The Happy Wicked

Proverbs 4:16-17

For they cannot sleep unless they have done wrong;
they are robbed of sleep unless they have made someone stumble.
For they eat the bread of wickedness
and drink the wine of violence.

Here we are given insight into the psyche of the wicked. When we come across crime, especially something like vandalism, we ask how someone could do such a thing, as though the perpetrators' conscience should be troubling them. Not only are they not troubled, they are delighted by their mischief. They feel powerful; their self-esteem is strengthened as they accomplish a goal through their ingenuity and skill.

They delight in taking advantage of others. Violence is one means; deception and theft are others. Cheating is honored. For the wicked, these things are achievements. All the more reason to avoid the wicked, both in terms of being victims and in associating with them.

Can the wicked change? God can change anyone. But don't be foolish enough to think that if you hang around in a wicked crowd, you will be the good influence that changes them. More likely they will change you before you realize what is happening, or you will get caught in a compromising situation, or you become their victim.