God has not seen them or noticed them, or number two, that God has forgotten their sins, or number three, that He will never judge them for their sins. The problem is, men do not understand the graciousness or the longsuffering of God. God is kind of like a bee in one sense of the word. You know how bees give honey naturally. And they only sting when they're angered and upset. God is naturally gracious. But there is a longsuffering of God that will expire when the wrath of the cup is to the brim. Let me just show you this. Look in your Bibles to Genesis chapter 15. Genesis 15. You remember the children of Israel went into Egypt for 400 years. And I don't know if you've ever wondered why they had to be there for 400 years. But here's the answer. God is entering into a covenant with Abraham. And he says in verse 13 of Genesis 15, "And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years." Now look.

"And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance. And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age. But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again." Why? "For the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full." After 400 years, when God brought the children of Israel out of Egypt, you know what He did? He put a sword in their hand and said, "Kill every one of them." The amazing thing is, God in His graciousness waited an additional 400 years before He smoked the Amorites. But when He smoked them, it was to be a full and final smiting. God said, "Kill every one of them." The wicked vainly imagined that God does not notice their sins. That if he does notice that he'll forget about them. But that's not all.

Fourth Vain Imagination: God Will Not Judge

The wicked quiet their conscience by assuming God will not require an account, but God assures judgment through the resurrection of Christ.

Look back at Psalm 10 and verse 13. Here's the final straw. Psalm 10 verse 13. The wicked vainly imagine that God will never judge them for their sins. Verse 13,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 10:13

"Wherefore doth the wicked contemn God? He,"

the wicked,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 10:13

"hath said in his heart, Thou wilt not require it. Thou wilt not require it."

Wherefore doth the wicked contemn or condemn God?

Now here are three stupendous facts. First, an astounding fact: the wicked condemn God. Second, an amazing reason for their condemnation: God will not require, that is, God will not judge them. And thirdly, an apparent purpose for their vain imagination to quieten their own conscience. They said in their heart, that is, they were giving themselves some assurance. They quieten their conscience for their sins by saying, "Oh, look, if God sees it, He'll forget it. If He doesn't forget it, He will never judge us." All the self-assurance in the world that the wicked have does not change the reality of God's judgment. Look in verse 14. "Thou hast seen it."

"For thou beholdest mischief and spite, to requite it with thy hand: the poor committeth himself unto thee; thou art the helper of the fatherless." God does see it, and God will indeed requite it. Now, the Bible talks about the hope of the hypocrite, but here is the hope of the wicked. You see, the hope of the hypocrite and the hope of the wicked is basically twofold. The first part is they hope that God will not judge them at all. That somehow, they will escape the judgment of God. In the book of Job, chapter 8 and verse 13, God says this, "So are the paths of all that forget God; and the hypocrite's hope shall perish." So are the paths of all them that forget God. What's going to happen? Their hope, as well as the hypocrite's hope, shall perish. In other words, their hope of escaping the judgment of God is a false hope. It will vanish away. It is a hope that will destroy the sinner. Again, God asks in Job 27 in verse 8, "For what is the hope of the hypocrite, though he hath gained, when God taketh away his soul?"

What good does it do you for all the people in the world to praise you? If when you die, God condemns you. The second part of this hope is that somehow, if God does judge them, that God will be more lenient with them in the day of judgment than the law demands. "Well, he may judge me, but it won't be that bad." Oh. Let me remind you of something, and I'm sure you probably already thought of this verse. In Romans 8 in verse 32, the Bible says, "For God spared not his own Son." "But delivered him up for us all." If God did not spare His only begotten Son who was sinless, if God did not spare His own Son when our sin was imputed to Him, if God smote Him and God judged Him and executed His wrath upon Him, what makes you think that He will spare a wicked, vile, rebellious sinner who hated Him all of His life? I don't see the reasoning. But yet, sinner, somehow I hope that if God judges them, oh, they're going to be the exception. Either they won't get judged. Or God's going to be far more lenient than his word demands.

Go back to Nahum chapter one, let me show you something. As you turn back in your Bibles to Nahum chapter 1, let's look at verse 9 again. Watch this carefully. Nahum 1 verse 9. "What do you imagine against the Lord?" And I just showed you what the wicked imagine, what they think, what they plan, what they scheme, what they devise. But look at this question. "What do you imagine against the Lord?" Now look at the rest of it.

"He will make an utter end. Affliction shall not rise up a second time." Let me put this in good South Georgia language where you can understand it. God doesn't need a second blow. His first is going to be quite sufficient. When he slaps you down, he won't have to slap you down twice. He will make an utter end; affliction shall not rise up the second time. Listen, God doesn't need a second touch. You think you're going to imagine something against the Lord and escape? Oh no. His first blow will be quite sufficient. Look at it how God explains it in verse 10.

He says, "For while they be folded together as thorns, and while they are drunken as drunkards, they shall be devoured as stubble fully dry." Have you ever seen stubble fully dry burn? Believe me, I have. My father and I were burning off a field, this old sage grass. And I went down to the far end of the field to back burn against the wind. And after it backburned 50 yards, I threw my hand up for Dad to set the fire with the wind. It took all I could do running as quickly as I could to escape the flames, because when the wind caught that sage grass fully dry, it blew mightily. God says that's the way the wicked are going to be before Him.

And when this, verse 11, when Sennacherib, the leader, comes out as a wicked counselor against the Lord? God said, "I'll destroy them." And then verse 12, God says this, look at it. "Thus saith the Lord, though they be quiet and likewise many, yet they shall be cut down. When he shall pass through, though I have afflicted thee, I will afflict thee no more." In other words, once God passes through on judgment, that's it. All the false hopes, all the false and vain and wicked imaginations are gone. God does not need to smite twice.

Now, I want you to turn in your Bibles to Acts 17. The book of Acts. Chapter 17. And I'm not going to be preaching on this subject anytime soon, but I want you to see this. I want to show you the absolute certainty of judgment. You know, sometimes we sit back and we think, "Look at the wicked, look, they're getting away." No, they're not getting away. God is not only going to judge them in this life in some degree, but He's certainly going to get them in the Day of Judgment fully, totally, completely. But let me show you how absolutely certain their judgment is. Now look at Acts 17. Paul has been preaching on Mars Hill. He's bringing his sermon to a close and he says this, Acts 17 verse 30, "And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men everywhere to repent." Now, God commands all men everywhere to repent. Why? Here's why, look carefully, verse 31, "Because he," God, God the Father, "hath appointed a day, in the which he," God, "will judge the world in righteousness by that man," Jesus Christ, "whom he hath ordained."

Now look, "whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead." Now let me explain that. The Bible says that God is going to judge the world in righteousness by Jesus Christ. Now listen, and He has given assurance unto all men in that He hath raised Him from the dead. So just as surely as God raised Jesus Christ from the dead, just that surely God's going to judge His enemies. If you can overthrow the resurrection of Jesus Christ, you can stop the Day of Judgment. But if you could not have stopped Jesus Christ from raising from the dead—and you could not—then you can't stop the day of judgment. It is sure. It is absolute. Certain. Because God did indeed raise his son from the dead. And God says, therefore, I've given assurance unto all men in that I will judge the world.

Applications and Conclusion

Weaver applies the message by urging believers to reject vain imaginations, submit to God's Word as the source of truth, and trust in Christ as their stronghold.

Now let me make some applications. The first one is this, and it should be obvious. It is useless to imagine vainly against the Lord and His Word. It is useless to listen to the fables of men and the wishful thinking of those who are deluded and deceived. Do you think for one minute that I would waste my time watching the Gospel of Judas on TV? Why would I sit and watch the History Channel, "Jesus Christ, fact, fiction, or myth?" I know what they're going to say. They want it to be myth. They want it to be fiction. Why? That way, they will not have to face the judgment of God. I'm not going to waste my time. Let me tell you something. God is truth. His word is truth. And if you think I'm going to listen to the deluded, deceived, vain imaginations of fallen man who try to hope that somehow this whole thing is not true so that they can escape judgment, you're mistaken. I'm not going to listen to them. I'm not going to believe them. God is the creator, the Savior, the sustainer and the judge.

Therefore, he will call all into an account. The second application is this. Listen carefully. We must endeavor to bring men—here's a big, long word, I'm going to break it down—into an epistemological self-consciousness. What in the world do you mean by that? Epistemology refers to your source of knowledge or your source of truth. When I talk about being epistemologically self-conscious, I'm talking about the fact I recognize my source of truth. What is my source of truth? It's the Word of God. It's not my own mind.

