Psalm 1:1-4 / The Two Paths.
Psalm 1:1-4 / The Two Paths.
Today, let’s look at the two clear paths King David laid out for us to choose in Psalm 1.
Verse 1-2:
1 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;
2 but his delight is in the law of the Lord,
* and on his law he meditates day and night.*
There is a very clear progression into sin that David says a man or woman who wants to be blessed will avoid.
It starts by walking beside those who lead you further from God – casual, not committed, on the move.
But then stopping and standing, something has piqued interest and is now holding our attention. Our guard is being lowered.
And then finally, sitting. The level of comfort has progressively grown to the point where we have joined in – we are no longer walking past the sin but taking an active part.
If you’ve lived on this earth long, you know that this progression happens quite frequently and easily. We know the right thing to do, but we are slowly lulled away from it.
How do we avoid that slow progression?
David says we keep our delight in the right place. This is the other path, the one that leads us in the right direction.
On this path we fall in love with God and His Word, and instead of allowing ourselves to walk, stand, sit with things that shift our heart away from God, we meditate and focus on what keeps us intimately close to Him.
But what are the benefits of that? What blessing does a man or woman get from delighting in God and His Word?
Verse 3-6:
3 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.
4 The wicked are not so,
but are like chaff that the wind drives away.
5 Therefore the wicked will 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 wicked will perish.
These two verses paint a beautiful picture of a person who has chosen to stay close to Christ: There is stability (tree), nourishment (streams of water), being used by God (yields fruit), longevity (leaf does not wither), blessing (prospers), and direction (the Lord knows the way).
For those who do not follow God, there is instability (chaff blown away), judgment, exclusion from God’s presence (nor sinners in the congregation…) and eternal death (perishing).
Which path will you choose this year?
Lord, help us choose the one that leads us closer to You!
Pastor Dave
If you want to dig deeper into this, need help, need prayer, or have questions—please reach out to us here: Roots Help & Prayer Form