Midrash Tehillim, a collection of rabbinic teachings on the Book of Psalms, delves into this very question, and it's not a pretty picture. It paints a portrait of active, almost desperate, malice. It's not enough for the wicked to simply be wicked, according to this midrash. No, they actively seek wickedness.
The text opens with a chilling image: "For he looked at him with his eyes to find his answer to hate." Imagine that. Scouring someone, not for connection, not for understanding, but for fuel for hatred. That initial spark of malice then ignites a whole process.
The wicked, it continues, "look in their eyes and search with their hands, and ponder in their hearts to find some sin that the Holy One, blessed be He, hates for them to do." It’s as if they’re on a mission, a twisted quest to discover what is most offensive to the Divine and then… embrace it. Deuteronomy 12:31 echoes this sentiment: "For every abomination of the Lord, which He hates, they have done."
Woe to the wicked, the Midrash laments, "for they are all iniquity and deceit and do not do truth between man and his fellow." It's a complete corruption, permeating every aspect of their being. Their words, their actions, even their thoughts, are tainted. "Their words are iniquity and deceit, and they ponder iniquity and lie on their bed and think iniquity."
Psalm 36:5, quoted here, reinforces this: "He devises iniquity upon his bed." Even in the supposed quiet of rest, the wicked mind churns, plotting, scheming, reveling in darkness. It is a 24/7 commitment to evil.
And perhaps the most heartbreaking part? "How he stands on a path that is not good!" The Midrash emphasizes that we are given a choice. "He gave them two paths, one good and one evil, and they abandon the good and walk in the evil." It's not a matter of ignorance or circumstance, but a deliberate rejection of the good.
Solomon, in Proverbs 2:13-14, captures the same tragic truth: "Those who leave the paths of uprightness to walk in the ways of darkness; who delight in doing evil." The wicked delight in it. They find pleasure in the pain and suffering they inflict.
This passage from Midrash Tehillim isn't just a description of wickedness; it's a warning. A warning about the seductive power of darkness, the importance of actively choosing good, and the devastating consequences of succumbing to the lure of evil. It begs us to ask ourselves: what path are we truly on? Are we actively seeking good, or are we, even unconsciously, allowing the seeds of darkness to take root within us?