Chapter 45
PARABLE OF THE SOILS
(Matthew 13:1-23)
Dear Heavenly Father, Almighty God,
We come before You in the name of Your only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. Holy Father please give us the eyes to see and the ears to hear the things You are teaching us. Please cause us to not only understand and comprehend Your teaching but also, through Your Son Jesus Christ cause it to bring us closer to You. Please fill us with the Holy Spirit and please help us to yield to Him so He can put to death our sinful nature and bring forth His fruits from within us.
Amen
INTRODUCTION
We begin this study by reading the "Parable of the Soils" as it is recorded in,
Matthew 13:3-8
"[3] Then he told them many things in parables, saying: "A farmer went out to sow his seed. [4] As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. [5] Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. [6] But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. [7] Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. [8] Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop--a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown."
Let now us read Jesus' explanation of the above parable as it is recorded in,
Matthew 13:18-23
""[18] Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: [19] When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown along the path. [20] The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. [21] But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away. [22] The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful. [23] But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.""
To expand upon what our Lord Jesus Christ is teaching us we will,
1. Look into the New Testament to find an example for each type of soil.
2. We will also review the "Parable of the Barren Fig Tree."
THE FOUR TYPES OF SOILS
The first soil Jesus talked about was
THE SOIL BESIDE THE ROAD OR PATHWAY
To review what Jesus said about this soil let us read from,
Matthew 13:19
"[19] When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown along the path."
Let us now read Jesus' explanation as it is recorded in,
Luke 8:12
"[12] Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved."
For an example of this type of soil we look to Judas of Iscariot. It is noted that up until his betrayal, Judas, along with the rest of the apostles, participated in the ministry Jesus gave them. Thus,
Judas heard and listened to Jesus teach
For example, Judas was present when Jesus gave His sermon on the mountain side. To see this let us read the introduction to Jesus’ sermon as recorded in,
Matthew 5:1-2
"[1] Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, [2] and he began to teach them, saying:"
The New Testament also teaches us that,
Judas healed the sick
To see this let us read from,
Matthew 10:1-4
"[1] He called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal every disease and sickness. [2] These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon (who is called Peter) and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John; [3] Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; [4] Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him."
Unfortunately, what Jesus said about the soil beside the road or pathway became a reality for Judas of Iscariot. Toward the end of Jesus' ministry, we find that Satan entered Judas' heart and took away all that Jesus had sown. This is recorded in,
Luke 22:1-6
"[1] Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread, called the Passover, was approaching, [2] and the chief priests and the teachers of the law were looking for some way to get rid of Jesus, for they were afraid of the people. [3] Then Satan entered Judas, called Iscariot, one of the Twelve. [4] And Judas went to the chief priests and the officers of the temple guard and discussed with them how he might betray Jesus. [5] They were delighted and agreed to give him money. [6] He consented, and watched for an opportunity to hand Jesus over to them when no crowd was present."
The next soil Jesus talked about was,
THE SOIL ON ROCKY PLACES
To refresh our memories let us reread,
Matthew 13:20-21
"[20] The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. [21] But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away."
For an example of this type of soil, we look to the city of Jerusalem. Prior to the great Feast of Passover and Unleavened Bread Jesus entered the city of Jerusalem. As Jesus entered the city a great multitude welcomed Him with joy and admiration. To see this let us read about Jesus' entry as recorded in,
John 12:12-19
"[12] The next day the great crowd that had come for the Feast heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. [13] They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, "Hosanna! " "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" "Blessed is the King of Israel!" [14] Jesus found a young donkey and sat upon it, as it is written, [15] "Do not be afraid, O Daughter of Zion; see, your king is coming, seated on a donkey's colt." [16] At first his disciples did not understand all this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these things had been written about him and that they had done these things to him. [17] Now the crowd that was with him when he called Lazarus from the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to spread the word. [18] Many people, because they had heard that he had given this miraculous sign, went out to meet him. [19] So the Pharisees said to one another, "See, this is getting us nowhere. Look how the whole world has gone after him!""
Let us notice the following verses,
13 ... The multitude took branches of palm trees to greet Jesus. This custom of placing palm branches on the path of an arriving visitor was a demonstration of great respect, admiration, and joy. This custom was usually reserved for the arrival of a great king. In this case, the crowd declared and received Jesus as their King, which would be the King of Israel.
15-16 ... Through the prophet Zechariah, God had foretold this would happen. In other words, God foretold that at this time the multitude would realize Jesus Christ was their King.
19 ... Upon witnessing all these things, the Pharisees made the observation that everyone was receiving Jesus with joy and thanksgiving.
