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Text: Psalm 1

"The Righteous and the Rest"

Introduction

The book of Psalms is literally a book of praises. It is the hymnal of the Jewish people, the prayer and praise manual of the Christian church. Martin Luther referred to Psalms as "the Bible in miniature." The repetitive themes are praise, worship, confession, and outpourings of prayer. The word "psalms" means "songs accompanied by stringed instruments." The Psalms endear themselves to us largely because they are born out of real life experiences involving conflicts, triumphs, and defeats. They reveal how godly men interact with God amidst the challenges and struggles of life. In many cases, the godly are set against the ungodly, the righteous against the unrighteous. Our text is such a Psalm.    

Observations

I.    The Way of the Righteous (v. 1-3)

The righteous man is the "blessed" man. He is happy and spiritually prosperous, the recipient of the manifold goodness of God. This man walks so as to avoid ungodly advice, sinful alliances, and scornful attitudes. Bad decisions are always rooted in one or more of these. He delights himself in the law of God, and meditates therein continually. If charges were brought against you for delighting and meditating in the Word of God, could they be proved? Puritan Thomas Watson said, "As the meditation is, so is the man. Meditation is the touchstone of a Christian, a spiritual index. The index shows what's in a book; so meditation reveals what's in the heart."

The "tree planted" pictures stability of life and walk. Trees are planted in certain locations on purpose. So the righteous man draws from "the rivers of waters" (Word and Spirit), and seasonally brings forth fruit. The unwithering leaf signifies abundant moisture, no diseases, and climate immunity. This man prospers in all that he does, as God counts prosperity!

II.    The Way of the Ungodly (v. 4-6)

Against this backdrop of blessedness is a sweeping summary statement--"the ungodly are not so." The ungodly man is the un-God-like man, a God-vacuum. The unstable "chaff" is set in contrast to the tree. The winds of sinful lust, selfishness, personal ambition, peer pressure, and religious deception will have their way. The bottom line is that they shall not stand in the judgment (See Revelation 20:4-6, 11-15). Charles Spurgeon once said, "Heaven would be an intolerable hell to an impenitent man, even if he could be allowed to enter." So are the ungodly in this life, and in that which is to come.

Conclusion

Someone has said that, for the righteous, this world is as bad as it's going to get; and for the ungodly, this world is as good as it's going to get. Psalm 1 grants to us an opportunity to ponder our paths, and turn ourselves toward a righteous God who loves righteousness!

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