The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. Who can know it? What we need to point men to is this, that reality is determined by God and not by man's wishful thinking and vain desires. Reality is truth and it's God's truth. I've told you this before, but it came to my mind and I'm going to tell you again. I love the word "utopia." I love it. You hear about the socialistic utopia, all these utopias. Remember I told you what the word "utopia" means. It comes from two Greek words, "u," which is a negative, which means "no," and "topos," which means "place." The word "utopia" means "no place." It doesn't exist. It's not real. The only place it does exist is in someone's deceived brain. It is not reality. God gives us reality, not man. And as long as men are not epistemologically self-conscious, that is, if they really do not know their source of knowledge, they're going to always vainly imagine wicked things against God.

And of course, the answer to all of our problems, if you look back to Nahum 1 in verse 7, I pointed this out last week. I'll point it out again. Nahum 1, verse 7. The Bible says, "The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble, and He knoweth them that trust in Him." I'll tell you what, folks. When I die, and when I stand before the Lord, I want him to know that I trusted in him through Jesus Christ. And that I've lived my life by his grace and obedience to his word. And I have no righteousness of my own. His is the righteousness that I cling to. He's my strong tower and my place of defense in judgment in this life and in the next. Because in Christ, we've already been judged. And we may stand before him in the righteousness of Christ. Do not entertain wicked, vain, thoughts and imaginations. No, it's useless. It's worthless. We have the truth.

And we need to think righteously and truthfully about God, about our lives, about the world now and the world to come. We need to know that our source of knowledge is God and His Word. Let's pray. In the name of Jesus Christ, we ask that you would speak to us and help us. Help us, Lord, not to vainly and foolishly and wickedly imagine anything against thee. But may we submit to your word. And bow to your Lordship in your sovereignty. Give us grace, Lord, that we may indeed serve thee effectually with reverence and godly fear. Make us holy and godly. In the name of Jesus Christ we ask and pray, Amen.

Study Guide

Major Themes

The Vain Imaginations of the Wicked

Summary: The wicked devise schemes and thoughts against God, rooted in pride and self-deception, which are ultimately useless and will be destroyed by God's judgment.

Evidence: Nahum 1:9 'What do you imagine against the Lord?' and Psalm 10:4 'God is not in all his thoughts.'

Pride as the Root of Rebellion

Summary: Pride causes the wicked to refuse to seek God, hate His authority, and live as their own gods, echoing Satan's original rebellion.

Evidence: Psalm 10:4 'The wicked through the pride of his countenance will not seek after God.'

Practical Atheism vs. Theoretical Atheism

Summary: Many professing Christians live as practical atheists, acknowledging God's existence but ignoring Him in daily life, planning without consulting Him.

Evidence: James 4:13-15 'Go to now, ye that say, Today or tomorrow we will go into such a city... whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow.'

God's Omniscience and Certain Judgment

Summary: God sees all sins, does not forget, and will surely judge; the resurrection of Christ is the assurance of coming judgment.

Evidence: Psalm 10:11 'God hath forgotten: he hideth his face; he will never see it' and Acts 17:31 'he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world.'

The Sufficiency of God's Judgment

Summary: God's judgment is complete and final; He does not need a second blow, as the wicked will be devoured like dry stubble.

Evidence: Nahum 1:9 'He will make an utter end: affliction shall not rise up the second time.'

Christ as the Believer's Stronghold

Summary: In contrast to the wicked, believers find refuge in God's goodness and trust in Christ's righteousness for salvation from judgment.

Evidence: Nahum 1:7 'The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble, and he knoweth them that trust in him.'

Key Arguments

The wicked refuse to acknowledge God due to pride.

Summary: Pride makes God a disagreeable object; the wicked hate the knowledge of God because it reveals a superior authority they cannot escape.

Evidence: Psalm 10:4 and the extended quote from Edward Payson explaining how pride renders God an enemy to the proud heart.

The wicked imagine they are self-sufficient and will never face adversity.

Summary: They boast in their own abilities, saying 'I shall not be moved,' and reject God's lordship, as seen in Pharaoh and the poem 'Invictus.'

Evidence: Psalm 10:6 'He hath said in his heart, I shall not be moved: for I shall never be in adversity' and Psalm 12:4 'With our tongue will we prevail.'

The wicked think God does not see or forgets their sins.

Summary: They believe they can hide their deeds, but God's omniscience ensures He sees all and will set their sins in order before them.

Evidence: Psalm 10:11, Isaiah 29:15, Psalm 50:21, and Amos 8:7 'Surely I will never forget any of their works.'

The wicked vainly hope God will not judge them.

Summary: They quiet their conscience by assuming God will not require an account, but the resurrection of Christ guarantees judgment.

Evidence: Psalm 10:13 'Thou wilt not require it' and Acts 17:31 'he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.'

God's judgment is swift and complete.

Summary: God makes an utter end; He does not need a second blow, as illustrated by the burning of dry stubble.

Evidence: Nahum 1:9-10 'He will make an utter end... they shall be devoured as stubble fully dry.'

Believers must submit to God's Word as the only source of truth.

Summary: We must be epistemologically self-conscious, recognizing that reality is determined by God, not man's vain imaginations.

Evidence: Application section: 'Reality is determined by God and not by man's wishful thinking and vain desires.'

Scripture References

Nahum 1:7-13

Context: Primary text read at the beginning, focusing on God's goodness, judgment, and the question 'What do you imagine against the Lord?'

Psalm 10:4

Context: Key verse showing the wicked do not seek God and God is not in their thoughts, due to pride.

Psalm 10:5

Context: The wicked puff at their enemies, imitating God's judgment, revealing their arrogance.

Psalm 10:6

Context: The wicked say they will never be moved or in adversity, showing self-sufficiency.

Psalm 10:11

Context: The wicked think God has forgotten and hides His face, not seeing their sins.

Psalm 10:13

Context: The wicked condemn God, saying He will not require an account for their sins.

Psalm 10:14

Context: God does see mischief and spite and will requite it with His hand.

Psalm 2:1

Context: The heathen rage and the people imagine a vain thing, paralleling Nahum 1:9.

Jeremiah 4:14

Context: God asks how long vain thoughts shall lodge within, showing He knows thoughts.

Isaiah 66:18

Context: God declares He knows their works and thoughts, affirming omniscience.

Psalm 139:2-4

Context: David acknowledges God knows his thoughts and words, illustrating omniscience.

James 4:13-15

Context: Example of practical atheism: planning without acknowledging God's will.

Romans 3:11

Context: There is none that seeketh after God, describing the unregenerate.

Proverbs 21:4

Context: Even the plowing of the wicked is sin because it is not done in faith.

Philippians 2:10-11

Context: Every knee shall bow and every tongue confess Christ, either in salvation or judgment.

Psalm 12:1-4

Context: The wicked boast 'With our tongue we will prevail; our lips are our own: who is lord over us?'

Exodus 5:2

Context: Pharaoh says 'I know not the Lord, neither will I let Israel go,' refusing to acknowledge God.

Isaiah 29:15

Context: Woe to those who try to hide their counsel from the Lord, thinking He does not see.

Psalm 50:21

Context: God will reprove the wicked and set their sins in order before them, showing He does not forget.

Psalm 94:4-11

Context: The wicked say the Lord does not see, but God who made the eye and ear sees and hears all.

Historical References

John Gill

Context: Weaver quotes John Gill's exposition of Nahum 1:9, explaining the question as a challenge to the Ninevites' schemes against God.

Edward Payson (died 1827)

Context: Weaver reads an extended quote from Dr. Edward Payson on Psalm 10:4, detailing how pride makes the wicked hate the knowledge of God.

William Ernest Henley's poem 'Invictus'

Context: Weaver quotes the atheistic poem 'Invictus' as an example of the wicked's vain imagination of being master of their fate.

Voltaire

Context: Mentioned as an example of a theoretical atheist who denies God based on intellect.

Sennacherib

Context: Identified as the wicked counselor in Nahum 1:11, the leader of the Assyrians who imagined evil against the Lord.

Gomer Pyle

Context: Weaver humorously references the TV character Gomer Pyle's catchphrase 'Surprise, surprise, surprise!' to illustrate the shock of judgment day.

Important Quotes

The wicked through the pride of his countenance will not seek after God: God is not in all of his thoughts.

Significance: This verse is the foundation for the first vain imagination, showing the wicked's refusal to acknowledge God due to pride.

He will make an utter end: affliction shall not rise up the second time.

