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;
2 but his delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law he meditates day and night.3 He is like a tree
planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers.
4 The wicked are not so,
but are like chaff that the wind drives away.5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
6 for the Lord knows the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish.~ Psalm 1
Blessed is the man…
Did you read that? Blessed is the man…
God promises, here in His Word, to bless the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way (meaning “path”, as in “heading down the same path of”) of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers. Do you see the progression here? Walks, stands, and sits. This is the progression of sin in the life of an unbeliever. The person who walks with those who are against God, are doomed to stop seeking righteousness, and will eventually settle into their own pit of despondence. I know this after learning this same lesson on my own. It is only through the law of God that the mouth of the proud will be stopped. It is only the law of God that can show me the depth of sin before Him. It is only the law of the Lord that will point out to me that I have no recourse, no option other than to turn to Him for my salvation. So, what are the characteristics of a person who refuses to turn from their devotion to God and His written word?
- (vs 3a) He is like a tree, planted by streams of water:
- (vs 3b) that yields its fruit in its season,:
- (vs 3c) and its leaf does not wither
In all that he does, he prospers :
Have you ever seen a tree by a river? I grew up in Denver, on the western edge of the “Great American Desert” – the Plains. The only place you’d ever see trees in great number is around a river or a lake. Other than that, they were always small and not very resilient. The trees found by the rivers and lakes, however, always had large, deep roots and never worried about the storms that would come their way. They were going to be there today, tomorrow, and probably in another hundred and fifty years. These are the trees of stability that are present in the lives of the believers, fed daily by the watering of the Holy Spirit. What does all this watering produce?
FRUIT! Not fruit that you eat, but fruit that’s revealed through your thoughts, words, and deeds. What does the fruit look like? “Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” ~ Galatians 5:22-23. This is what a daily watering of the Holy Spirit through reading the Word of God presents in the lives of the believer. How long will this continue?
FOREVER! The promise of God to those that focus on His word and that spend time meditating on what He has to say to us is that we will never, ever, need to worry about running out of His grace and mercy. For those who daily take time to read His word, He has promised to fill us and that in all that we do, as we will already have our minds on the Kingdom and on His desires for our lives, we will honor that and prosper us in everything that we do.
The problem comes for the unbeliever. The wicked, those who refuse to bend the knee to God and who are already running head-long into Hell, are unable to hold onto anything of any substance. They are controlled by the ever changing winds public opinion and a morality that they form for themselves. Do you think that Hitler thought he would have murdered 6 million Jews if he has thought that it was immoral? Never! In his own mind, however, he was the most moral person he knew. He was, as the captain of this own destiny, the king of his own morality. Don’t for a minute think that he “got away with” anything when he chose to commit suicide, rather than face judgment on this earth for his crimes. God is a perfect judge, who will not let those who try to escape their judgment here off on their crimes. They have sinned far worse for far longer against Him than they ever have against us here on this planet.
“But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur” ~ Revelation 21:8
God has promised that there will be a day of judgment and that those who have been wronged in this life while serving Him will find justice. While those who are chosen by God for salvation are praised and elevated, those who would never take their eyes off of themselves long enough to even seek salvation by God are punished in Hell for eternity. God alone is the one who knows what evil lurks in the heart of mankind. He alone is the one who can see our intentions and judge us for our thoughts, words, and deeds outside of His saving grace. It is He alone who can be the proper and true judge who is never wrong in what He does. At the moment that the last, final sinner is sent from God’s white throne of judgment to the pit of fire and brimstone for all eternity, the whole of Heaven will stand to their feet and erupt in aloud proclamation of praise and honor to God as He is glorified in the execution of His judgment against those who have sinned against Him.