Unfortunately, for most of the people in Jerusalem this joy and jubilation was short lived. Submitting to the pressure of the chief priests, many of the people living in Jerusalem betrayed their King and demanded Pilate to crucify Jesus to death. To see this let us read from,
Mark 15:6-15
"[6] Now it was the custom at the Feast to release a prisoner whom the people requested. [7] A man called Barabbas was in prison with the insurrectionists who had committed murder in the uprising. [8] The crowd came up and asked Pilate to do for them what he usually did. [9] "Do you want me to release to you the king of the Jews?" asked Pilate, [10] knowing it was out of envy that the chief priests had handed Jesus over to him. [11] But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have Pilate release Barabbas instead. [12] "What shall I do, then, with the one you call the king of the Jews?" Pilate asked them. [13] "Crucify him!" they shouted. [14] "Why? What crime has he committed?" asked Pilate. But they shouted all the louder, "Crucify him!" [15] Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. He had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified."
Let us notice the following verse,
11 ... It was the pressure applied by the chief priests that stirred up the people to ask for Jesus' death.
One might ask as to what kind of pressure could the chief priests apply that would cause the people to betray the very one whom they earlier proclaimed to be their King? The answer to this question is found in,
John 12:42
"[42] Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in him. But because of the Pharisees they would not confess their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue;"
In other words, the people were threatened by excommunication from the Temple services and feasts. This not only meant the loss of friendship and social acceptance but most importantly it meant they no longer had, what was taught and believed to be, the only way to receive forgiveness for their sins. Hence, for the Israelites, at the time of Christ, this pressure or ultimatum from the chief priests was very serious and extremely severe.
Thus, as Jesus explained, those who are on the rocky soil receive the Word of God with great joy. However, under affliction or persecution these folks will quickly fall away.
The third type of soil Jesus talked about was,
THE SOIL AMONG THORNS, WHICH IS WEEDS
To refresh our memory soil let us read from,
Matthew 13:22
"[22] The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful."
To expand upon this type of soil let us now read how it is written in,
Luke 8:14
"[14] The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life's worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature."
For an example of this type of soil we go to the conversation Jesus once had with a certain wealthy ruler.
Luke 18:18-27
"[18] A certain ruler asked him, "Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" [19] "Why do you call me good?" Jesus answered. "No one is good--except God alone. [20] You know the commandments: 'Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother.'" [21] "All these I have kept since I was a boy," he said. [22] When Jesus heard this, he said to him, "You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." [23] When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was a man of great wealth. [24] Jesus looked at him and said, "How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! [25] Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." [26] Those who heard this asked, "Who then can be saved?" [27] Jesus replied, "What is impossible with men is possible with God.""
Let us notice the following verses,
18 ... The ruler asked Jesus about how he could receive eternal life.
20 ... After hearing the ruler's question, Jesus responded by telling him to keep all the commandments.
21 ... The ruler confessed to Jesus that from his youth he did keep all the commandments. However, from reading the Holy Scriptures, we find that either the ruler was deceived into thinking he was perfect before God or he was lying. To see this let us read what God has to say about this matter. To do this let us read from:
Romans 3:10-18
"[10] As it is written: "There is no one righteous, not even one; [11] there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. [12] All have turned away; they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one." [13] "Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit." "The poison of vipers is on their lips." [14] "Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness." [15] "Their feet are swift to shed blood; [16] ruin and misery mark their ways, [17] and the way of peace they do not know." [18] "There is no fear of God before their eyes.""
Let us now return to the Gospel according to Luke notice the following verse,
22 ... Jesus responded to the ruler's self-righteous profession by telling him that he needed one more thing which is to sell all of his possessions and give the proceeds to the poor.
23 ... The wealthy ruler was too entangled by his riches and the associated cares of this world and hence, he could not give them up.
Before we may have a misunderstanding of the Scripture, let us address the following question: “Does Jesus mean that to inherit eternal life we are to sell all our possessions and give the proceeds to the poor?” The answer to this question is no. To see this, let us review the following two Biblical principles.
The first principle is recorded in,
Matthew 6:21
[21] For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
The second principle, which is similar to the first, is recorded in,
Matthew 6:24
[24] “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.
With these two principles in mind let us now read the command Paul gave to Timothy to give to those who are rich. His instruction is recorded in,
1 Timothy 6:17-19
[17] Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. 18] Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, [19] storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.
We now return to Luke to explore the following verses,
24-25 ... Jesus used this moment to point out how hard it is for those who are entangled with riches and cares of this world to enter into God's Kingdom.
