You are walking down a path, and you come to a juncture, the path splits in two. Do you go towards the right or towards the left? What way you decide can make a big difference in where you end up. The same holds true in life. We all come to periods in our lives when we have to make decisions about which pathway we will choose. Often at those crossroads there will be people who will try to influence us to go their way, and not the other. Who will we listen to? Which way will we choose? Our psalm this morning describes such a time, and seeks to instruct us which way to choose.
Psalm 1 is a short psalm, but it is packed with much wisdom to follow in our lives, and is a very suitable one to open the Book of Psalms. It is one of a handful of psalms that I hold as particular favorites. The psalm describes two men, two paths to take, two lifestyles, and the results of those paths and life choices. Let’s take a look.
Our psalm begins with a description of a blessed man. He is a wise man, one who has decided to follow the Lord God and His Word (vs. 1-3). As he walks through life he is careful about who he chooses to listen to, and who he chooses to follow. As we go through life we will come into contact with all sorts of different people, many of whom will try to influence us into their way of thinking, urging us to follow them down their path. Should we go their way? It depends on what they are offering. Are they followers of God and His Word, or of the world and of evil? We have a decision to make. Turn to the right, or turn to the left? The blessed, or righteous man decides that he will not follow the advice and counsel of the ungodly and the unsaved. He chooses not to go down the path with sinners, nor keep in the company of the wicked. He decides that he will follow the way of God’s Word, and those who are believers.
The righteous and godly man not only decides to turn to the pathway that leads to God, he completely rejects the other way of rebellion against Him. He resists compromise, and is wary of anything that might erode his commitment to a godly life. Today many people think that somehow they can straddle both pathways, leaping back and forth between the two. They think that they can follow God, while remaining close friends with those of the world, those who follow philosophies and thinking that is completely against God and His Word. To remain on the path of righteousness, and be blessed by God, we must refuse to listen to ungodly advice, and the false philosophies so popular in our world. We must not compromise with evil, lest evil become a habit of life.
When we flirt and dance around the pathway of the ungodly, we will inevitably begin to imitate the actions of the wicked, those who have no place for God in their life. If we insist on friendship with those who mock what God considers important, we will soon sin by becoming indifferent to God’s will. It is inevitable that we will have contact with the unsaved. However, we must not join in or imitate their sinful behavior. True friends should help and not hinder you to draw closer to God, not further away from Him. When we take a stand in our life, let it be for the Lord and His ways, not for the world.
Our psalmist continues on to describe the godly, righteous man as like a tree that has been planted by a river. It is green and flourishing, very similar to the description that the Prophet Jeremiah gave in Jeremiah 17:7-8. The description God’s Word gives of the ungodly man is that like chaff, the empty outer shells of grain that get blown away with the wind (vs. 3-4). Those who don’t trust or obey God have meaningless lives that blow away like dust. Just as a fruitful tree bears good fruit, when we abide in Christ Jesus we can’t help but bear fruit in our life (John 15:4-6). Jesus said good trees bear good fruit, and bad trees bear bad fruit. We can recognize people by their fruit (Matthew 7:17; Matthew 7:20). We can produce good fruit by being in prayer and God’s Word. The more we delight in God’s presence the more fruitful we are.
In closing, we see that there are two ways of living. There is the way of the righteous, those who love God, and the way of the wicked, the enemies of those who love God. The ungodly are worthless as chaff. His destiny will be God’s judgment (vs. 5-6). Those who delight in God and His Word will prosper. Where do we sit? Where is our permanent dwelling? With the godly, or with the wicked? There are only two paths - God’s way of obedience or the way of rebellion and destruction. Choose your path wisely!
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