Significance: Emphasizes the completeness and finality of God's judgment, needing no second blow.

The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble, and he knoweth them that trust in him.

Significance: Contrasts the wicked's vain imaginations with the security of those who trust in God.

Discussion Questions

What are some ways that even professing Christians can live as practical atheists, and how can we guard against this?

Context: Weaver distinguishes theoretical and practical atheism, using James 4:13-15 as an example of planning without God.

How does pride prevent people from seeking God, and what are the consequences of this pride according to Edward Payson's exposition?

Context: Weaver reads Payson's explanation of Psalm 10:4, detailing how pride makes God an enemy to the proud heart.

In what ways do people today express the attitude 'I shall not be moved' or 'I am the master of my fate'?

Context: Weaver cites Psalm 10:6 and the poem 'Invictus' to illustrate self-sufficiency and rejection of God's sovereignty.

Why do the wicked think God does not see or forgets their sins, and how does Scripture refute this?

Context: Weaver references Psalm 10:11, Isaiah 29:15, Psalm 50:21, and Amos 8:7 to show God's omniscience and memory.

How does the resurrection of Christ serve as assurance of future judgment, and what implications does this have for unbelievers?

Context: Weaver explains Acts 17:31, linking the certainty of judgment to the historical fact of the resurrection.

What does it mean to be 'epistemologically self-conscious,' and why is it important for believers to recognize God's Word as their source of truth?

Context: Weaver applies the message by urging believers to reject vain imaginations and submit to God's revelation.

Applications

Reject vain imaginations and submit to God's Word

Summary: Believers must not entertain wicked thoughts against God but instead recognize Scripture as the only source of truth and reality.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'It is useless to imagine vainly against the Lord and His Word... We need to think righteously and truthfully about God.'

Trust in Christ as the stronghold against judgment

Summary: In light of certain judgment, believers find refuge in God's goodness and Christ's righteousness, not in their own works.

Evidence: Nahum 1:7 'The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble, and he knoweth them that trust in him.'

Live with conscious dependence on God

Summary: Avoid practical atheism by acknowledging God in all plans and actions, saying 'If the Lord will,' as James 4:15 instructs.

Evidence: James 4:13-15 example of planning without God, contrasted with the godly attitude of seeking God's will.

Warn others of the certainty of judgment

Summary: We must endeavor to bring men to an awareness of their vain imaginations and point them to the truth of God's coming judgment and salvation in Christ.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'We must endeavor to bring men into an epistemological self-consciousness... reality is determined by God.'

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T18:03:18Z

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T10:05:49Z

Clean Transcript

The Wrath of God - 3 of 5

Clean readable transcript. This view follows the Commentary.net cleaned segment text while preserving timestamps for audio follow-along.

