The Righteous and the Wicked

"Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful" (Psalm. 1:1).

The First Psalm is one of my favorites because of the way that it simply and clearly contrasts the difference between a righteous person and a wicked one. This Psalm contains an abundance of information about the two types of persons within its six verses of poetic structure. They are described both literally and figuratively; as are their attitudes, actions and respective destinies. In fact, the first and last words of this Psalm point out what is waiting for the righteous and wicked.

The righteous will be “blessed” and the wicked will “perish”. I must mention here that there is so much that can be learned from this particular Psalm that I could not possibly discuss it all today. Instead, I will concentrate only on verse 1 and attempt to concisely dissect it.

Looking at verse 1, “Blessed” signifies complete happiness. It is used here to convey that complete happiness can be found by turning away from certain unrighteous activities, such as walking “in the counsel of the wicked”, standing “in the way of sinners”, and sitting “in the seat of mockers”. How much we avoid these activities determines the extent of our true happiness. Since none of completely avoids doing these things, none of us will experience true happiness.

The words “walking”, “standing”, and “sitting” describe the three postures of man as he carries on his daily life. What this means is that if all of these actions are performed in an unrighteous manner, the direction of one’s entire life is affected.

Note the progression of the actions. One “walks” least frequent; one “stands” a little more often; one “sits” most often. The three activities appear to form a progression in a person’s life from infrequent to repeated engagement in unrighteous activity.

Lastly, focus your attention on the accomplices of the unrighteous activities: "the wicked", "the sinners", and "the mockers". Do you see the progression? The wicked are those who knowingly violate the command of God. Sinners are those whose way of life falls short of the Godly standard. Many do not even know they violate God's command. Mockers are those who openly show their contempt for God's law. They not only stumble through the law, they despise it.

What does this mean for us? We must stay alert! Remember, the path to unrighteousness is progressive. You don't fall into unrighteousness overnight. First you participate, then habituate, then dwell; one stumbles then sins then mocks. Don't go there! Turn around before its too late!

Let's pray:

Praise the Lord, faraway space,
glorify God,
every home and family!
For God has brought us to the beginning of this day,
and God will see us to its end.

Praise the Lord, world of today,
come with your blessings;
come with your struggles. Amen

Praise the Lord!

Robyn