The Way of Righteousness

Intro

Welcome to Psalms of the Saviour: Devotions for His sheep

I’m Joshua VanZandbeek

And the Psalm we are studying today is Psalm 1

I’ve entitled this devotional The Way of Righteousness

I’d like to start by reading the whole psalm.

Psalm 1 ESV

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; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. 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. The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; for the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.

We have just two ways to live our lives. Either we can live for Yahweh, or we live for the Devil. People like to think they are in charge, but the reality is that those who turn away from God just turn to wickedness. They are entitled to the same fate as the father of lies, Satan himself. They They do not experience the blessings of the Lord. Psalm 1 says that the man that walks in God’s ways is the blessed man. He does not walk, stand, or sit in the way of the wicked, but rather avoids wickedness by steeping himself in the Word of God, and meditating on it. Psalm one calls the righteous man to not walk in wicked counsel, nor stand in the wrong way of life, or sit in the wrong kind of seat. Instead, Psalm 1 calls the reader to enter into the way of the blessed man - meditating on God’s law and avoiding wickedness. Why? Because the wicked - no matter how prosperous they may seem at the time - are like chaff. Fleeting; only for a moment. They cannot withstand Yahweh’s judgement.

Yet, the question is asked, who can walk in the ways of Yahweh, not sitting in the seat of sinners? We are condemned from the outset, our human nature is utterly sinful and wicked. We cannot on our own merit withstand God’s judgement. Yet we know that the One who is able to stand is Christ, and we stand not on our own, but by him, and through His sacrifice. Christ is the blessed one who walks in Yahweh’s ways, and whose leaf does not wither. Those who follow in the way of Christ are like trees, while once they may have been in bad, dry soil, the imagery suggests that the trees are now planted in good, moist soil. Thus the reader comes to the end of the psalm, and finds the plural “the righteous” and realizes that those who follow in the way of the blessed one stand apart from sinner, and are known by God. Not on our own merit then, but by Christ’s, for he is the only one who never was a sinner and can stand before Yahweh righteous. Yet Christ imputes upon all of us his righteousness, and so those who put their trust in Christ, and submit their lives to Him are considered righteous before God. The Word blessed that begins and ends this Psalm also draws a connection for us to Psalm 2:12, where we see those who are blessed taking refuge in Christ. Psalm 1 is a calling for you, for me, and for all of humanity to choose to follow Christ, and submit our lives to him. We must walk in the way of the righteous, planted in the way of Yahweh and submitted to Christ. By this we can stand in judgement, and be found righteous before God, and be known by God.

Questions: What path will you choose for your life? Will you be submitted to Christ, trusting in him and following his way?

Let’s pray