So I want you to open your Bibles today to the book of Nahum chapter 1. The book of Nahum chapter 1. And if you would please, also go ahead and turn in your Bibles to Psalm 10. Psalm 10. Because although we're going to be taking our text from Nahum chapter 1, I'm going to be explaining the text from the 10th Psalm. So, if you would hold both of those, please. And look in Nahum chapter 1, beginning with verse 7, and we'll read through verse 13.
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"The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble, and He knoweth them that trust in Him. But with an overrunning flood, He will make an utter end of the place thereof, and darkness shall pursue His enemies. What do you imagine against the Lord? He will make an utter end; affliction shall not rise up the second time. For while they be folded together as thorns, and while they are drunken as drunkards, they shall be devoured as stubble fully dry. There is one come out of thee that imagineth evil against the Lord, a wicked counsellor. Thus saith the Lord, though they be quiet, and likewise many, yet thus shall they be cut down when he shall pass through. Though I have afflicted thee, I will afflict thee no more."
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"For now will I break his yoke from off thee, and will burst thy bonds in sunder." Now, we've been dealing with the subject of the wrath of God for the last two weeks, and I have covered the fact that the book of Nahum deals with God's wrath and God's judgment against the Assyrian Empire, and especially Nineveh, the capital. I've shown you not only the chief verse, verse 3, "The Lord is slow to anger and great in power and will not at all acquit the wicked," and how the Lord then hath his way in the world when in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet. And I told you there were two books that dealt with Nineveh in the Bible, Jonah and Nahum. And of course, the Bible says, "Behold the goodness and the severity of God." So you have the goodness of God in the book of Jonah and the severity of God in the book of Nahum. Now, last week we really dealt with verse 6: "Who can stand before his indignation? Who can abide the fierceness of his anger?"
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"His fury is poured out like fire and the rocks are thrown down by him." I pointed out the fact that there are three things that we need to understand about the judgment of God. The first one was the character of God demands it. Secondly, the power of God assures it. And thirdly, the inability of man to hinder it guarantees it.
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Now today, I'm going to be dealing primarily with verse 9, if you will look there, where the question is asked, "What do you imagine against the Lord?" I would remind you of the definition that I gave you concerning the wrath of God. I said that the wrath of God was God's holy revulsion of the entirety of his being against that which is a contradiction to himself. It is His holy revulsion against sin. So the justice of God, then, is the penal infliction upon the ungodly due to an exercise of God's wrath. So God, then, has a holy and eternal and immutable detestation of sin. Now, when you look at verse 9, and the question is asked the wicked, "What do you imagine against the Lord?" it is really difficult for a child of God to conceive of men imagining against the Lord. Why? Because the true child of God submits his mind, his life, and his actions to his Lord and to his Word.
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But you see, the unregenerate and the unconverted have swallowed the lie of Satan hook, line, and sinker. You remember how he came to Adam and Eve in the garden in Genesis chapter 3 and verse 5, and he told them that "you shall be as gods, knowing good and evil." In other words, if you disobey God, you shall be your own god. You can determine for yourself right and wrong, good and evil. And hence, those who believe that lie, basically believe that they have become gods. Now, not some fallen God, but they believe that they are a God in and of themselves.
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I'll explain that a little more fully today. That's why in Psalm 2 and verse 1, the psalm begins with, "Why do the heathen rage," listen, "and the people imagine a vain thing?"
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Now the word "vanity" usually means useless, worthless. So why are they thinking these useless and worthless thoughts? In Jeremiah 4 and verse 14, God asks this question, "How long shall vain thoughts lodge within me?" Now, the word "vanity" sometimes in the Bible refers to idolatries. But the word "vain" means useless and worthless, and that's exactly what idols are. And when men are thinking wrongly concerning God, they are thinking worthlessly and uselessly, and they are engaged in idolatry because it is self-idolatry. And God does know the thoughts. When He asked the question, "How long shall vain thoughts lodge within thee?" you must understand in Isaiah 66, in verse 18, God declares, "I know their works and their thoughts." So since God knows their thoughts, he knows that they're vain. You've got to remember the passage in Psalm 139, which declares the omniscience of God. What did David say? David said, "Thou knowest my downsitting and my uprising. Thou knowest my thought afar off. There's not a word in my tongue, but lo, Lord, Thou knowest it altogether."
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He said, "Such knowledge is too wonderful for me. It is high. I cannot attain unto it." And certainly God is omniscient. He does know.
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Now look down in verse nine. "What do you imagine against the Lord?"
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Now, the word "imagine" is the Hebrew word "chashab," which literally means to invent, to scheme, to devise, to impute, to plan, to charge, and to imagine. So the question is literally, what are you inventing? What are you scheming? What are you devising? What are you planning? What are you vainly imagining against the Lord? So let's ask this question. What are some of the thoughts? Let me rephrase that. What are some of the vain thoughts that the wicked foolishly imagine against the Lord? Well, a lot of those thoughts are revealed to us in Psalm 10. And I ask you to turn there, hold Nahum chapter one. And let me just very quickly tell you in advance what I'm going to show you from Psalm 10. Lord willing, I'm going to cover about five points today. First of all, I want you to note that the wicked vainly refuse to acknowledge or reckon with God. You're going to find that in verse four. Secondly, the wicked vainly imagine they will never be in a position to need God.
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You're going to find that in verse 6, which we'll look at just momentarily. And thirdly, the wicked vainly imagine that God does not notice their sins, or if He does, He forgets them. That's in verse 11. And fourthly, the wicked vainly imagine that even if God does see and not forget, that He will not judge them. You'll find that in verse 13, and then I'm going to conclude with some applications. So, let's look in Psalm 10 and verse 4, and let me demonstrate that the wicked vainly refuse to acknowledge or reckon with God. In verse 4, the Bible says, "The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God. God is not in all of his thoughts." Now look at that. "The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God" and then discharge. "God is not in all of his thoughts."
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Let me begin by giving you a quote. John Gill, the old Baptist expositor, expounds Nahum chapter 1 in verse 9, which leads us to Psalm 10. And Nahum 1 in verse 9 says, "What do you imagine against the Lord?" John Gill says this. He's explaining that verse. "O ye Ninevites, or Assyrians, do you think you can frustrate the designs of the Lord, resist His power, and hinder Him from executing what He has threatened and has determined to do?"
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"Or what mischief is it you devise against his people, which is the same as against himself? Can you believe that you shall prosper and succeed and your schemes be carried into execution when he, the all-wise and powerful being, opposes you?" So that's trying to explain the question, "What do you imagine against the Lord?" Evidently, the Ninevites thought that they were dealing with mere mortals. They thought they were dealing with man and not God and they did not reckon with or count on the sovereign God of heaven and earth.
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Now look in Psalm 10 in verse 4. "The wicked through the pride of his countenance will not seek after God. God is not in all of his thoughts." Let me give you what some of the old scholars say concerning verse 4. Some read it like this: "No God in all his crafty, presumptuous purposes." Others read it, "All of his thoughts are, there is no God." The meaning whereof is not only that among the swarm and crowd of thoughts that fill his mind, the thought of God is seldom to be found and comes started among the rest, which is yet enough of the purpose and end.
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But further, that in all of his projects and plots and consultations of his heart, whereby he contrives to lay the plot, form, and draught of all of his actions, he never takes God or his will into consideration or consultation, to square and frame all accordingly, but proceeds and goes on and on and carries on as if there were no God to be consulted with. He takes not him along with him, no more than if he were no God. The thoughts of him and his will sway him not." Wow!
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Now, I'm going to explain all that and put that down for you, but those old scholars could really put out exactly the thought of these verses. In other words, the wicked not only tried to deny God, but they refused to reckon with Him. They think they have no dealings with Him.
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Now, let me explain to you that there is a difference between theoretical atheism and practical atheism. When you and I think about a theoretical atheist, you think of someone like Voltaire or some of the other noted infidels, and they deny God on the basis of their own intellect. What they say is this: "There is no intellectual understanding for the existence of God, and therefore God does not exist." And what they have done, basically speaking, is they've made a god out of their own mind, but they are denying God based upon their own intellectual presuppositions. So we refer to them as theoretical atheists. But there are those who are practical atheists, and many times professing Christians are nothing more than practical atheists. Now, the difference between a theoretical atheist and a practical atheist is very simple. Whereas a theoretical atheist will say, "There is no God," based upon my understanding and based upon my intellect. The practical atheist, on the other hand, will admit that there is a God. He will confess it, yes, many times, God does indeed live and God does indeed exist.
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In fact, you'll find many of them in churches today, parading around and saying, "He is risen, He is risen!" But yet, they live their life as if there was no God. They never pray. They never study the Scripture. They never consult Him. They totally ignore Him in all of their lives. Let me show you. Hold Psalm 10, but look in your Bibles to the book of James chapter 4.
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Here's a very practical illustration of a practical atheist. Look in James chapter 4. And let's begin reading there with verse 13, James 4, verse 13. Look what God says, James 4, verse 13. "Go to now, ye that say, Today or tomorrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow."
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"For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live and do this or that." So what are they doing? They're planning without God. They don't need God. But this is what we're going to do. We're going to go into that city and we're going to stay there for a year and we'll buy and sell and get gain. This is our plan. This is what... No, no, no. God said, you better consult with me. You better think this through. You better find out what my will is and what you ought to be saying, "If the Lord will." That is, if He allows it, if He permits it, with His permission, this is what we're planning on doing.
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So a practical atheist, then, is someone who just simply, you know, he might acknowledge there is a God, but he lives as if there is no God. You see, the practical atheist will not seek after God either, just like the theoretical atheist will not. But the practical atheist just lives his life as if there was no God, and as if God had not spoken, which according to Romans 3, verse 11, is the character of every unregenerate man.
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So, what do the wicked do? They live their lives according to their own will because of the pride of their heart. Look at verse 4 again in Psalm 10. "The wicked through the pride of his countenance will not seek after God. God is not in all of his thoughts." So it's the pride of heart. I don't need God. Why should I reckon with him? Why should I include him in my plans?
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I'll do what I want to do. A God forgotten is no God at all. This is one of the main distinctions between the godly and the ungodly in Scripture. In the Scripture, the Bible teaches, for the wicked, God is not in all of his thoughts. For the godly, we think about God. We pray. We read His Word. We seek His will. We want His blessings upon everything that we do. When you look at Proverbs 21 and verse 4, and I'll quote it for you, but there God says even the plowing of the wicked is sin. Now, is it a sin to work? Did not God command work? Did not God say by the sweat of your brow you're going to earn your bread? Yes, God commanded work, but work is still evil and sinful for the ungodly man. Why? Because he doesn't plow in faith, he doesn't work in faith. And what does the Bible say? The Bible says, "Without faith, it's impossible to please him." And the Bible says, "Whatsoever is not of faith is sin."
