The wicked ... are like
the deaf cobra that
stops its ear
Psalm 58:4
I had to include this verse!
For North Americans, cobras are exotic ... and scary.
Any viper is scary, poisonous, deadly. Cobras are worse. They spread their hoods ominously, threateningly. Some even spit their venom.
But what's this about "stoping [up] its ear"?
Part of the (freaky) exotic nature of the cobra is the (freaky) exotic snake charmer. They play their mystical flute and the poisonous snake raises its evil head.
Who are the wicked? What is the character of their heart? This Psalm answers: "4 They are ... deaf cobra[s, ... 5 they] will not heed the voice of charmers."
I really don't like the metaphor of God or Truth being a Middle Eastern snake charmer. Nevertheless, the image works. Our sinful nature makes us snakes, meaning that our "4 poison is like the poison of a serpent."
And when we do "5 not heed the voice of [God, the] charmer," all we have left is poison. Yes, unbelievers can do nice stuff, but unless we listen to the voice of the charmer -- the voice of Truth and the voice of God -- the poison will eventually and inevitably pour forth.
In Christ's Love,
a guy who is tired of
a world of unlistening snakes
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