Psalms 1:1-6, “How blessed is the man who does not walk
in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit in the
seat of scoffers! 2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
And in His law he meditates day and night. 3 He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, Which yields
its fruit in its season And its leaf does not wither; And in whatever he does,
he prospers. 4
The wicked are not so, But they are like chaff which the wind drives
away. 5
Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, Nor sinners in the
assembly of the righteous. 6 For the LORD knows the way of the righteous,
But the way of the wicked will perish.” (NASB)
Yesterdays Bible Verse of the Day was Isaiah 66:12-14. In
those verses, God described how much comfort he brings to his servants. Today’s
Bible Verse of the Day provides a roadmap for achieving “servant” status.
We should not walk in the counsel of the wicked. As
Christians, we still have to live in the world. We cannot take ourselves completely
out of it. We have to still shop, work, and be around “wicked” people. But, how
do we avoid being in their counsel? Counsel is defined as, “advice, esp. that
given formally.” So while we are around them, we should not accept the advice
of those who are not servants of God.
Notice I make a distinction between “Christians” and
“servants of God”. There are many that claim the name of “Christian”. Yet, they
do not follow the will of God. Some do not even know what the will of God is.
Their biblical knowledge is limited to what their preacher says on Sunday.
Their advice may or may not be based in true biblical knowledge. We must seek
the counsel of true servants of God. Those who seek out what the will of God is
and daily apply it to their lives.
“Nor stand in the path of sinners…” As we go through life,
we each leave our own path. It is the road that we have walked through life. If
someone follows us down that path then they will end at the same destination.
God warns us about following the correct path. We must look at whose path we
are following. Where will the path we are following lead us?
“Nor sit in the seat of scoffers!” Scoffer is defined as, “To show or express derision or scorn.” God warns us about being in the
company of those who cause derision. Those who would willing separate us from
God. If someone finds delight in challenging God and/or his followers then we
should avoid them.
We must be careful to apply the distinction
here. There is a great difference between asking questions and challenging God.
Someone who simply is seeking answers should be cultivated. We should do our
best to steer them towards God. However, if their questions are simply meant to
challenge our faith then they should be avoided. The difference is their
intent. This can take some time to figure out. Be careful to identify what
their true motives are.
“He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, …” What a
picture God paints here. If we follow the plan that he has laid out for us then
we will be like a firmly planted tree. We will not worry about whether or not
we will continue in God’s way. Our roots will be planted deep enough that we
cannot be moved. No matter what the circumstances, we will stay the course.
