Psalms 36:4

Psalms 36:4 says, “He deviseth mischief upon his bed; he setteth himself in a way that is not good; he abhorreth not evil.”

Psalms chapter 36 is a Psalm which gives us detail about the character of wicked men in the first 4 verses and then the mercy of God is talked about. In these first 4 verses the first characteristic given regarding the depravity of men is pride. The last characteristic given here in verse 4 has to do with the workings of the mind, or what a person thinks about, how a person thinks.

The 3 key words to notice in this verse are the words: “deviseth”, “setteth”, and “abhorreth”. The word devise is a word that means to reckon, to calculate, to count, to do cunningly. It is the idea of premediation in one’s actions.

In the legal system in our country the worst crimes are considered to be the ones in which a person premeditates their actions such pre-meditated murder. This type of premeditated thinking is what is being described here in Psalms 36:4. This kind of a premeditating evil mind is exactly the characteristic that had become common to all men in the world except for Noah and his family in the days when God destroyed the world with a flood. Genesis 6:5 says, “And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was evil continually.”

The mind is only going to work two ways. It is either going to calculate and premeditate based on the promises of God, the Bible, or it is going to do so in such a way that, “every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was evil continually.”

Consider these verses, on the mind and how the mind should function. Romans 7:25 says, “I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.” Romans 12:2 says, “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” Hebrews 8:10 says, “For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the LORD; I will put my laws into their minds, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people.”

With the mind I myself serve the law of God. Be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind. Jesus wants to put his word and his promises into the mind and into the heart. The word “deviseth” used here in Psalms 36:4 is a word that means to compute. The mind is a computer. It stores information. And that information effects how it functions.

Of course knowledge itself is not enough. Without Christ man is dead in sins. Until a person has repented of their sins and turned to Jesus there is only one way to describe how their mind works. Psalms 36:4, “He deviseth mischief upon his bed; he setteth himself in a way that is not good; he abhorreth not evil.”

The word “deviseth” is a very interesting word because it helps us to understand not only how the human mind works but also how the mind of God functions. Galatians 3:6 says, “Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” Genesis 15:6 says, “And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.” In this verse the word deviseth is translated counted.

To understand how the human mind should work we can look to how the mind of God works, because man was created in the image of God. Man is the clay and God is potter. And by repenting of your sins and trusting in Christ you will become the workmanship of God just as it says in Ephesians 2:10, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”

The calculating, the premeditating, the predestinating of God is to work in the hearts and minds of men to soften their hearts towards the Bible and to get them to repent of their sins and trust in Jesus Christ for salvation. This is how the mind of God works. God planned out before the before the foundation of the world that He would send his only begotten son, Jesus Christ to die on the cross for the sins of the world. God planned out the giving His Word over the course of some 1500 years so that man might learn of all the spiritual blessings of eternal life and redemption provided through the blood of Christ. This is the premeditating of God. God has a plan and God wants every man to be part of that wonderful plan of his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself.

Psalms 36:4 says, “He deviseth mischief upon his bed; he setteth himself in a way that is not good; he abhorreth not evil.”

Now consider the word “setteth”. This word means, ‘to take a stand.’ Habakkuk 2:1 says, “I will stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower, and will watch to see what he will say unto me, and what I shall answer when I am reproved.”

In this verse in Habakkuk the word is used in reference to listening to God’s Word, receiving’s God Word, and teaching God’s Word. There are only two kinds of people in this world: those who “setteth himself in a way that is not good” and those who do their part in the spreading of the truth.

The word “abhorreth” is a word that means to, ‘reject’ or to, ‘choose.’ Joshua 25:15 says, “And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house we will serve the LORD.”

The wicked men of this world prefer the pride of their own sins instead of faith in the promises of God. They premeditate evil in their minds how they might oppose the truth of God’s Word and the gospel of Jesus Christ. They praise manipulating as intelligence. And they abhor not evil. They choose evil and they reject the truth because they refuse to repent of their sins. When they lay themselves down to sleep at night instead of thinking of and thanking God for His mercy which is found in Jesus Christ they premeditate the evil which they will do the next day.

Despite how great the depravity of man can be Psalms 36:5 says, “Thy mercy, O LORD, is in the heavens; and thy faithfulness reacheth unto the clouds.”

How great the depravity of man can be. This is why it is good to remember the mercy and the faithfulness of the LORD Jesus Christ. All men are sinners. And even we whom have turned from our sins to Jesus Christ were at one no different than the lost of this world. Ephesians 2:2-3 says, “Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.”

Mercy means not getting what we deserve. The wages of sin is death, eternal death in the flames of hell where there is nothing but suffering and separation from God. This is what all men deserve for their wickedness. But the Bible says in Ephesians 2:4-9, “But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”

Mercy is not getting what we deserve. Those whom turn from their sins to Jesus receive what Christ deserves all spiritual blessing in heavenly places because Christ received what we deserved, the eternal sufferings of hell as punishment for sin. That is mercy and that is grace. This is the faithfulness of God; the faithfulness of God in fulfilling and keeping his promises. And the faithfulness of God in His everlasting love which He has premeditatingly offered unto men through His only begotten Son Jesus Christ.

Psalms 36:5 says, “Thy mercy, O LORD, is in the heavens; and thy faithfulness reacheth unto the clouds.” Clouds symbolize the presence of God. Mercy and faithfulness go together. The mercy of God shows the faithfulness of God because Jesus is the faithful witness. The transgression of the wicked can be very great. But the mercy of God through Jesus is always proven greater for those whom repent of their sins and turn to Jesus for salvation. “Choose you this day whom ye will serve. But as for me and my house we will serve the LORD.”

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