Not so the wicked!
They are like chaff that the wind blows away.
Psalm 1 v4
Early Psalters have Psalm one as a prologue to the books of Psalms, there being five in all. In this respect there is a striking similarity between the beginning of Psalms and Proverbs. Both present the principle that the one who follows the way of righteousness will prosper while the wicked will perish in their folly. The Bible could never claim to be concise and to the point – that’s why so many books are written on biblical themes, collecting the pieces together into a coherent block of understanding. We need square shaped instructions to fit our square shaped faith. The first nine chapters of Proverbs and Psalm one provide that for us so that when we are handed a round block we instinctively know it won’t fit and there’s no point in trying.
However we all know that life is never actually that straight forward. There are no perfectly square pegs or perfectly round holes, just as we know that the wicked do prosper because they cheat on the righteous. We also know that there is no clear line between the righteous and the wicked and, if truth be told, none of us can claim to be righteous. But before you learn to fix something you need to know how it was designed to work and first principles are always a good place to start. Psalm One is the duffer’s guide to life. It’s exquisitely crafted yet its truths are transparent and simply stated.
The psalm begins with three negatives – what the blessed man doesn’t do – and covers all the angles. He does not walk, stand or sit in the company of the wicked. In other words, he doesn’t practice what the wicked do, doesn’t agree or co-operate with sinners or sit and watch while they carry out their evil.
Don’t eat spaghetti wearing a white shirt. However good you are you are bound to get sauce on it.
What does the blessed man do? He studies God’s Law. Does that make him good? No! By learning the ways of righteousness he plants himself not in a stagnant bog but by a stream of clean water. That way he is like a healthy tree that bears fruit at the right time (guaranteeing sustenance) and is always in leaf (providing shelter). We are told he is prosperous. The wicked prosper only through plunder and enrich only themselves. The righteous can prosper even when they have nothing because they bless others in everything they do. What of the wicked? They’re like chaff – just blown away.
If the righteous are beautiful, splendid trees you’d expect the wicked to be miserable stumps but for the psalmist they’re a waste of words. They’re just dust. The psalm begins with the ‘council’ of the wicked and ends with the ‘assembly’ of the righteous. The wicked are like dust that accumulates in the corner of the yard, blown by the wind. The righteous are planted by the river of life where the LORD watches over them. Even if the wicked were invited they would blow away with the slightest breeze.
Scripture quotations taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION (c) 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission.