“But the ungodly are like thorn bushes
to be pushed aside, every one of them.
They cannot be taken in one’s hand.
To touch them, one uses a pitchfork or a spear-shaft,
and then only to burn them where they lie.“
-2 Samuel 23:6
From verse 6, the subject of discussion takes a sharp turn downwards.
And when I say “downwards,” I mean that literally, as in a descent into the bowels of hell.
Up until now, we’ve been talking about the characteristics of God’s faithful worshippers.
But from verse 6, the topic switches over to the wicked.
These godless men are described as thorn bushes.
The contrast between the two is sharp.
At the final judgment, the righteous receive salvation, while at the same time, the wicked receive the Lord’s wrath and destruction.
There’s an interesting Hebrew word used for the “ungodly” or “godless men” in our English Bible translations.
You may have heard it before.
It is BELIAL.
You’re probably familiar with this term from the expression, “sons of Belial.”
To be clear, this passage says the thorns themselves are BELIAL.
It doesn’t say the thorns are “sons of Belial.”
The historical background of this term is interesting.
In the beginning, BELIAL was used to describe moral corruption, rebellion against the Lord’s order, and people who undermine covenant life.
Later, during the Second Temple period, the term became more personified.
It began to mean a “leader of darkness,” a “head of evil spirits,” or an “opponent of God’s people.”
Finally, in the New Testament era, the word is treated as a synonym for Satan.
“What harmony is there between Messiah and Belial?”
-2 Corinthians 6:15
When Paul penned that verse, he was drawing from Second Temple Jewish thought.
He was NOT redefining the Hebrew Bible.
The bottom line is that these people are so far gone that their condition is hopeless and decided.
Verse 7 says…
“To touch them, one uses
pitchfork or spear-shaft,
and then only to burn
them where they lie.”
So that’s how wicked they are.
Their presence is so awful, you wouldn’t even wanna touch them with a ten-foot pole.
Here’s the takeaway coming to me today.
There are people out there so thoroughly wicked that they are beyond redemption.
You may not be able to recognize who they are, even after being in a relationship with them for some time.
Yet Scripture is clear.
Not everyone is a victim, and not every relationship is meant to be saved.
Some people are NOT merely broken or confused.
They are destructive by nature.
So David’s warning is not poetic exaggeration.
It’s practical wisdom.
Thorn bushes don’t need counseling.
They don’t respond to gentle handling.
They wound anyone who tries to grasp them.
The only safe response is distance and removal.
The lesson here is that mercy has its place.
But so does separation.
Don’t think every person can be reached.
Some are thorns, not sheep.
And wisdom knows the difference.
Ya feel me?
Done.
CONNECTING THIS TEACHING TO THE NEW TESTAMENT
“Next I saw heaven open,
and there before me
was a white horse standing.
Sitting on it was
the one called Faithful
and True in righteousness.
He passes judgment
and goes out to battle.
His eyes were like
a fiery burning flame,
and on his head
were many royal crowns.
He had a name written
that no one else knew,
known only to himself.
He was wearing a robe
that had been soaked in blood,
and the name he bears
is “THE WORD OF GOD.”
The armies of heaven followed,
clothed in fine linen,
white and pure in splendor,
riding on white horses.
From his mouth comes
a sharp and striking sword
to strike down nations,
and he will rule them
with a staff of iron.
He treads the winepress,
from which flows the wine
of the furious rage
of Adonai, God
of heaven’s mighty armies.
On his robe and thigh
he has a name written:
KING OF KINGS
AND
LORD OF LORDS”
-Revelation 19:11-16
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