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That's why I said even the plowing of the wicked is sin. Why does he plow? Without faith, because the pride of his heart. He doesn't think he needs God. He doesn't think he needs to consult with God. He just does it. Now, I want to read to you about three or four good paragraphs that was written by Dr. Edward Payson, who died in 1827. And I want you to listen to his exposition of Psalm 10:4. I want you to look at Psalm 10:4. Let's read it again and then listen as I read what Dr. Payson wrote. Psalm 10, verse 4, "The wicked through the pride of his countenance will not seek after God, God is not in all of his thoughts." Now listen, if you would. "The pride of the wicked is the principal reason why they will not seek after the knowledge of God. This knowledge prevents them from seeking in various ways. In the first place, it renders God a disagreeable object of contemplation to the wicked and acknowledge of him as undesirable."
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"Pride consists in an unduly exalted opinion of oneself. It is therefore impatient of a rival, hates a superior, and cannot endure a master. In proportion as it prevails in the heart, it makes us wish to see nothing above us, to acknowledge no law but our own wills, to follow no rule but our own inclinations. Thus it led Satan to rebel against his Creator, and our first parents to desire to be as gods. Since such were the effects of pride, it is evident that nothing can be more painful to a proud heart than the thoughts of such a being as God, who is infinitely powerful, just, and holy, who can neither be resisted, deceived, nor deluded, who disposes according to his own sovereign pleasure of all creatures and events, and who in a special manner hates pride and is determined to abase and punish it."
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"Such a being, pride, can contemplate only with feelings of dread, aversion, and abhorrence. It must look upon him as its natural enemy, the great enemy, whom it has to fear. But the knowledge of God directly tends to bring this infinite, irresistible, irreconcilable enemy full to the view of the proud man. It teaches him that he has a superior, a master, from whose authority he cannot escape, whose power he cannot resist, and whose will he must obey or be crushed before him and be rendered miserable forever."
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"It shows him what he hates to see, that in spite of his opposition God's counsel shall stand, that he will do all his pleasure, and that in all things wherein men deal proudly, God is above them. These truths torture the proud, unhumbled hearts of the wicked, and hence they hate the knowledge of God, which teaches these truths, and will not seek it. On the contrary, they wish to remain ignorant of such a being, and to banish all thoughts of him from their minds."
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"With this view they neglect, pervert, or explain away those passages of Revelation which describe God's true character and endeavor to believe that He is altogether such a one as themselves. How foolish! How absurd! How ruinous! How blindly destructive of its own object does pride appear? By attempting to soar, it plunges itself in the mire, and while endeavoring to erect for itself a throne, it undermines the ground on which it stands and digs its own grave."
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"It plunged Satan from heaven into hell, it banished our first parents from paradise, and it will, in a similar manner, ruin all who indulge in it. It keeps us in ignorance of God, shuts us out from His favor, and prevents us from resembling Him, deprives us in this world of all the honor and happiness which communion with Him would confer, and in the next, unless previously hated, repented of, and renounced, will bar forever against the door of heaven, and close upon us the gates of hell."
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"Oh, then, my friend, beware. Above all things, beware of pride. Beware lest you indulge it imperceptibly, for it is perhaps of all sins, the most secret, the most subtle and the most insinuating." Wow. No wonder the wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God. He does not want a master. He does not want a ruler. He does not want a Creator. He does not want God. Fallen, proud, arrogant, haughty man tries to be his own God.
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Look, if you would please, at verse 5 of Psalm 10. Here's an interesting word. Talking about the wicked, "His ways are always grievous. Thy judgments are far above, out of his sight. As for all of his enemies, look now, he puffeth at them." You say, well, what does that mean? Do you know what the Bible says about God? The Bible says God destroys his enemies with the blast of his nostrils. He blows them away. That's why the psalmist says, "Let your enemies be as smoke before the wind." God blows them away. And now the wicked thinks that he can do as God, he can just snort and all of his enemies will disappear. Oh, how vain, how foolish, how wicked. All the man thinks that he can dispose of his enemies as quickly and as easily as God does of his. That's pride. The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God. David said this in Psalm 119 in verse 59. David said, "I thought on my ways, and turned my feet into thy testimonies."
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The wicked through the pride of his countenance will not think on his ways. He will not think about God. He will not think about God's Word, for if he did, he would have to confess and acknowledge that God was right. And so what the wicked do is this. Now listen carefully. The wicked do theologically what a lot of people do practically. Do you realize the average person thinks that if he ignores his problems or pretends he doesn't have them, they'll just go away. Well, a lot of people try to think that if they ignore God and pretend he doesn't exist, then he'll just disappear.
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As Gomer Pyle used to say, "Surprise, surprise, surprise!" Wait till judgment day. Do you remember what the Bible says in Philippians chapter two? "Every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father." Listen, men will bow and men will confess either in salvation or damnation, but every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Ignoring God will not make him go away. And so the wicked then vainly refuse to acknowledge God or reckon with Him. They think if they ignore Him sufficiently, He'll just go away. No.
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Look if you would in verse 6. Psalm 10 verse 6. Here's the second vain imagination. The wicked vainly imagine they will never be in a position to need God. "He," that is the wicked, "hath said in his heart, I shall not be moved, for I shall never be in adversity." Hmm. Let me ask you a question. Shouldn't a God be able to work out his own problems? Well, that's what the wicked say. I'm never going to be in adversity. I'm not going to be moved. Why should I need God? You see, really and truly wicked, vain, fallen man.
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Not only thinks he's immutable, he thinks he's omnipotent. He thinks he's going to be able to control every situation and work out every detail. Let me show you. You're close by. Look in Psalm 12. Look in Psalm 12. In fact, let's begin reading with verse one. David cries, "Help, Lord, for the godly man ceaseth, for the faithful fail from among the children of men." And there's a good reason that David cried for help. Look at it.
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"They speak vanity, everyone with his neighbor." He's talking about the wicked now. "With flattering lips and with a double heart do they speak. The Lord shall cut off all flattering lips and the tongue that speaketh proud things." Now look what the wicked say. "Who have said, With our tongue we will prevail. Our lips are our own. Who is Lord over us?" We don't need God. We can talk our way out of any problem.
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Does it work like that? You'll find that your lips will not prevail, especially when it comes to God. I get tickled. I think of my oldest granddaughter. She's 18, will be 19 this year. And most of you know Renee, she's a tiny little thing and cute as a button. Of course, I'm prejudiced. But I was riding with her over in Albany. They own some land not far from their house and she was driving a golf cart. And you know, those golf carts are not supposed to be on the highway. Well, most of the time she was on private land. But there was just a little spot right there where she had to come up on the edge of the road to turn to go home. And just as we got on that little edge of the road, state troopers drove by. And I looked at Renee. I said, "Renee, I said, you know, this thing's not supposed to be on the highway."
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She said, "Oh, Pop, don't worry about it. They're not going to stop me." Well, I said, "Well, why not?" She said, "I'm too cute." I said, "Well, sweetheart, you just go on believing that." I said, "One day you're going to find out a little differently." I said, "He was just in a hurry, or he probably would have turned around and said, 'Don't put that thing on the highway,' you know." But, you know, wicked have faults that, you know, they're never, ever going to be moved. They're never, ever going to be in adversity.
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"With our tongue, we will prevail." You look at the attitude of the wicked, and the attitude of the wicked is directly opposite than the attitude of the godly. The godly will say, "Look how the Lord has blessed me." And the ungodly say, "Look what I did, and look how much I made." In other words, God is not in all their thoughts. The godly think, "Look at how much we owe the Lord. Look at the help and the blessings that He's given us." And the wicked say, "I don't owe Him anything. I made it all myself. I did it all by myself."
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They refuse to even acknowledge Him. Their attitude is like the attitude of Pharaoh in Exodus 5 and verse 2. When Moses said, "Thus saith the Lord, let my people go." And Pharaoh responded, "I know not the Lord. Neither will I let Israel go." What does Pharaoh say? "I don't recognize Him. He has no authority over me. Why should I obey his commands? I don't acknowledge him at all."
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Some of you have heard of William Ernest Henley. Henley wrote a very atheistical poem called "Invictus." I want to read it to you. You know it's blasphemous, but here it is. "Out of the night that covers me, black is the pit from pole to pole. I thank whatever gods may be for my unconquerable soul. In the fell clutch of circumstance I have not winced nor cried aloud."
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"Under the bludgeonings of chance my head is bloody but unbowed. Beyond the place of wrath and tears looms but the horror of the shade, and yet the menace of the years finds and shall find me unafraid. It matters not how straight the gate, how charged with punishment the scroll. I am the master of my fate. I am the captain of my soul." They vainly imagine that they are the masters of their fate and they are the captains of their soul.
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Consequently, they think, "I shall never be in adversity. I shall never be moved. With my lips I will prevail." Such attitudes are blatant, belligerent, bold-faced blasphemy. There is only one God, one Sovereign, and that is not wicked man. It is the Lord Jesus Christ. How vain it is for man to imagine that He is in control. "I shall not be moved. I will never be in adversity." That's the idea of the wicked. Thirdly, if you look in verse 11, the wicked vainly imagine that God does not take notice of their sins, and if he does,
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but he will forget them. Psalm 10 verse 11. "He," that is the wicked, "has said in his heart, God hath forgotten. He hideth his face. He will never see it." Most of you will understand what this means, but in vain do the wicked smoke behind the barn. When you were raised in the country, if you ever wanted to do anything your parents didn't want you to find out, you went behind the barn, lit those cigarettes or looked at those magazines or whatever.
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Well, I got news for you folks. There is no barn to hide behind when it comes to God. Because he's omniscient. And here their attitude is, "God has forgotten it. He hideth his face. He will never, ever see it." I want you to look in your Bibles. Isaiah 29 and verse 15. I could quote it, but I want you to see it. Just to show you there is no barn to hide behind. Isaiah 29 and verse 15. Isaiah 29 verse 15. Look what God says. "Woe unto them that seek deep to hide their counsel from the Lord, and their works are in the dark, and they say, Who seeth us? and who knoweth us?" God says, "Woe to them." They're trying to hide from me. They think that I don't see them. They think that I don't know what they're doing.
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It is true that some men, and women are included in that, have only a peace of mind that comes from their own forgetfulness. We forget what we did. You know, David said in his prayer, "Remember not the sins of my youth." Some of us are old enough to have forgotten a lot of our sins and forgotten them all, but we've forgotten a lot of them. But God does not forget. Look in your Bibles to Psalm 50 and verse 21, and I want you to see the charge that God levels against the wicked. Look in Psalm 50 and verse 21. Psalm 50 is a wonderful psalm, but he says this, "These things hast thou done, and I kept silent. Thou thoughtest that I was altogether such as one as thyself, but I will reprove thee and set them," that is your sins, "in order before thine eyes." God said, "Here's where you messed up."
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"You thought I was just like you. You thought because you forgot that I forgot. Oh no," said God, "I didn't forget. I will set your sins in order before your eyes." Look in your Bibles to Psalm 94. Psalm 94. Turn right over. Psalm 94. Begin there with verse 4. Psalm 94, verse 4. Look. "How long shall they utter and speak hard things? And all the workers of iniquity boast themselves."
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"They break in pieces thy people, O Lord, and afflict thine heritage. They slay the widow and the stranger, and murder the fatherless. Yet they say, The Lord shall not see, neither shall the God of Jacob regard it. Understand, ye brutish among the people, and ye fools, when will ye be wise? He that planted the ear, shall he not hear? He that formed the eye, shall he not see?"
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He says, "How foolish can you be? God that made your eyes that gave you sight, do you think He's blind? God that made your ears and gave you hearing, do you think He can't hear?" Skip down to verse 11. "The Lord knoweth the thoughts of man, that they are vanity." How wicked. Verse 13. "That thou mayest give him rest from the days of adversity, until the pit be digged for the wicked."
