Proverbs 11:6-7 – “The righteousness [integrity] of the upright shall deliver them: but transgressors shall be taken in their own naughtiness[the wicked are often entrapped by their own greed]. ⁷ When a wicked man dieth, his expectation[hope] shall perish [the hope of the wicked will die with him]: and the hope of unjust men perisheth.

We live in a world where the wicked seems to prosper and the righteous fails.  Where good men suffer defamation and liars receive promotions.  “Not fair!” I catch myself thinking, but then God’s Word reminds me that His interest is justice, not fairness.  He has promised to vindicate the righteous and punish the wicked—in His time.

The Bible teaches that the nature of God’s judgment upon the wicked is such that He often takes their plots and plans against the righteous and entraps them in their own devices. David made that observation in numerous psalms. For instance:

Psalm 7:15-16 – “He [the wicked] made a pit [trap], and digged it, and is fallen into the ditch which he made. ¹⁶  His mischief shall return upon his own head, and his violent dealing shall come down upon his own pate [head].”

The Book of Esther is a great illustration of a wicked man falling prey to his own sinful schemes.

The historical setting of the Book of Esther is during the reign of Ahasuerus [Xerxes], king of the Median-Persian Empire (Esther 1:1).  Esther, for whom the book is named,  was Queen, although the king was unaware that she was a Jewish maiden (Esther 2:10, 17, 20).  A notorious enemy of the Jews was a man named Haman who plotted the extermination of the Jews (Esther 3:8-9, 13).  Haman ordered that a gallows be erected for the purpose of hanging Mordecai, a righteous Jew (Esther 5:14) who had not only saved the king’s life, but was also Queen Esther’s uncle. Haman’s wicked plot to kill Mordecai turned against him when the king realized his treachery. The king sentenced Haman to hang from the gallows he had prepared for Mordecai’s execution (Esther 7:9-10).

My friend, God has promised He is with the righteous and will give them courage to pass through times of trouble!  Don’t fret and worry over the promotion of the wicked. God is just and the plots of the wicked are often the very means by which He will punish them.

Psalm 2:2-4 – “The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying, ³  Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us. ⁴  He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision.”