“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; but his
delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His law he meditates day and night.”
Do you end each day in amazement at the blessings in your
life? Even when you are in the midst of
trials, there can still be daily blessings in your life. God opens this introduction to blessings by
telling us what not to do, and He gives us a downward spiral of actions in
walking, standing and sitting that take us away from His blessings.
First of all, He tells us not to walk in the counsel of the
ungodly. What is this counsel and who
are the ungodly? It is what is not of
God. The Lord reminds us in verse 2
about the ‘law of the LORD.’ The law of
the LORD is the entire Bible, and often we hear that we should adhere to the
‘whole counsel of God.’ The entire Word
of God is our godly counsel. Simply put,
any counsel that does not concur with the Word of God, is ungodly counsel. You know it when you have been given advice
that does not agree with the Word of God, and it can come from all kinds of
sources: friends, internet, and television.
Even our own counsel to ourselves can be selfish and ungodly. “What we take at our setting out, and at
every turn, for the guide of our conversation, whether the course of this world
or the word of God, is of material consequence. An error in the choice of our
standard and leader is original and fatal; but, if we be right here, we are in
a fair way to do well.” (Matthew Henry)
Should we chose to walk in the counsel of the ungodly, we
will next find ourselves standing in the path of sinners. “Sinners have a path where they stand, and the righteous man knows he does not
belong on that path. Path speaks
of a way, a road, a direction, and the righteous man is not traveling in the
same direction as sinners.” (David Guzik)
Almost all of the time, to be godly requires taking the road less
traveled. “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way
that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it.” (Matthew 7:13)
In the sinful progression, the next step is to sit in the
seat of the scornful. What do you think
of when you hear the word ‘scornful?’
Some synonyms include: contemptuous, disdainful, disrespectful, mocking,
derisive, disparaging, and sneering. I
have no doubt you have seen scornfulness displayed in attitude, words, and body
language. We all know what it is and I
fear we each may have participated in one form or another. Have you found yourself scornful of other
Christians? This is not of God. Repent and get out of that seat of the
scornful. It will not lead to blessings.
Are you blessed? "Blessed
means supremely happy or fulfilled. In fact, in Hebrew the word is actually a
plural, which denotes either a multiplicity of blessings or an intensification
of them." (Boice) God tells us the
blessed man ‘delights in the law of the LORD.’
Are you at that point? What makes
you delight? What do you desire? The answer to this question will show you
where you are in your relationship with God.
"Man must have some delight, some supreme pleasure. His heart was
never meant to be a vacuum. If not filled with the best things, it will be
filled with the unworthy and disappointing." (Charles Spurgeon)
How is a delight in the Word of God demonstrated? The scripture says the blessed man meditates
on God’s Word day and night. This is not
once in the morning and once in the evening, but all day and all night. And this is not just on Sunday, but every day
of the week. You may read scripture in
the morning and/or evening, but meditation throughout the day, truly pondering the meaning and
application of God’s Word to your life, this is what the blessed man does. What we have found is that when you ponder a
scripture, God will reveal more about that scripture as the day
progresses. He will open your heart and
mind to His truth – and that is most certainly a blessing. Further, keeping the Word of God close to
your heart and mind will protect you from the deception of the evil one. “When you
roam, they will lead you; when you sleep, they will keep you; and when you
awake, they will speak with you. For the
commandment is a lamp, and the law a light; reproofs of instruction are the way
of life,” (Proverbs 6:22-23)
Is meditation on the Word of God day and night hard to do or
time consuming? Not really. The mind will consume itself with
something. Even while you are working
and focused on a task, once you complete that task, your mind will return to
whatever it was pondering before the concentration on the task. What better to fill your mind with than the
Word of God. Have you found your mind
consumed with a worry? Yes, you can
still work and interact with others, but that worry tends to nag at you
throughout the day. It is the same concept. Everyone goes throughout their day with
something on their mind – why not make yours scripture? “If a person delights in something, you don’t
have to beg them to do it or to like it. They will do it all by themselves. You
can measure your delight for the
word of God by how much you hunger for it.” (David Guzik)
God shows us in this first Psalm the resulting difference
between the ungodly man and the godly man.
The godly man “shall be like a
tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season,
whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper.”
(Psalm 1:3) This is a person who is
always connected to the living water, another title for our Lord Jesus. That constant connection allows the godly
person to enjoy a spiritually fruitful life.
Such a person’s spiritual life thrives regardless of the worldly
circumstances, including persecution.
God knows the ways of the righteous person and helps them prosper, not
in a materialistic fashion, but in service that delights the Lord.
Regardless of outward appearances by the ungodly, maybe they
may seem rich and fortunate in the eyes of the world or things always seem to
go their way, scripture shows a sad result of those that chose such a
life. The ungodly man will no longer be
allowed to be in the midst of the congregation.
Though he may be there now, and even be scornful, he will ultimately be
removed. And the sad end to this person
who has rejected God is to perish.
“The different character and condition of godly people and
wicked people, those that serve God and those that serve him not, is here
plainly stated in a few words; so that every man, if he will be faithful to
himself, may here see his own face and then read his own doom. That division of
the children of men into saints and sinners, righteous and unrighteous, the
children of God and the children of the wicked one, as it is ancient, ever
since the struggle began between sin and grace, the seed of the woman and the
seed of the serpent, so it is lasting, and will survive all other divisions and
subdivisions of men into high and low, rich and poor, bond and free; for by
this men’s everlasting state will be determined, and the distinction will last
as long as heaven and hell. Whoever
collected the psalms of David (probably it was Ezra) with good reason put this
psalm first, as a preface to the rest, because it is absolutely necessary to
the acceptance of our devotions that we be righteous before God (for it is only
the prayer of the upright that is his delight), and therefore that we be right
in our notions of blessedness and in our choice of the way that leads to it.
Those are not fit to put up good prayers who do not walk in good ways.” (Matthew Henry)
May you grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and
Savior Jesus Christ.
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