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I'm going to preach on that in about two weeks. Where God digs your grave. For the wicked. If you'll look in the book of Amos chapter 8. Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos. Look at Amos chapter 8. Beginning there with verse 4. Just showing you that God doesn't forget. Amos 8 verse 4. Amos 8 verse 4, look what God says, "Hear this, O ye that swallow up the needy, even to make the poor of the land to fail, saying, When will the new moon be gone, that we may sell corn, and the sabbath, that we may set forth wheat, making the ephah small, and the shekel great, and falsifying the balances of deceit, that we may buy the poor for silver, and the needy for a pair of shoes, yea, and sell the refuse of the wheat."
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"The Lord hath sworn by the excellency of Jacob, Surely I will never forget any of their works." Wow. When God does not judge sinners instantly and immediately, when God does not slap them down right away for their sins, they either think, number one, that God has not seen them or noticed them, or number two, that God has forgotten their sins, or number three, that He will never judge them for their sins. The problem is, men do not understand the graciousness or the longsuffering of God. God is kind of like a bee in one sense of the word.
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You know how bees give honey naturally. And they only sting when they're angered and upset. God is naturally gracious. But there is a longsuffering of God that will expire when the wrath of the cup is to the brim. Let me just show you this. Look in your Bibles to Genesis chapter 15. Genesis 15. You remember the children of Israel went into Egypt for 400 years. And I don't know if you've ever wondered why they had to be there for 400 years. But here's the answer. God is entering into a covenant with Abraham. And he says in verse 13 of Genesis 15, "And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years." Now look.
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"And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance. And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age. But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again." Why? "For the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full." After 400 years, when God brought the children of Israel out of Egypt, you know what He did?
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He put a sword in their hand and said, "Kill every one of them." The amazing thing is, God in His graciousness waited an additional 400 years before He smoked the Amorites. But when He smoked them, it was to be a full and final smiting. God said, "Kill every one of them." The wicked vainly imagined that God does not notice their sins. That if he does notice that he'll forget about them. But that's not all.
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Look back at Psalm 10 and verse 13. Here's the final straw. Psalm 10 verse 13. The wicked vainly imagine that God will never judge them for their sins. Verse 13, "Wherefore doth the wicked contemn God? He," the wicked, "hath said in his heart, Thou wilt not require it. Thou wilt not require it." Wherefore doth the wicked contemn or condemn God?
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Now here are three stupendous facts. First, an astounding fact: the wicked condemn God.
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Second, an amazing reason for their condemnation: God will not require, that is, God will not judge them. And thirdly, an apparent purpose for their vain imagination to quieten their own conscience. They said in their heart, that is, they were giving themselves some assurance. They quieten their conscience for their sins by saying, "Oh, look, if God sees it, He'll forget it. If He doesn't forget it, He will never judge us." All the self-assurance in the world that the wicked have does not change the reality of God's judgment. Look in verse 14. "Thou hast seen it."
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"For thou beholdest mischief and spite, to requite it with thy hand: the poor committeth himself unto thee; thou art the helper of the fatherless." God does see it, and God will indeed requite it.
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Now, the Bible talks about the hope of the hypocrite, but here is the hope of the wicked. You see, the hope of the hypocrite and the hope of the wicked is basically twofold. The first part is they hope that God will not judge them at all. That somehow, they will escape the judgment of God. In the book of Job, chapter 8 and verse 13, God says this, "So are the paths of all that forget God; and the hypocrite's hope shall perish." So are the paths of all them that forget God. What's going to happen? Their hope, as well as the hypocrite's hope, shall perish. In other words, their hope of escaping the judgment of God is a false hope. It will vanish away. It is a hope that will destroy the sinner. Again, God asks in Job 27 in verse 8, "For what is the hope of the hypocrite, though he hath gained, when God taketh away his soul?"
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What good does it do you for all the people in the world to praise you? If when you die, God condemns you. The second part of this hope is that somehow, if God does judge them, that God will be more lenient with them in the day of judgment than the law demands. "Well, he may judge me, but it won't be that bad." Oh. Let me remind you of something, and I'm sure you probably already thought of this verse. In Romans 8 in verse 32, the Bible says, "For God spared not his own Son."
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"But delivered him up for us all." If God did not spare His only begotten Son who was sinless, if God did not spare His own Son when our sin was imputed to Him, if God smote Him and God judged Him and executed His wrath upon Him, what makes you think that He will spare a wicked, vile, rebellious sinner who hated Him all of His life? I don't see the reasoning. But yet, sinner, somehow I hope that if God judges them, oh, they're going to be the exception. Either they won't get judged. Or God's going to be far more lenient than his word demands.
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Go back to Nahum chapter one, let me show you something. As you turn back in your Bibles to Nahum chapter 1, let's look at verse 9 again. Watch this carefully. Nahum 1 verse 9. "What do you imagine against the Lord?" And I just showed you what the wicked imagine, what they think, what they plan, what they scheme, what they devise. But look at this question. "What do you imagine against the Lord?" Now look at the rest of it.
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"He will make an utter end. Affliction shall not rise up a second time." Let me put this in good South Georgia language where you can understand it. God doesn't need a second blow. His first is going to be quite sufficient. When he slaps you down, he won't have to slap you down twice. He will make an utter end; affliction shall not rise up the second time. Listen, God doesn't need a second touch. You think you're going to imagine something against the Lord and escape? Oh no. His first blow will be quite sufficient. Look at it how God explains it in verse 10.
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He says, "For while they be folded together as thorns, and while they are drunken as drunkards, they shall be devoured as stubble fully dry." Have you ever seen stubble fully dry burn? Believe me, I have. My father and I were burning off a field, this old sage grass. And I went down to the far end of the field to back burn against the wind. And after it backburned 50 yards, I threw my hand up for Dad to set the fire with the wind. It took all I could do running as quickly as I could to escape the flames, because when the wind caught that sage grass fully dry, it blew mightily. God says that's the way the wicked are going to be before Him.
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And when this, verse 11, when Sennacherib, the leader, comes out as a wicked counselor against the Lord? God said, "I'll destroy them." And then verse 12, God says this, look at it. "Thus saith the Lord, though they be quiet and likewise many, yet they shall be cut down. When he shall pass through, though I have afflicted thee, I will afflict thee no more." In other words, once God passes through on judgment, that's it. All the false hopes, all the false and vain and wicked imaginations are gone. God does not need to smite twice.
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Now, I want you to turn in your Bibles to Acts 17. The book of Acts. Chapter 17. And I'm not going to be preaching on this subject anytime soon, but I want you to see this. I want to show you the absolute certainty of judgment. You know, sometimes we sit back and we think, "Look at the wicked, look, they're getting away." No, they're not getting away. God is not only going to judge them in this life in some degree, but He's certainly going to get them in the Day of Judgment fully, totally, completely. But let me show you how absolutely certain their judgment is. Now look at Acts 17. Paul has been preaching on Mars Hill. He's bringing his sermon to a close and he says this, Acts 17 verse 30, "And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men everywhere to repent." Now, God commands all men everywhere to repent. Why? Here's why, look carefully, verse 31, "Because he," God, God the Father, "hath appointed a day, in the which he," God, "will judge the world in righteousness by that man," Jesus Christ, "whom he hath ordained."
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Now look, "whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead." Now let me explain that. The Bible says that God is going to judge the world in righteousness by Jesus Christ. Now listen, and He has given assurance unto all men in that He hath raised Him from the dead. So just as surely as God raised Jesus Christ from the dead, just that surely God's going to judge His enemies. If you can overthrow the resurrection of Jesus Christ, you can stop the Day of Judgment. But if you could not have stopped Jesus Christ from raising from the dead—and you could not—then you can't stop the day of judgment.
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It is sure. It is absolute. Certain. Because God did indeed raise his son from the dead. And God says, therefore, I've given assurance unto all men in that I will judge the world.
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Now let me make some applications. The first one is this, and it should be obvious. It is useless to imagine vainly against the Lord and His Word. It is useless to listen to the fables of men and the wishful thinking of those who are deluded and deceived. Do you think for one minute that I would waste my time watching the Gospel of Judas on TV? Why would I sit and watch the History Channel, "Jesus Christ, fact, fiction, or myth?"
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I know what they're going to say. They want it to be myth. They want it to be fiction. Why? That way, they will not have to face the judgment of God. I'm not going to waste my time. Let me tell you something. God is truth. His word is truth. And if you think I'm going to listen to the deluded, deceived, vain imaginations of fallen man who try to hope that somehow this whole thing is not true so that they can escape judgment, you're mistaken. I'm not going to listen to them. I'm not going to believe them. God is the creator, the Savior, the sustainer and the judge.
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Therefore, he will call all into an account. The second application is this. Listen carefully. We must endeavor to bring men—here's a big, long word, I'm going to break it down—into an epistemological self-consciousness. What in the world do you mean by that? Epistemology refers to your source of knowledge or your source of truth. When I talk about being epistemologically self-conscious, I'm talking about the fact I recognize my source of truth. What is my source of truth? It's the Word of God. It's not my own mind.
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The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. Who can know it? What we need to point men to is this, that reality is determined by God and not by man's wishful thinking and vain desires. Reality is truth and it's God's truth. I've told you this before, but it came to my mind and I'm going to tell you again. I love the word "utopia." I love it. You hear about the socialistic utopia, all these utopias. Remember I told you what the word "utopia" means. It comes from two Greek words, "u," which is a negative, which means "no," and "topos," which means "place." The word "utopia" means "no place." It doesn't exist. It's not real. The only place it does exist is in someone's deceived brain. It is not reality. God gives us reality, not man. And as long as men are not epistemologically self-conscious, that is, if they really do not know their source of knowledge, they're going to always vainly imagine wicked things against God.
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And of course, the answer to all of our problems, if you look back to Nahum 1 in verse 7, I pointed this out last week. I'll point it out again. Nahum 1, verse 7. The Bible says, "The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble, and He knoweth them that trust in Him." I'll tell you what, folks. When I die, and when I stand before the Lord, I want him to know that I trusted in him through Jesus Christ.
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And that I've lived my life by his grace and obedience to his word. And I have no righteousness of my own. His is the righteousness that I cling to. He's my strong tower and my place of defense in judgment in this life and in the next. Because in Christ, we've already been judged. And we may stand before him in the righteousness of Christ. Do not entertain wicked, vain, thoughts and imaginations. No, it's useless. It's worthless. We have the truth.
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And we need to think righteously and truthfully about God, about our lives, about the world now and the world to come. We need to know that our source of knowledge is God and His Word. Let's pray. In the name of Jesus Christ, we ask that you would speak to us and help us. Help us, Lord, not to vainly and foolishly and wickedly imagine anything against thee. But may we submit to your word.
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And bow to your Lordship in your sovereignty. Give us grace, Lord, that we may indeed serve thee effectually with reverence and godly fear. Make us holy and godly. In the name of Jesus Christ we ask and pray, Amen.
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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T18:03:18Z