27 ... In response to His disciples' question of: "Who can be saved?" Jesus said: "What is impossible with men is possible with God." In other words, only God can bring us or grant us eternal life.
The fourth and last soil Jesus talked about was,
THE GOOD SOIL
To refresh our memories we go to,
Matthew 13:23
"[23] But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.""
To expand upon what Jesus said we go to Luke and read from,
Luke 8:15
"[15] But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop."
For an example of this type of soil let us look to the Apostle Peter. While our Lord Jesus Christ was still physically here upon this earth
Peter understood that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God
To see this, let us read about the time when Jesus asked His disciples what the people were saying about Him and who He is. To do this we read from,
Matthew 16:13-17
"[13] When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say the Son of Man is?" [14] They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets." [15] "But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?" [16] Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." [17] Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven."
Let us notice the following verses.
16 ... Peter understood exactly who Jesus was and is.
17 ... The implication of what Jesus told Peter is that man alone, that is with his own reasoning or intellect, can not understand who He is. Only God the Father can reveal to us who Jesus Christ really is. Remember in our previous study (Chapter 44) we discovered that only God Himself can open our eyes, our ears, and our heart to understand the mysteries of His Kingdom.
It is noted that before Peter became a born-again believer in Jesus Christ he denied his Lord and Savior three times. This is recorded in,
Luke 22:54-62
[54] Having arrested Him, they led Him and brought Him into the high priest’s house. But Peter followed at a distance. [55] Now when they had kindled a fire in the midst of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat among them. [56] And a certain servant girl, seeing him as he sat by the fire, looked intently at him and said, “This man was also with Him.” [57] But he denied Him, saying, “Woman, I do not know Him.”[58] And after a little while another saw him and said, “You also are of them.” But Peter said, “Man, I am not!” [59] Then after about an hour had passed, another confidently affirmed, saying, “Surely this fellow also was with Him, for he is a Galilean.”[60] But Peter said, “Man, I do not know what you are saying!”Immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed. [61] And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had said to him, “Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” [62] So Peter went out and wept bitterly.
However, after Peter became a born-again believer in Jesus Christ,
The Apostle Peter persevered in his faith
For an example of Peter's perseverance, we read about the time when the high priest along with his associates had Peter and the other apostles placed in a public jail. This event is recorded for us in,
Acts 5:17-29
"[17] Then the high priest and all his associates, who were members of the party of the Sadducees, were filled with jealousy. [18] They arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail. [19] But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail and brought them out. [20] "Go, stand in the temple courts," he said, "and tell the people the full message of this new life." [21] At daybreak they entered the temple courts, as they had been told, and began to teach the people. When the high priest and his associates arrived, they called together the Sanhedrin--the full assembly of the elders of Israel--and sent to the jail for the apostles. [22] But on arriving at the jail, the officers did not find them there. So they went back and reported, [23] "We found the jail securely locked, with the guards standing at the doors; but when we opened them, we found no one inside." [24] On hearing this report, the captain of the temple guard and the chief priests were puzzled, wondering what would come of this. [25] Then someone came and said, "Look! The men you put in jail are standing in the temple courts teaching the people." [26] At that, the captain went with his officers and brought the apostles. They did not use force, because they feared that the people would stone them. [27] Having brought the apostles, they made them appear before the Sanhedrin to be questioned by the high priest. [28] "We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name," he said. "Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man's blood." [29] Peter and the other apostles replied: "We must obey God rather than men!"
Let us notice the following verse,
19-20 ... After an angel set the apostles free, he told them to go to the Temple and continue preaching the good news about Jesus Christ.
21 ... At the break of dawn, in the obedience to the angel's command, the apostles went to the Temple, in plain view of everyone (see verse 25), to preach and teach the Word of God.
27 ... The apostles were again brought before the high priest and the Sanhedrin.
28 … Again, the high priest ordered them to not teach about the good news of Jesus Christ.
29 ... Notice what Peter and the other apostles said in response to the high priest's command. Specifically, they told the high priest and the Sanhedrin: "We must obey God rather than men." And so it should it be with us!
OBSERVATION
In all the above examples, we read about people who saw Jesus, heard Him teach, witnessed, and even participated in His miracles. Yet, we read many were not of the good soil. Why? And “How does one become the good soil?
The key to the answer for these questions lies within,
THE PARABLE OF THE BARREN FIG TREE
Before we read about the parable of the barren fig tree, it is noted that: (1) the fig tree and the soil it is planted in represents you and me, (2) the vineyard represents the earth, (3) the caretaker of the vineyard represents Jesus and (4) the digging and fertilizer represents the Holy Spirit. With this in mind, let us now read from,
Luke 13:6-9
"Then he told this parable: "A man had a fig tree, planted in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it, but did not find any. [7] So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, 'For three years now I've been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven't found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?' [8] "'Sir,' the man replied, 'leave it alone for one more year, and I'll dig around it and fertilize it. [9] If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.'""
