Dn. Raphael The first three verses of Psalm 1 is about the blessed person.
• In verse 1, he doesn’t hang out with the wicked.
• In verse 2, he fortifies his soul by meditating on the Word of God as often as possible.
• In verse 3, he is compared to a healthy tree, bearing much fruit.
The second half of this Psalm describes the wicked, those not blessed by God. They are compared to chaff.
Do you know what chaff is? It’s a thin shell around a cereal grain, such as wheat. People cannot digest it, so it must be separated from the grain before grinding it into flour.
When the wheat is harvested it dries. Then it’s tossed in the air. The grain falls to the ground and the wind blows the chaff away. It’s as easy as that.
The wicked are as substantive as chaff.
Verse five says something quite stunning: “the wicked will not stand in the judgement.” Compare this to Matthew 7:23 where Jesus says, “I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.”
The wicked have no standing before the Lord. They are dismissed before the judgement begins.
Like chaff, they will be separated from the Godly. Of course, it was never like they wanted any part of God… or His people.
They are wicked because they have ignored their Maker who has sustained them and who has made Himself evident even in nature. No one can come to the Father except through Jesus who came into the world to save each and every person.
What are some examples of the wicked? What do they look like?
Some think they have served God when they have not. Sunday Christians never quite gave themselves to God. Pharisees and Sadducees presumed they were serving God when they murdered His Son, Jesus. Atheists presume to know about life after death and yet refuse to believe in Christ who lived and died and came back to life again. Despots and those of other religions who persecute Christians.
Make no mistake, Jesus came to save everyone. He also came that we might learn how to be righteous, how to live the life He gave us.
In the Sermon on the Mount (Mt 7:13-14), Jesus spoke of two roads leading to two gates. “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”
This reminds me of a cartoon I saw online. Two roads diverge. One has a sign that says ‘eternal life,’ The other has sign that says ‘free cable TV.’ It’s a wide road and it’s packed.
The righteous are on the narrow path to Jesus.
Our responsibility as believers in Christ is assist the Holy Spirit in proclaiming Christ to those looking for the one, true God.
Think of Psalm 1 as an introduction to all the Psalms. It tells the reader, ‘if you want to be successful in life, follow the Psalms.’ Many have many different definitions of success, but truly, the most successful goal anyone can achieve is knowing God.
These Psalms will help direct you to true, everlasting life with our loving, compassionate God.