⁴ The ungodly are not so,
But are like the chaff which the wind drives away.
⁵ Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment,
Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.

⁶ For the Lord knows the way of the righteous,
But the way of the ungodly shall perish.

My New Spirit-filled Life Study Bible notes ‘perish’ as in Judges 5:31 in Hebrew ‘abad’ means destroy be destroyed, ruined, loss, fail as in ruination of satanic figures, and is derived from ‘Abaddon’ the demonic prince in Rev 9:11. (Perhaps same as what I’d encountered as ‘devourer’, as told in Searching for Truth leads into captivity under sub-head ‘Reality Revealed’.)

And of course, Psalm 2 on The Messiah’s Triumph and Kingdom is about the Lord laughing at all the raging nations plotting in vain and His declaring a Decree about His Son and concluding as follows:

‘Now therefore, be wise, O kings;
Be instructed, you judges of the earth.
¹¹ Serve the Lord with fear,
And rejoice with trembling.
^12 [i]Kiss the Son, lest ^[j]He be angry,
And you perish in the way,
When His wrath is kindled but a little.
Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him.’

TWO EPISTLES

It just so happened upon checking my phone soon afterwards I saw a direct message on The Fear of The Lord had been sent about the time of our devotional from one of the moderators of Prophetic Releasers for UK Revival, Paul Marriott, in which he writes (first two emphases are mine):

“Good morning Richard. Blessings to you my brother in Christ. The Lord has been impressing upon me that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and the fear of man is a snare.
Then He also gave me: 2 Corinthians 5:9-11 English Standard Version Anglicised 9 So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. 10 For we must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.

The Ministry of Reconciliation 11 Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade others. But what we are is known to God, and I hope it is known also to your conscience.

I sense to pray for the fear of the Lord to come heavily upon all sides of the political spectrum. As Paul wrote too in 1 Cor 2 he vowed to know nothing except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. –

Here is that scripture in context: 1 Corinthians 2 English Standard Version Anglicised Proclaiming Christ Crucified 2 And I, when I came to you, brothers,[a] did not come proclaiming to you the testimony[b] of God with lofty speech or wisdom. **2 For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.** 3 And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, 4 and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.

Image Credit: Hand and Puzzle Pieces by Anusorn P. Nachol, courtesy of Freedigitalphotos.net

PS (16:10) Paul adds, “Since we spoke I have just led a Zoom and it is uncanny how up to date these scriptures seem in the light of recent divisions too:

Matthew 6:6 – New King James Version 6 … you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.

2 Timothy 2:1-7 – NIV UK – The appeal renewed 2 You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2 And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others. 3 Join with me in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 4 No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs, but rather tries to please his commanding officer. 5 Similarly, anyone who competes as an athlete does not receive the victor’s crown except by competing according to the rules. 6 The hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops. 7 Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all this.

2 Timothy 2:14-19 – NIV UK – Dealing with false teachers 14 Keep reminding God’s people of these things. Warn them before God against quarrelling about words; it is of no value, and only ruins those who listen. 15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. 16 Avoid godless chatter, because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly. 17 Their teaching will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, 18 who have departed from the truth. They say that the resurrection has already taken place, and they destroy the faith of some. 19 Nevertheless, God’s solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: ‘The Lord knows those who are his,’ and, ‘Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness.’

2 Timothy 2:22-26 – NIV UK – 22 Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. 23 Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. 24 And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. 25 Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, 26 and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.

Acts 28:27; 30-31 – NKJV – 27 For the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, And their eyes they have closed, Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, So that I should heal them.” ’ 30 Then Paul dwelt two whole years in his own rented house, and received all who came to him, 31 preaching the kingdom of God and teaching the things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ with all confidence, no one forbidding him.”

PPS (16:30) Paul replies: “I love how our thinking and leading dovetailed between yours, Nina’s & my own leading(s) this morning and then the fruit of my afternoon scriptures.”