One Way Or The Other

One Way Of The Other

Text: Psalm 1

Introduction

What I am about to say would undoubtedly be offensive to the modern mind: Life is a journey of two roads; righteous/unrighteous, godly/ungodly. It is an “either/or,” rather than “both/and.”

A philosopher named Georg Hegel presented a dialectic (thesis antithesis, synthesis); a thesis, giving rise to its reaction; an antithesis, which contradicts or negates the thesis; and the tension between the two being resolved by means of a synthesis.

The Bible is “antithetical:” thesis/antithesis; no reconciliation of opposites (synthesis).

The structure of this Psalm: (vv1-3) the righteous; (vv4-5) the ungodly; (v6) both together.

Some would call this Psalm the “great vestibule” leading into the whole Psalter; “Blessed is the man.” There is no doubt of this Psalms connection to the wisdom of Proverbs.

1) The Path Of The Godly

The Psalmist begins by extending a call to happiness; “blessed.”

blessed adj. — characterized by happiness and being highly favored (as by divine grace).

This is kin to Jesus’ Beatitudes.

There is a negative and positive aspect to the “blessed” man:

FIRST — THE NEGATIVE

“walketh” = to walk (behavior) v. — to live or behave in a specified manner.

Prov. 4:14-15 “14 Enter not into the path of the wicked, And go not in the way of evil men. 15 Avoid it, pass not by it, Turn from it, and pass away.”

First, then, he “walks not in the counsel of the ungodly.” His worldview, his ethical life, and his moral decisions are no longer dictated by the godless. Donald Williams and Lloyd J. Ogilvie, Psalms 1–72, vol. 13, The Preacher’s Commentary Series (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc, 1986), 26.

Next, he no longer “stands in the path of sinners.” His identity, his standing, his lifestyle are no longer determined by those in rebellion against God. Donald Williams and Lloyd J. Ogilvie, Psalms 1–72, vol. 13, The Preacher’s Commentary Series (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc, 1986), 26.

Finally, he no longer “sits in the seat of the scornful.” He neither learns nor judges from the perspective of those bearing the acid authority of cynicism and pride.Donald Williams and Lloyd J. Ogilvie, Psalms 1–72, vol. 13, The Preacher’s Commentary Series (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc, 1986), 26.

These all may seem “similar” or just a variation of the same thing, it would do us well to notice a kind of evolution of depravity; walking, standing, seated.

Walking = subscribing to their wisdom

Standing = identification

Seated = settled in the authority of their judgements

AVOID going down that path!!!

This admonishment is before us because the Christian is in a battle of WORLDVIEWS.

Quote: Carl Becker sums up our modern, secular worldview as follows: “What is man that the electron should be mindful of him! Man is but a foundling in the cosmos, abandoned by the forces that created him. Unparented, unassisted and undirected by omniscient or benevolent authority, he must fend for himself, and with the aid of his own limited intelligence find his way about in an indifferent universe”

SECONDLY — THE POSITIVE

delight n. — a feeling of extreme pleasure or satisfaction.

This delight leads that man to a particular action; “meditate day and night.”

Quote: If we delight in a person, we want to be with him or her. If we delight in a song, we want to sing it. If we delight in a book, we want to read it. If we delight in God’s law, we will want to meditate upon it. Donald Williams and Lloyd J. Ogilvie, Psalms 1–72, vol. 13, The Preacher’s Commentary Series (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc, 1986), 27.

We are to delight in that Word as did Bunyan’s Pilgrim who rushed away from the City of Destruction holding his Bible and crying, “Life, life, eternal life!”Donald Williams and Lloyd J. Ogilvie, Psalms 1–72, vol. 13, The Preacher’s Commentary Series (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc, 1986), 27–28.

What is meditation?

It is not the act of eliminating thought, but a redirection of our thoughts; redirecting them to God’s Word.

The continual action of “recall” and “recitation.”

Joshua 1:8 “8 This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.”

John 8:31-32 “31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; 32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

QUESTION: Who struggles with a disciplined devotional life?

REMEMBER, there is no neutral ground for your mind and actions.

Molded by the godly or the ungodly!

(v3) “planted by the rivers of water”

These are like irrigation ditches.

Two-fold results: bearing fruit in season & become evergreen.

QUESTION — Where does Jesus say the source of our fruits are?

John 15:1-5 “1 I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. 2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. 3 Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. 5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.”

Righteous fruit is a gift of God’s Grace!!!

Here is the order: His grace = our fruit = His timing = His glory

Isa. 40:8 “8 The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: But the word of our God shall stand for ever.”

Quote: Guided and guarded by God’s word, we will live in fullness and blessing as a firm, fruitful tree, rooted deeply against the winds of change.Donald Williams and Lloyd J. Ogilvie, Psalms 1–72, vol. 13, The Preacher’s Commentary Series (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc, 1986), 29.

2) The Path Of The Ungodly

As it has already been stated in v1, the ungodly are the sinners and scornful.

The righteous was described as what we would call the sturdy oak tree. Here, the ungodly is described as the “chaff.”

The metaphor is that of threshing, in which kernels of wheat, having been thrown into the air, fall back to the ground as the wind blows away the worthless chaff.Donald Williams and Lloyd J. Ogilvie, Psalms 1–72, vol. 13, The Preacher’s Commentary Series (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc, 1986), 29.

So empty of real substance, the wind easily carries it away.

To be severed from the Word of God is to have no root, no nourishment, no fruit, no life, or as in Jesus’ parable, it is to be like the house built upon the sand, demolished by the storms of life. Donald Williams and Lloyd J. Ogilvie, Psalms 1–72, vol. 13, The Preacher’s Commentary Series (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc, 1986), 29.

The reality for these people is sad!

They have no real present or future.

FIRST — shall not stand in the judgment

Whether a current lesser court or the final court of heaven, justice will be issued and the sentence carried out.

To be unprepared is equal to being condemned.

It would do us all good to keep the ULTIMATE TRIAL on that FINAL DAY close to our hearts.

The same honest reality that the ungodly will face, will also bring to light our wicked hearts.

SECOND — they will not stand in the congregation of the righteous.

When God’s calls His people together, they will no be present.

Psalm 24:3-4 “3 Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who shall stand in his holy place? 4 He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; Who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, Nor sworn deceitfully.”

Hopelessness and alienation await the ungodly.

Joy and security will forever be out of their reach.

3) Assurance For The Righteous

John 14:17 “17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.”

Here we learn that the Lord “keeps on knowing” the way of the righteous.

His eye, ear, and Spirit.

We also have the words of eternal security.

For the ungodly, instead of being captivated by God, they are held captive by their sin.

Their future is ultimate disaster.

Final Thoughts

The Psalter is a gift to the church, not only for a life of meditation but also prayer. Those who delight in God’s Word will be blessed with the ability to escape the vanity of the world.

Can we avoid the council of the ungodly, YES!

Can we meditate on God’s Word day and night, YES!

Can we be fruitful in the right season, YES!

We cannont do this in the power of ourselves, but in the power who lives within ourselves; Jesus Christ!

John 5:19-20 “19 Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise. 20 For the Father loveth the Son, and sheweth him all things that himself doeth: and he will shew him greater works than these, that ye may marvel.”

1 John 1:3 “3 That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.”

To live in communion with Him, is equal to say that His Psalms become our Psalms. The blessing becomes ours!!!