January 9
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PSALM 1 – DISTINCTION BETWEEN THE RIGHTEOUS AND THE WICKED
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.
– Psalm1:1-6
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The psalmist gives us a distinction between the wicked and the righteous. He clearly illustrates the manifestation of righteousness in a man. They do not follow the system of the world. They do not tolerate sin but expose them instead. They do not take part in mockery of others or in doing unjust things. They take pleasure in the commands and statutes of the Lord and reflect on it day and night and obey them.
The psalmist gives a picture of the righteous. He likens them to a tree that are near streams of water. They are always bearing fruits in its season. They do not scorch or its leaves never dry up because of the water supply that feeds in its root system. It is healthy because of the proximity to water source which is the food of the tree.
Verses 4-6 describes the wicked. The psalmist illustrates that evil people are like chaff which are the seed coverings and other debris separated from the seed in threshing grain. They are very easily blown away. It gives us an image of a very unstable object that easily gets blown by the wind. It is opposite to the description about the tree planted by the river bank that is so solid in its foundation because of the deep root system. The wicked are shallow and easily swayed and blown away by any movement around it. They are very fickle and unstable. In verse 5, it describes that the wicked cannot stand the judgment. They cannot stand truth because they are full of lies and thrive only in corrupt and worldly ways. They cannot follow the way of God since they are so full of themselves and only concerned with satisfying their cravings and pleasures. What is interesting to know is that the wicked are clueless to the truth because they have been blinded by their own desires and unrighteousness. They cannot get the filters of selfishness out of their minds and hearts. God destroys the ways of the wicked but blesses and prospers the righteous.
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REFLECTION
• Why is wisdom and fruitfulness reserved only for the righteous people of God?