The fundamental distinction between the righteous and the wicked is displayed here. The righteous see the law of God as good, as true, as desirable, as something they DESIRE to obey. They set themselves to walk in the ways of God's commandments because of this desire. It DOES NOT make them righteous, the desire is an outflow of something inside them, of something transformed by the grace of God. The wicked see the Law as something to get around, to avoid, to try and game the system... and in the end, they will ALWAYS stumble over it. But the same thing that is true about the righteous is true about the wicked. Their works don't make them wicked, they do wickedness because that wickedness is already inside then. They do evil because they ARE evil. Jesus was clear about the truth of our natures, telling the crowds who gathered to hear Him that they were evil, that they were guilty, that they needed a Savior. Jeremiah tells us our hearts are dreadfully wicked, that we cannot even know our own hearts! So, how then, do we move from evil, wicked, selfish rebels to righteous, holy, sons of the Most High God? Only through the shed blood of the Lamb of God. God has accepted the sacrifice of Jesus as payment for our sin, so when He calls us to life, and we see Jesus as He is; we cry out for mercy. That cry is the first, precious, needy wail of a newborn heart. And wondrously, along with that awareness of need, comes a desire for everything that God loves. A longing to obey all that He commands, a hunger and a thirst for righteousness, which Christ promises WILL be satisfied!! Beloved, I beg you by the mercies of Christ, be reconciled to God. Find pardon, find hope, find love and forgiveness, find LIFE!!!