The wicked are not the heathen and the godless living apart from the church of Christ. As part of the Old Testament, the Psalms were not addressed to the heathen nations. In addition to being the praises from God’s people, the Psalms are also a warning against people who claim to be part of God’s covenant people, but will not honour the Lord God. They want to throw off the chains of God’s love and care. They want to live separately from God; they want to be liberated from God. Such people will persecute the righteous who see their binding to God as salvation and freedom and life. The righteous rejoice in God’s love and presence. The wicked flee from the face of the Lord and do not rejoice in the Lord and his presence. We hear about them in the Psalms as the sinners, evildoers, enemies of the Lord, those who take pleasure in evil, men of blood, rebels against God, the liars, those who do not love justice, those that forget God, the arrogant, those from whom God’s laws are far, those whose mouth is full of curses, lies, and threats, those who ambush the innocent, etc.
1 Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers;