The happiness of the godly – the misery of the wicked

Pastor Adam Ashoff gave a sermon on Psalm 1 a couple Sundays ago. He told us that the Psalms were to guide God’s people into worshipping Him.

This particular Psalm reminds us that the path we pursue will determine the place we arrive!

Psalm 1 Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, 2 but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. 3 That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers.

4 Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away. 5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.

6 For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.

This Psalm is a progression. It starts with walking, moves on to standing and then finally sitting. We are not to walk with the wicked. In other words we must be careful of what we allow our mind to be exposed to. We must not let our minds be influenced by unbelievers.

Standing with sinners takes it a step further. This is participating with sinners. Sitting in the company of mockers is deriding and scoffing God along with the unbelievers. It all begins with just being in the company of sinners.

The man who doesn’t go down this path, who stays away from them, will be blessed.

Verse two says the godly man on the right path desires to know the law and God. And even more then that; meditates on His Word.

In verse three the tree was purposely planted near a stream so that it would get strong. We aren’t in the Word by accident; we plant ourselves in His life-giving Word. By doing this we will prosper in doing His work. We will be fruitful for Him when we are fed by His Word.

Verse 4 begins the contrast. The unbeliever’s life is just a passing life. Chaff was separated from grain by tossing both into the air and the chaff was light and blew away: it was worthless. Verse 5 talks about eternity. Unbelievers will not spend it God’s presence. They will perish.