Who we get our counsel and advice from, and who we choose as our friends and companions is important. We don’t want guidance from someone who will lead us down a wrong path. Listening to the wrong person’s suggestions or instructions, and having the wrong companions can have a very bad outcome. It is especially important if we are a believer and follower of the Lord Jesus Christ. Our psalm for this week stresses how important the Lord thinks this is. Let’s look at where He feels we should be getting our advice and instruction from.
Everyone, I’m fairly certain, would like to be blessed or happy, rather than cursed or troubled. Right in the opening psalm in the Bible, God tells us how we can have a blessed life (vs. 1). The word blessed here refers to happiness many times over. The cause of this blessedness is the uncompromising purity of a righteous walk with God. A dedicated follower of Jesus should never be walking in step with unbelievers and the wicked, nor going along in their direction or on their chosen way.
The psalmist doesn’t waste any time, nor beat around the bush in letting us know how a godly person should conduct themselves regarding who they keep company with. First, he says we need to watch out whom we walk with. He instructs us to not to walk with, or to imitate the life of the ungodly. An ungodly person is someone who doesn’t follow the Lord, who doesn’t love Him, or obey His Word. We need to refuse to listen to ungodly advice, counsel, and false philosophies popular in the world. This would certainly include those who are unsaved.
Next, our Scripture warns us against standing with sinners. We should not be taking a stand with the wicked and their lifestyle. Instead, a Christian should take a firm stand for righteousness and for God’s Word and His message and commands therein. We are warned against being with the scornful. This is someone who mocks and scoffs at God and His Word. They make light of that which is sacred. This is the blasphemous crowd. We should not be going around and associating with such people.
Are these types of people our good friends? Are these the ones we go to when we need advice? When we want to get together with friends, invite some people over, or spend the day with someone, are these the ones we call on? Why would a Christian even want to be friends with, or associate with someone who mocks the Lord Jesus? Such friendships only drag one down to their level. True friends should help, not hinder us to draw closer to God.
Instead of walking, standing, and sitting with the unbelievers, God tells us that the one He will bless is one who delights in His Word, reading and meditating on it (vs. 2). This is a person who chooses to live a godly life. He resists compromise, and is wary of anything that would erode his commitment to the Lord.
God compares such a blessed person as being like a tree that is planted by the river, one that is well-watered, growing, thriving, and bearing fruit (vs. 3). Those who study God’s Word and obey it will be like that fruitful tree. Dry times may come in our life, but our faith can be strengthened if we are deeply rooted in Scripture and prayer. When the storms of life strike, we are perfectly secure because God is our eternal shelter.
Jesus told us that we can know people by their fruit. A good tree will bear good fruit, and a bad tree will bear bad fruit (Matthew 7:17-20). When we abide in Jesus, we can’t help but bear fruit in our life. God calls His followers, His children, a good, fruit-bearing tree. However He calls the unsaved and ungodly, chaff, which is the worthless outer shell of grain that is blown away (vs. 4-6). That person’s destiny will be judgment.
Lot and Samson are two examples of men who did not follow this godly advice, and their lives were shipwrecked. Joseph, one of the sons of Jacob, was one who did follow the advice of this psalm, and he was abundantly blessed. There are two paths that we face in life. One is God’s way of obedience. The other is the way of rebellion and destruction. Which path do you choose?
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