The Truth In Print Oct. 2006 Vol. 12 Issue 9
Delighting In
Iniquity
Joab’s reply to David when he desired to
number Israel was, “Now the Lord thy God add unto the people, how many soever they
be, an hundredfold, and that the eyes of my lord the king may see it: but why
doth my lord the king delight in this thing?” (See 2 Sam. 24:1-3). Joab,
perhaps from his own past, understood the pleasure (delight) David found in
desiring to do this sinful thing.
Delighting In Iniquity Replaces One’s Delight To Do God’s Will
David himself testified to this when he
said,
“I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is
within my heart” (Psalm 40:8). This delight has been replaced by a deceitful
lust (Eph. 4:22). When one chooses this pathway as their regular way of life,
David did not do so, we are told that they are thinking that there is no profit
in delighting in God (Job 34:9). These are the ones who make God’s word the
object of their ridicule, and this is the “scorner” in Proverbs (Cf. Jer. 6:10;
Prov. 1:22). Romans chapter one refers to those whose delight is in the success
of idolatry, unnatural lusts among women and men, and in general being filled
with all unrighteousness. They not only do the things listed, but they approve
of those who practice them! The general state of society will always be to
rejoice in what is perverted (Prov. 2:14). We must not be tempted to even give
verbal approval!
If We Delight In God He Will Give Us Our Petitions
David also testified to this. He said,
“Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine
heart. [5] Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring
it to pass” (Psalm 37:4-5). David’s heart condemned him after he had numbered
Israel. There were 1, 300,000 in his army. He asked for forgiveness and the
punishment that follows is a good example of refusing the warning to delight in
the Lord. Turning to God he would confess that he had sinned greatly and done
wickedly. His heart had chosen that in which God did not delight! (read 2 Sam.
24; Isa. 66:4).
God Said: “I Know The Things That Come Into
Your Mind, Every One Of Them.”
This is what God said, “And the Spirit of the Lord fell
upon me, and said unto me, Speak; Thus saith the Lord; Thus have ye said, O
house of Israel: for I know the things that come into your mind, every one of
them” (Ezk. 11:5).
God sees the
thought and the pleasure in each thought of wickedness!
The Word if consistently studied and applied will reveal
evil thoughts we take pleasure in: “For the word of God is quick, and powerful,
and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of
soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the
thoughts and intents of the heart. [13] Neither is there any creature that is
not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of
him with whom we have to do” (Heb. 4:12-13).
Solomon said,
“The spirit of man is the candle of the Lord, searching all the inward parts of
the belly” (Prov. 20:27). Study will enable one to see their own inordinate
affections (see Prov. 18:8) . We know what’s in there! We know what we’ve
thought and done!
Chastening can
get to those thoughts as well (Cf. Prov. 20:30, 22:15).
Love Does Not Rejoice In Iniquity, I Cor. 13:6
Paul’s statement finds
application in the letters to the Corinthian church. If Romans one is a list
then consider Paul’s list for the local church: “For I
fear, lest, when I come, I shall not find you such as I would, and that I shall
be found unto you such as ye would not: lest there be debates, envyings, wraths, strifes, backbitings, whisperings, swellings, tumults: [21] And
lest, when I come again, my God will humble me among you, and that I shall
bewail many which have sinned already, and have not repented of the uncleanness
and fornication and lasciviousness which they have committed” (2 Cor.
12:20-21).
The one who loves transgression delights
in strife! (Cf. Prov. 17:19). Strife was present in the church because some
loved the displays of temper, disputes, slanders, etc. Thus with keeping things
“stirred” (Cf. Prov. 30:33) — pinpointing specific sins to specific individuals
is diverted! And what were the teachers doing? They were either not teaching or
doing the same things!
There was fornication in the church (Cf. I
Cor. 5). Their delighting in arrogance
and boasting came at the expense of mourning sin (Cf. I Cor. 5:2). And at the
expense of the church — some thought “a little” (5:6) would not affect the
whole! They should have mourned for shame! This reckless boasting is what you
get when members of a church want “honor” without giving up immoralities!
Obviously not all in the church approved of this for it had been reported.
Solutions are offered for delighting in iniquity: I Cor. 5:4-5, 6:18, 7:1, 3-5,
9:27.
Corinth had liars in the
church. Swindlers are liars. Those who defraud are liars! (Cf. I Cor. 6:7; also
Prov. 20:14, 16:11, I Tim. 6:9-10). Those who slander are liars and they
“delight” in hurting another (Cf. Ps. 70:2). Lying is a pleasure for
the liar, John said (Cf. Rev. 22:15). Hell, with Satan, is their place for they
will not enter heaven (Cf. Rev. 21:27). It is a pleasure to their mind to say
one thing (blessing) while inwardly cursing (Cf. Ps. 62:4). This comes from
those who have developed the tongue of craft and love evil more than good (Ps.
52:3, Jer. 9:3-5, I Tim. 4:2).
False teachers had been arrogant, changed
sound doctrine concerning Christ, and their “spirit” was not one of sincerity
based on truth (Cf. 2 Cor. 11). They intended to pervert the Gospel and
presented by deceit and cleverness what heretofore would not have been
accepted. The members had delighted in these false teachers! (Cf. 2 Cor. 11:4).
They spoke well of them, gave them honor, and there was no room for course for
condemning them! These false teachers had convinced them they were wise (2 Cor.
11:19). How wise they were we are told
in 2 Cor. 11:20. They were clever enough
to bring them into bondage to their teaching, destroy them spiritually by
corrupting them morally and with false doctrines, to take what they had
materially, exhalt themselves, and have them in agreement while being
physically abusive!
Their worship had been polluted with the kind
of wickedness that makes some glad!
(Cf. I Cor. 11:21). They had some getting drunk, partying because
that’s the way they lived! See Paul’s list in I Cor. 5:10-11, 6:8-11.
Jesus cast the money
changers out of the Temple and then warned that what they delighted in would be
destroyed! Read Matt. 21:12-14 and then Matthew 24, Ezk. 24:21. When we read Matt. 21:12-13 it is
good to read the marginal reference to Jeremiah 7:1-15.
Brethren, there is not much difference in
the list in Jeremiah 7:8-10 and the lists in I Cor.
God will
destroy those who delight in iniquity and He will destroy that which they
delight in if they do not repent (Cf. Ezk. 24:21;
Jer. 7:11-15; Rev. 2:5).
By Bob Lovelace