The Wrath of God - 3 of 5

John Weaver | Freedom Ministries

John Weaver continues his series on the wrath of God, focusing on Nahum 1:9 and Psalm 10 to expose the vain imaginations of the wicked. He explains that the unregenerate, in their pride, refuse to acknowledge God, imagine they will never need Him, think God does not see or forgets their sins, and believe He will not judge them. Weaver contrasts theoretical and practical atheism, emphasizes God's omniscience and certain judgment, and calls believers to submit to God's Word as the only source of truth, finding refuge in Christ.

Introduction and Scripture Reading

Weaver introduces the text from Nahum 1:7-13 and Psalm 10, setting the stage for examining the vain imaginations of the wicked against God.

Review of Previous Sermons on God's Wrath

Weaver reviews the series on God's wrath, highlighting Nahum's judgment on Nineveh, the character of God demanding judgment, and the inability of man to hinder it.

Scripture Reading — Nahum 1:7-13

"For now will I break his yoke from off thee, and will burst thy bonds in sunder."

The Question: 'What Do You Imagine Against the Lord?'

Weaver explains the Hebrew word 'chashab' (imagine) and introduces the five vain thoughts of the wicked from Psalm 10.

Scripture Reading — Psalm 2:1

Now the word "vanity" usually means useless, worthless. So why are they thinking these useless and worthless thoughts? In Jeremiah 4 and verse 14, God asks this question, "How long shall vain thoughts lodge within me?" Now, the word "vanity" sometimes in the Bible refers to idolatries. But the word "vain" means useless and worthless, and that's exactly what idols are. And when men are thinking wrongly concerning God, they are thinking worthlessly and uselessly, and they are engaged in idolatry because it is self-idolatry. And God does know the thoughts. When He asked the question, "How long shall vain thoughts lodge within thee?" you must understand in Isaiah 66, in verse 18, God declares, "I know their works and their thoughts." So since God knows their thoughts, he knows that they're vain. You've got to remember the passage in Psalm 139, which declares the omniscience of God. What did David say? David said, "Thou knowest my downsitting and my uprising. Thou knowest my thought afar off. There's not a word in my tongue, but lo, Lord, Thou knowest it altogether."

He said, "Such knowledge is too wonderful for me. It is high. I cannot attain unto it." And certainly God is omniscient. He does know.

First Vain Imagination: Refusing to Acknowledge God

The wicked, through pride, do not seek God or include Him in their thoughts, living as practical atheists even if they theoretically acknowledge His existence.

Scripture Reading — Psalm 10:4

Let me begin by giving you a quote. John Gill, the old Baptist expositor, expounds Nahum chapter 1 in verse 9, which leads us to Psalm 10. And Nahum 1 in verse 9 says, "What do you imagine against the Lord?" John Gill says this. He's explaining that verse. "O ye Ninevites, or Assyrians, do you think you can frustrate the designs of the Lord, resist His power, and hinder Him from executing what He has threatened and has determined to do?" "Or what mischief is it you devise against his people, which is the same as against himself? Can you believe that you shall prosper and succeed and your schemes be carried into execution when he, the all-wise and powerful being, opposes you?" So that's trying to explain the question, "What do you imagine against the Lord?" Evidently, the Ninevites thought that they were dealing with mere mortals. They thought they were dealing with man and not God and they did not reckon with or count on the sovereign God of heaven and earth.

Here's a very practical illustration of a practical atheist. Look in James chapter 4. And let's begin reading there with verse 13, James 4, verse 13. Look what God says, James 4, verse 13.

Scripture Reading — James 4:13-15

"Go to now, ye that say, Today or tomorrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow." "For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live and do this or that."

Scripture Reading — Romans 3:11

So a practical atheist, then, is someone who just simply, you know, he might acknowledge there is a God, but he lives as if there is no God. You see, the practical atheist will not seek after God either, just like the theoretical atheist will not. But the practical atheist just lives his life as if there was no God, and as if God had not spoken, which according to Romans 3, verse 11, is the character of every unregenerate man. So, what do the wicked do? They live their lives according to their own will because of the pride of their heart. Look at verse 4 again in Psalm 10. "The wicked through the pride of his countenance will not seek after God. God is not in all of his thoughts." So it's the pride of heart. I don't need God. Why should I reckon with him? Why should I include him in my plans?

Look, if you would please, at verse 5 of Psalm 10. Here's an interesting word. Talking about the wicked,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 10:5

"His ways are always grievous. Thy judgments are far above, out of his sight. As for all of his enemies, look now, he puffeth at them."

As Gomer Pyle used to say, "Surprise, surprise, surprise!" Wait till judgment day. Do you remember what the Bible says in Philippians chapter two?

Scripture Reading — Philippians 2:10-11

"Every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father."

Second Vain Imagination: Never Needing God

The wicked believe they will never be moved or face adversity, boasting in their own self-sufficiency and rejecting God's authority.

Look if you would in verse 6. Psalm 10 verse 6. Here's the second vain imagination. The wicked vainly imagine they will never be in a position to need God. "He," that is the wicked,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 10:6

"hath said in his heart, I shall not be moved, for I shall never be in adversity."

Third Vain Imagination: God Does Not See or Forgets Sin

The wicked think God overlooks their sins or forgets them, but Scripture declares God's omniscience and His intention to set sins in order before them.

but he will forget them. Psalm 10 verse 11. "He," that is the wicked, "has

Scripture Reading — Psalm 10:11

said in his heart, God hath forgotten. He hideth his face. He will never see it."

Scripture Reading — Psalm 50:21

"You thought I was just like you. You thought because you forgot that I forgot. Oh no," said God, "I didn't forget. I will set your sins in order before your eyes." Look in your Bibles to Psalm 94. Psalm 94. Turn right over. Psalm 94. Begin there with verse 4. Psalm 94, verse 4. Look. "How long shall they utter and speak hard things? And all the workers of iniquity boast themselves."

Fourth Vain Imagination: God Will Not Judge

The wicked quiet their conscience by assuming God will not require an account, but God assures judgment through the resurrection of Christ.

