Psalm one is about two ways to live: The righteous and the unrighteous, the good and the wicked, as a saint or sinner, the godly and the ungodly. This Psalm contrasts the two.
“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful.
Blessed is he whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law, he meditates day and night. He’ll be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, which brings forth fruit in season, and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does shall prosper.
The wicked, the ungodly, are not so. They are like the chaff which the wind blows away. Therefore, the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.
For the Lord knows, He watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall perish.”
The Psalm starts out saying: Blessed, happy, content, joyous, is the individual who:
- “Does not walk in the counsel of the ungodly”. Those who do not listen to the advice of evil people. We must ask, to whom do we go for advice?
- “Nor stands in the path of sinners”, keeps company with those who think and practice evil. It was Paul who said “evil company corrupts good character.”
- “Nor sits in the seat of the scornful”, those who make fun of God, His Word and work. Not only are we not to scorn His Word, we must not scorn His work, His daily blessings. Some people see the negative in everything and everybody. The Psalmist is saying: Don’t go there, don’t sit in that seat, count your blessings, see the good and praise God for the good… Amen?
So… The righteous man does not walk in the counsel of the ungodly. He doesn’t walk with sinners. He doesn’t scorn God’s Word or blessings, but delights in the law of the Lord, the way of the Lord. Law in the Psalms is used to speak of all of God’s Word, not just the Ten Commandments.
This delight causes the righteous to meditate, to ponder, to think, about God’s Word. Spurgeon was found saying: “To meditate here is like a cow chewing its cud – It’s getting all the spiritual sweetness and nutritive value from the Word into the heart and into life.” Such applying God’s Word to life makes the righteous person strong like a tree by the river. The life of the righteous is always refreshing and green, never dull and dry. You see, when we apply God’s Word to life, it causes us to bear fruit. We might be prompted to ask: What’s the fruit? What is the fruit of a righteous person?
I think we know, don’t we? “The fruit of the Spirit, the fruit of a righteous life is: :Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”
The Psalmist goes on to say: “Whatever this righteous individual does shall prosper.” He’s not saying: He or she will have a “Midas Touch,” so as to become rich, but that their righteousness will be a blessing to all, to everything and everybody they touch. Someone has pointed out that…
The Tree is the Christian…
The Water is the Word…
The Fruit is the Fruit of the Spirit…
And the Leaves are the Christian’s acts of righteousness.
Now the contrast! These things are not for the ungodly, the wicked, the sinner. Instead of being strong, stable, and a blessing, like a well-watered tree, they are driven like chaff in the wind. When you throw a scoop of wheat or oats into the wind, the trash, the chaff, is light and is blown away. The grain falls to be caught and used. When judgment day comes, and it will: the wicked, the unrighteous, the ungodly will not stand with God’s people, with His congregation, His family, the church.
“For the Lord knows the Way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly will perish.” For the Lord knows the Way of the righteous. I think it’s interesting to note that at least four times in the Book of Acts, Christianity is spoken of as “the WAY.” Saints, the righteous, the godly, are called “Those of the Way.”
So, the question becomes: What way are we on?– The way of the righteous, or the way of the ungodly?