Psalm 36

Part 1 of 3

Verses 1-4

For the director of music. Of David the servant of the Lord.



1 An oracle is within my heart

concerning the sinfulness of the wicked:

There is no fear of God before his eyes.

2 For in his own eyes he flatters himself too much to detect or hate his sin.

3 The words of his mouth are wicked and deceitful; he has ceased to be wise and to do good.

4 Even on his bed he plots evil;

he commits himself to a sinful course and does not reject what is wrong.

David is writing, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit an observation of just how evil the human heart can be.

He says there’s no fear of God in their eyes and they are so blinded by their own pride they do not detect their own sin.

Instead of being wise, as verse 3 says, the evil-doer’s mouth is filled with wickedness and he’s a liar.

Even as he sleeps he wishes evil on others and is so blinded by evil that he doesn’t even consider what he’s doing as wrong.

Sounds like us sometimes…so blinded by our own self-ambition and pride that we do not even reject our own sin. As Jesus told us in Matthew 7:5 “You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”

Look again at verse 3: The words of his mouth are wicked and deceitful;

What a sharp contrast to Psalm 19:14:

May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.