Look back at Psalm 10 and verse 13. Here's the final straw. Psalm 10 verse 13. The wicked vainly imagine that God will never judge them for their sins. Verse 13,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 10:13

"Wherefore doth the wicked contemn God? He,"

the wicked,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 10:13

"hath said in his heart, Thou wilt not require it. Thou wilt not require it."

Wherefore doth the wicked contemn or condemn God?

Applications and Conclusion

Weaver applies the message by urging believers to reject vain imaginations, submit to God's Word as the source of truth, and trust in Christ as their stronghold.

The Wrath of God - 3 of 5

John Weaver | SermonAudio

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	SermonAudio
Media ID	817071818450
Subject	New Testament Studies
Course	Romans: Sin, Judgment, and Gospel Foundations: Prepared Hearts
Genre	Sermon
Date	2007-04-08
Dictation Name
Book	Book 160: The Wrath of God — Chapter 3
Source Timed Segments	77

Lecture Guide

Outline

Introduction and Scripture Reading: Weaver introduces the text from Nahum 1:7-13 and Psalm 10, setting the stage for examining the vain imaginations of the wicked against God.
Review of Previous Sermons on God's Wrath: Weaver reviews the series on God's wrath, highlighting Nahum's judgment on Nineveh, the character of God demanding judgment, and the inability of man to hinder it.
The Question: 'What Do You Imagine Against the Lord?': Weaver explains the Hebrew word 'chashab' (imagine) and introduces the five vain thoughts of the wicked from Psalm 10.
First Vain Imagination: Refusing to Acknowledge God: The wicked, through pride, do not seek God or include Him in their thoughts, living as practical atheists even if they theoretically acknowledge His existence.
Second Vain Imagination: Never Needing God: The wicked believe they will never be moved or face adversity, boasting in their own self-sufficiency and rejecting God's authority.
Third Vain Imagination: God Does Not See or Forgets Sin: The wicked think God overlooks their sins or forgets them, but Scripture declares God's omniscience and His intention to set sins in order before them.
Fourth Vain Imagination: God Will Not Judge: The wicked quiet their conscience by assuming God will not require an account, but God assures judgment through the resurrection of Christ.
Applications and Conclusion: Weaver applies the message by urging believers to reject vain imaginations, submit to God's Word as the source of truth, and trust in Christ as their stronghold.

Major Themes

Key Arguments

The wicked refuse to acknowledge God due to pride.

Pride makes God a disagreeable object; the wicked hate the knowledge of God because it reveals a superior authority they cannot escape.

Psalm 10:4 and the extended quote from Edward Payson explaining how pride renders God an enemy to the proud heart.

The wicked imagine they are self-sufficient and will never face adversity.

They boast in their own abilities, saying 'I shall not be moved,' and reject God's lordship, as seen in Pharaoh and the poem 'Invictus.'

Psalm 10:6 'He hath said in his heart, I shall not be moved: for I shall never be in adversity' and Psalm 12:4 'With our tongue will we prevail.'

The wicked think God does not see or forgets their sins.

They believe they can hide their deeds, but God's omniscience ensures He sees all and will set their sins in order before them.

Psalm 10:11, Isaiah 29:15, Psalm 50:21, and Amos 8:7 'Surely I will never forget any of their works.'

The wicked vainly hope God will not judge them.

They quiet their conscience by assuming God will not require an account, but the resurrection of Christ guarantees judgment.

Psalm 10:13 'Thou wilt not require it' and Acts 17:31 'he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.'

God's judgment is swift and complete.

God makes an utter end; He does not need a second blow, as illustrated by the burning of dry stubble.

Nahum 1:9-10 'He will make an utter end... they shall be devoured as stubble fully dry.'

Believers must submit to God's Word as the only source of truth.

We must be epistemologically self-conscious, recognizing that reality is determined by God, not man's vain imaginations.

Application section: 'Reality is determined by God and not by man's wishful thinking and vain desires.'

Scripture References

Nahum 1:7-13: Primary text read at the beginning, focusing on God's goodness, judgment, and the question 'What do you imagine against the Lord?'
Psalm 10:4: Key verse showing the wicked do not seek God and God is not in their thoughts, due to pride.
Psalm 10:5: The wicked puff at their enemies, imitating God's judgment, revealing their arrogance.
Psalm 10:6: The wicked say they will never be moved or in adversity, showing self-sufficiency.
Psalm 10:11: The wicked think God has forgotten and hides His face, not seeing their sins.
Psalm 10:13: The wicked condemn God, saying He will not require an account for their sins.
Psalm 10:14: God does see mischief and spite and will requite it with His hand.
Psalm 2:1: The heathen rage and the people imagine a vain thing, paralleling Nahum 1:9.
Jeremiah 4:14: God asks how long vain thoughts shall lodge within, showing He knows thoughts.
Isaiah 66:18: God declares He knows their works and thoughts, affirming omniscience.
Psalm 139:2-4: David acknowledges God knows his thoughts and words, illustrating omniscience.
James 4:13-15: Example of practical atheism: planning without acknowledging God's will.
Romans 3:11: There is none that seeketh after God, describing the unregenerate.
Proverbs 21:4: Even the plowing of the wicked is sin because it is not done in faith.
Philippians 2:10-11: Every knee shall bow and every tongue confess Christ, either in salvation or judgment.
Psalm 12:1-4: The wicked boast 'With our tongue we will prevail; our lips are our own: who is lord over us?'
Exodus 5:2: Pharaoh says 'I know not the Lord, neither will I let Israel go,' refusing to acknowledge God.
Isaiah 29:15: Woe to those who try to hide their counsel from the Lord, thinking He does not see.
Psalm 50:21: God will reprove the wicked and set their sins in order before them, showing He does not forget.
Psalm 94:4-11: The wicked say the Lord does not see, but God who made the eye and ear sees and hears all.

Historical References

John Gill: Weaver quotes John Gill's exposition of Nahum 1:9, explaining the question as a challenge to the Ninevites' schemes against God.
Edward Payson (died 1827): Weaver reads an extended quote from Dr. Edward Payson on Psalm 10:4, detailing how pride makes the wicked hate the knowledge of God.
William Ernest Henley's poem 'Invictus': Weaver quotes the atheistic poem 'Invictus' as an example of the wicked's vain imagination of being master of their fate.
Voltaire: Mentioned as an example of a theoretical atheist who denies God based on intellect.
Sennacherib: Identified as the wicked counselor in Nahum 1:11, the leader of the Assyrians who imagined evil against the Lord.
Gomer Pyle: Weaver humorously references the TV character Gomer Pyle's catchphrase 'Surprise, surprise, surprise!' to illustrate the shock of judgment day.

Important Quotes

The wicked through the pride of his countenance will not seek after God: God is not in all of his thoughts.

This verse is the foundation for the first vain imagination, showing the wicked's refusal to acknowledge God due to pride.

He will make an utter end: affliction shall not rise up the second time.

Emphasizes the completeness and finality of God's judgment, needing no second blow.

The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble, and he knoweth them that trust in him.

Contrasts the wicked's vain imaginations with the security of those who trust in God.

Discussion Questions

[Question]

What are some ways that even professing Christians can live as practical atheists, and how can we guard against this?

[Context]

Weaver distinguishes theoretical and practical atheism, using James 4:13-15 as an example of planning without God.

[Question]

How does pride prevent people from seeking God, and what are the consequences of this pride according to Edward Payson's exposition?

[Context]

Weaver reads Payson's explanation of Psalm 10:4, detailing how pride makes God an enemy to the proud heart.

[Question]

In what ways do people today express the attitude 'I shall not be moved' or 'I am the master of my fate'?

[Context]

Weaver cites Psalm 10:6 and the poem 'Invictus' to illustrate self-sufficiency and rejection of God's sovereignty.

[Question]

Why do the wicked think God does not see or forgets their sins, and how does Scripture refute this?

[Context]

Weaver references Psalm 10:11, Isaiah 29:15, Psalm 50:21, and Amos 8:7 to show God's omniscience and memory.

[Question]

How does the resurrection of Christ serve as assurance of future judgment, and what implications does this have for unbelievers?

[Context]

Weaver explains Acts 17:31, linking the certainty of judgment to the historical fact of the resurrection.

[Question]

What does it mean to be 'epistemologically self-conscious,' and why is it important for believers to recognize God's Word as their source of truth?

[Context]

Weaver applies the message by urging believers to reject vain imaginations and submit to God's revelation.

Applications

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