The Righteous And The Wicked. Abridged.

THE RIGHTEOUS AND THE WICKED.

Psalm 1:1-6.

The Book of Psalms begins with a benediction. Psalm 1 then proceeds to declare who are the righteous and who the wicked, along with their separate destinations.

PSALM 1:1. The blessing is literally, “Oh the happiness!” We are put in mind, of course, of the Beatitudes taught by Jesus in Matthew 5:3-12. Yet the happy man is not seen first in what he does, but rather in what he does not do. The contrast with the wicked is intended from the very beginning.

People complain that God’s commandments are full of negative commands: ‘You shall not…’ However, the usual state of man since the Fall of Adam is one of disobedience to God. It is only natural that we should use man in his estate of sin and misery as a contrast to what man should be, and what the “righteous” man is.

We see the blessed man refusing to enter into the postures of the wicked. Whether he walks, stands or sits, he is not numbered with them in their negative attitudes. They are without God, and God has given them over to sin. Their “seat” is the chair of bold irreverence.

PSALM 1:2. The righteous man is described as one who delights in the law of the LORD. This is to place our confidence in the Scriptures of God, and in the God of the Scriptures. When we are clothed with Christ, God looks upon us and sees not our sins, but the very righteousness of Christ (cf. Psalm 119:1).

Only after this great transaction can we even begin to “delight in the law of the LORD.” It is well to make the Scriptures our constant study. If we are truly His it will be no drudgery, but rather a delight.

PSALM 1:3. The present state of the blessed man is described as being “like” a tree planted by the riverside (cf. Jeremiah 17:7-8). The basis of our blessedness is seen to arise from our faith, our trust in Christ. Being ‘rooted and grounded in Him’ (cf. Ephesians 3:17; Colossians 2:7) we find that we are protected from the forces which would otherwise wither our Christian lives.

To be planted is to take root, to have a permanent residence. Those who are rooted in Christ are irrigated by His Spirit, and bring forth fruit for Christ (cf. John 15:1-10). All that we do for His glory will prosper. The man who pursues holiness will find not only what he sought, but will also incidentally find true joy and everlasting happiness.

PSALM 1:4. The conduct of the wicked is seen to be contrary to that which typifies the righteous. They delight rather in those negative postures and attitudes enumerated in PSALM 1:1.

The wicked are not really happy. The man who uses all his energy in the pursuit of happiness will never really find it. The reaper in Israel uses the wind to separate the chaff from the grain. Thus shall it be for those who seek not God: they will be driven away and separated forever from the righteous (cf. Matthew 13:30).

PSALM 1:5. The contrast between the righteous and the wicked is now stood upon its head. The righteous “stand” as those acquitted, those accepted by God. The wicked made his choice in this life to “stand in the way of sinners” (back in PSALM 1:1). His destiny (here in PSALM 1:5) is that he “shall not stand in the judgment.” The sinners scoffed at the righteous, but now they find themselves excluded from “the congregation of the righteous.”

This eternal separation of the wicked from the righteous is taught throughout the Scriptures (cf. Matthew 25:46; Revelation 22:14-15).

PSALM 1:6. By way of encouragement for the godly we are told that “the LORD knows the way of the righteous.” Perhaps at times we are cast down, burdened in the midst of trials. The LORD knows, and is present with us in the midst of them all (cf. Job 23:10; Psalm 23:4). If we have new life in Jesus, we have life in all its abundance, and life for all eternity.

As for the ungodly, their way shall perish (cf. Psalm 37:1-2). All their rebellion against God, all their sinful schemes and plans against His people, shall end in ruin. The fact that Psalm 1:1-6 does end on this negative note stands as a warning to us all: put your trust in Jesus, before it is too late!