Choose Wisely

(NKJV) — 1 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;

Blessed is the man or Happy, or Content

(NKJV) — 1 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;

What the blessed person refuses

Opening Up Psalms The Blessedness of the Godly Person (vv. 1–3)

The man intends to show that the person who devotes himself to living a godly and righteous life is the one who finds true happiness, while the one who lives without regard to God is the miserable person!

the counsel of the ungodly - advice, its all around us

the path of sinners - lifestyle or pattern of behavior, we don’t seek to avoid contact, just camaraderie - we don’t hang out, or linger here

the seat of the scornful - scornful people are those who hold nothing sacred, scoffing at God and all that is associated with Him. To “sit” with such people takes a step further than walking or standing. It suggests remaining or abiding with them and enjoying their company.

(NKJV) — 2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord, And in His law he meditates day and night.

What the blessed person chooses

The blessed person finds happiness in “the law of the Lord”. The word translated “Law” could mean teaching or instruction or direction. We usually associate with the law God gave Moses (Pentateuch), but accorsing to it can also refer to the whole truth of God as it is revealed in the Word of God.

Delighting in God’s Word - the blessed person takes counsel from the Word of God. Delighting means a desire to spend time with and drink in every word from. It is being intoxicated with the beauty portrayed. Like a person in love!

Meditating on God’s Word - this takes it a step further. The blessed person meditates on the Word of God “day and night.” The word translated meditate means ‘to murmur’ or ‘ to mutter.’ It means ‘speaking to one’s self in a low voice.’ The blessed person finds that the Word of God has a joy for every sorrow and a truth for every situation.

(NKJV) — 3 He 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.

What the blessed person realizes

The outcome of the blessed person’s refusing and choosing is not left in doubt. He or she will be ‘like a tree.’

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A tree suggests strength and stability, fruitfulness, beauty, refreshing shade! All these are found in the person who delights in the Word of God. The degree of the delight is the degree to which they are found! The delighting person has strength and stability in the storms of life. The blessed person manifests the virtues and qualities known as the fruit of the Spirit .

or Happy, or Content

(NKJV) — 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.

And such a life makes the blessed person beautiful and refreshing to others.

The prophet Jeremiah uses the same imagery of the believer as an unwithering, firmly rooted, flourishing tree. but he speaks of the unbeliever as a shrub in the desert.

(NKJV) — 5 Thus says the Lord: “Cursed is the man who trusts in man And makes flesh his strength, Whose heart departs from the Lord. 6 For he shall be like a shrub in the desert, And shall not see when good comes, But shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, In a salt land which is not inhabited. 7 “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, And whose hope is the Lord. 8 For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, Which spreads out its roots by the river, And will not fear when heat comes; But its leaf will be green, And will not be anxious in the year of drought, Nor will cease from yielding fruit.

The choice placed before us is between shrub-living and tree-living. The difference lies in how we regard the Word of God. Jesus drew the same distinction in terms of two builders - the one who builds on the sand and the one who builds on the rock. The difference again is in the response to the Word of God.

This contrast leads us to that drawn by the psalmist -

(NKJV) — 4 The ungodly are not so, But are like the chaff which the wind drives away. 5 Therefore the ungodly shall 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 ungodly shall perish.

If anything. the difference between the godly, or blessed person, and the ungodly is more powerfully presented by Jeremiah. Chaff is even less substantial than a shrub!

The mention of chaff takes us back to the farming techniques of the day. The farmer would place the harvested wheat on a stone threshing floor and drive his oxen around it so that their hooves would separate the grain from the husks. He would then use a kind of fork or shovel to pitch the grain and the chaff in the air. The grain would fall to the floor but the chaff would be blown away.

The chaff represents those whose lives are not rooted in the Word of God. The Bible tells us there is a day of separation coming.

(NKJV) — 12 His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

This psalm is often referred to as a wisdom psalm. There is no greater wisdom than ordering our lives according to the Word of God.

The central truth of the Word is the saving work of the Lord Jesus christ, and the major part of that ordering lies in receiving that work.

TALK POINTS:

What are some ways you look for happiness?

What are some ways you find yourself pressured to live or think contrary to the Word of God?

How can you increase your “delight” in the Word of God?