“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
True Christianity is very selective. Indeed, the Lord Jesus was so in that He only acted, worked, thought, and taught according to the eternal truth of the Father. Though He ministered to the crowds, and met the needs of innumerable people, He was principally “alone” and “separated” unto His Father, for He depended upon Him fully, and was submitted to Him wholly. There was no contradiction in Him with regard to what He thought, said, or did. He was of singular purpose, and means, for the attainment of that purpose. What does this knowledge of Christ have to do with the Christian, or the one who would truly follow Him? Actually, it has a great deal to do with him, for though the Lord lived a perfect life in the midst of sinful men, and then died at hands of those men, He was separated unto the Father. So is the disciple of Christ, for as Christ was, so is the believer in the world. How then does this “separation” work out on a personal, experiential level?
In Psalm one, the believer is immediately confronted with what is a life that is blessed of God, and one that is not. It is to be noted that the matter of blessedness is an individual, or personal one. In the first phrase, “Blessed is the man,” we discover that man has been created to be blessed by God, the greatest blessing being the impartation of the Spirit of God, the very life of Christ. But the experience of that blessedness is conditional on serval things, several things to avoid, and several things to embrace.
First, we see that the disciple is called upon to choose NOT to walk in the counsel of the ungodly. Why is this so, since we are called upon to live in the world, to be a testimony to God? The answer resides in what Jesus was and is…the truth. The “ungodly” is a person who has a certain faithless perspective about all that concerns him. It is a life that is in opposition to God, either passively or aggressively antagonistice concerning the things and thoughts of God. So, Scripture tells us to not walk in the counsel of such a person, with regard to living in this world. Though the believer is IN the world, he is not to be OF the world in his perspective and practice in living. He is to be true before God with regard to the truth as it is in Christ, not subjecting himself to the perspective and influence of the ungodly.
Secondly, the believer is not to put himself in the way, the path, the thoroughfare of those who choose deliberately to be wholly occupied with themselves, choosing decisively to live independently of God. The influence of such folk is to not have its effect upon the believer, even though God brings him in contact with those who are in need. Not being unequallly yoked, nor overwhelmed by the influence of the sinful perspective and pursuits, the believer is to be independently dependant upon God for all.
Thirdly, the believer is to avoid those who deliberately scoff, or mock the things of God. This is not to say that they are not to be confronted with the truth, when led by the Spirit, but it does mean that their disposition of heart, and attitude of mind, is not to control the believer.
That which is positively “blessed” of God in the believer, is the life where he deliberatly, and decisively, delights in the Word of God. He puts such a value upon the word of God that he meditates upon it day and night, desiring to sound its depths of meaning, to discover the ways of God in order to know Him. The great objective of the believer is to know God, and this, according to the truth, and pursuing it.
Dear Father, Guide our feet today. In Jesus’ name, Amen.