"Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful."
Psalm 1:1
Part 1
“Blessed is the man.”
The book of Psalms opens with a blessing. Jesus also began His Sermon on the Mount in the same way, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, …they that mourn, etc.” (Matthew 5:3-4). This Hebrew word blessed is plural and used for the multiple blessings that God provides for His child.
Sin is deadly! Moreover, there is no doubt among the greatest blessings that we can enjoy from God being forgiven from our sins. What a miracle! To the redeemed sinner, our greatest fear is disappointing our Savior by allowing evil to pollute our daily life and hinder our fellowship with Him. The lost sinner has no fear of sin, for it is his/her miry clay that holds him/her in the dark pit in which they live.
We know any sin is wrong, and this psalm encourages us, for it shows us as believers what kind of relationship we should avoid with the lost “sinners.” If we are wise, we will follow what this verse shows us. The “blessed” man has specific characteristics in his life that we ought to emulate.
“The man who is characterized as blessed is first described according to the things he does not do [in verse 1], then (which is the chief thought of the whole Ps.) according to what he actually does: he is not a companion of the unrighteous, but he abides by the revealed word of God”[1] (K&D).
“That walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly.”
Not walking with the wicked is true of the godly believer. On the other hand, we can see the deterioration in the way of life for the “sinner.” Note the downward trend of the rebel from God.
He is walking with sinners!
This verse shows us that the sinner is not careful who he/she follows, and spends time hanging around. “Birds of a feather…” as they say. On the run from God, this poor worldling has his/her best brotherhood with other unbelievers. They talk alike, act alike, and live without God’s thought in the picture. He/she has the heart of a sinner. Sadly, they are cozy together.
Why does God’s child refuse to “walk in the counsel of the ungodly?” Tomorrow we will think about that. See you then.
Quote: “Be killing sin, or it will be killing you”[2] (John Owen).
[1] Keil & Delitzsch, Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament, the electronic version in eSword.
[2] John Owen’s quote is from his book The Mortification of Sin. Downloaded: Monday, September 28, 2020. From: https://bookroo.com/quotes/sin.