Thus, we find that in order for us to bear good fruit our soil must be tilled and fertilized.
In reading the New Testament we discover that those of us who are true born-again believers in Jesus Christ have tilled and fertilized soil. In other words, as believers or disciples of Jesus Christ we have been prepared by God, through the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit, to bear good fruit. To see this let us read from,
Ephesians 2:1-10
"[1] As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, [2] in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. [3] All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. [4] But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, [5] made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions--it is by grace you have been saved. [6] And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, [7] in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. [8] For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- [9] not by works, so that no one can boast. [10] For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."
Let us notice the following verses,
1-3 ... Prior to our new birth we were dead in our trespasses and sins.
8a ... It is by God's sovereign Grace we have been saved through faith.
8b-9 ... Our salvation is a gift from God. It is not something we can accomplish by our own works or efforts.
10 ... The born-again believers are God's workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works, that is bring forth good fruit.
However, even though we may have had our soil tilled and fertilized, it is still possible we are not bearing good fruit. To see this let us reread the following passage from the parable of the barren fig tree,
Luke 13:8-9
""'[8] Sir,' the man replied, 'leave it alone for one more year, and I'll dig around it and fertilize it. [9] If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.'""
Notice the last portion of verse 9. Specifically, if the tree still does not bear good fruit, after it has been tilled and fertilized, then it will be cut down.
Another witness to the truth of what we just read is found in the Parable of the Vine. To read it let us go to,
John 15:1-8
""[1] I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. [2] He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. [3] You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. [4] Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. [5] "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. [6] If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. [7] If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. [8] This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples."
Let us notice the following verses,
1 ... In this parable Jesus is the vine and God the Father is the vine keeper or gardener.
2 ... In this parable those who claim to be disciples of Jesus Christ are the branches. Notice, the branches that do not bear good fruit are cut off. However, the branches that bear good fruit are pruned so they can bear even more good fruit.
4-5 ... Unless we abide in Jesus Christ, that is if we stray away from Him, we can not bear good fruit. In other words, Jesus is telling us that apart from Him we can not do anything of eternal value.
6 ... Those who do not remain in Christ are cast into the fire and burned.
7 ... Those who do abide in Christ can ask whatever they wish, and it will be given to them. The reason for this is because those who abide in Christ will only wish or ask for things that are in harmony with God's will. To see this let us consider what is written in,
1 John 5:13-15
"[13] I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life. [14] This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. [15] And if we know that he hears us--whatever we ask--we know that we have what we asked of him."
In returning to the parable of the vine let us notice the following verse,
8 ... By bearing much good fruit we glorify God the Father and prove to be true disciples of Jesus Christ.
Given the seriousness of this; “How do I know whether or not I am the Lord's and bearing good fruit?” The answer to this question is given in,
2 Peter 1:2-8
"[2] Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. [3] His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. [4] Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. [5] For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; [6] and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; [7] and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. [8] For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Let us notice the following verses,
3 ... God has given the true-born again believers everything that pertains to life and godliness.
4 ... The born-again believer in Jesus Christ became partakers of the divine nature. In other words, God the Holy Spirit lives within them and through their faith in Jesus Christ they are now sons of God. To see this let us read from,
Galatians 3:26
"[26] You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus,"
Consequently, by yielding to the Holy Spirit, the born-again believer can now put to death the lusts of the flesh. To see this let us read from,
Romans 8:13-14
"[13] For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, [14] because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God."
This does not mean that the born-again believer will now live a perfect, sinless life. However, it does mean that for the born-again believer the fruits of the Holy Spirit should be present and growing. To see this let us now consider the following verses from Chapter 1 of 2 Peter,
5-7 ... Within these verses, the Holy Spirit provides us with a list of the good fruits a born-again believer should be producing.
8a … However, these fruits may not be perfected. This is implied in the second portion of verse 8.
8b … If these fruits are present in your life and are growing or increasing, then all is well. In other words, we are not unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
SUMMARY
To summarize the message or point of this study, we go to,
2 Peter 1:9-11
[9] But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins. [10] Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall, [11] and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."
CLOSING
Let us now close this study by reading the following Psalm,
Psalm 1:1-6
"[1] Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. [2] But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. [3] He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers. [4] Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away. [5] Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. [6] For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish."
Blessed be the Lord forever,
Amen and Amen