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28. An ungodly witness scorneth judgment: and the mouth of the wicked devoureth iniquity. {An...: Heb. A witness of Belial}
29. Judgments are prepared for scorners, and stripes for the back of fools.
Justly is the man called a witness of Belial. Satan himself hath suborned him for his own malicious purposes.† Scorning, instead of regarding judgment, his testimony is worthless. He has “cast the law behind his back.” He devours iniquity with greediness, feeds upon it as his proper food, and, sinning without remorse he is always ready to trade in his deceit, either for gain or revenge.
But in this greedy devouring he has swallowed the hook with the bait. For such scorners judgments are prepared. For such fools as thus “make a mock of sin” (Chapter 14:9) — stripes are ready for their backs, often inflicted by men, the instruments of God. Scorners are warned “lest their bands be made strong” (Isaiah 28:22) for judgment, which, however they may despise, they cannot resist. Can thine heart endure, or can thine hands be strong, in the day that I shall deal with thee? Who shall dwell with the devouring fire? Who shall dwell with everlasting burnings? It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.† Oh! that thoughtless, light-minded young persons would lay such words to heart! When they join in the laugh of their more hardened companions, and learn from them to scorn judgment, in spite of the accusings of a conscience not yet silenced; let them tremble, lest from “standing in the way of sinners,” they may go on to “sit in the seat of the scornful” (Psalm 1:1), and may even exceed their companions in despising the threatenings of God.
And when under these slighted judgments, who is to blame for them? ‘Our sin’ — saith Bishop Hall — ‘is our own, and the wages of sin is death. He that doth the work, earns the wages. So then the righteous God is cleared both of our sin and our death. Only his justice pays us what our evil deeds deserve. What a wretched thing is a willful sinner, that will needs be guilty of his own death!’† Blessed — blessed day! should it ever see him bemoaning himself thus — “Thou hast chastised me, and I was chastised, as a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke; turn thou me, and I shall be turned; for thou art the LORD my God.” (Jeremiah 31:18.)
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