"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. But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night." —Psalm 1:1-2
Psalm 1, short and to the point, could be entitled, "The Song of the Blessed Man." It marks his distinction in v.1; his delight in v.2; his development in v.3, and implies his destiny in v.4-6. Our purpose today is to share some thoughts arising especially from the first two verses.
The immediate impact of the first verse is the evidence that sin is progressive. "Walk, stand, sit." What begins as a casual encounter, left unchecked leads to a settled relationship. Those who take their moral cue from the ungodly are presently found in companionship with sinners, and finally become allies with those fools who contemptuously declare, "There is no God" (Cf. Ps. 14:1).
The ungodly are those who are indifferent to God; sinners are those who are disobedient to God; the scornful are those who are defiant of God. The implied warning here is to those who would know the blessedness of the Lord, that they separate themselves from all that characterizes "the way of the ungodly." In today's world, we are tempted to say, that is extremely difficult. The fact is that it has always been difficult. There is "nothing new under the sun," and the world has always been at hand. The believer in every age from the first until now has been obliged to recognize the world for what it is, and to resist its influences and its philosophy. Those who desire the blessing of the Lord are counseled to immerse themselves in the Word of God, "the law of the Lord." God's word alone affords us direction for our walk and defense in our warfare.
Many years ago the Chinese Christian Watchman Nee did studies in the epistle to the Ephesians which were later published in book form under a title that is an interesting parallel to the key words in our text: "Sit, Walk, Stand." It is a study in spiritual victory, the "way of the righteous."
The first order is a settled relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ: "sit." Since "all have sinned and come short of the glory of God," we all begin life in the "way of the ungodly." In order to be released from that bondage, we must know the Lord Jesus Christ as savior in a real and personal way. Religion will not do; relationship is essential, and when by faith we enter into that relationship, receiving Jesus Christ as savior and Lord, we are by God "raised up together, and made [to] sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus [Eph. 1:6]." This implies a fixed and settled relationship, "abiding in Christ."
Thus SITuated in Christ, the believer is to learn to walk in Him. In part we are instructed, "This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye walk not as other gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart… [Eph. 4:17,18ff]," but that we "walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God [Col. 1:10]." It should go without saying that this requires meditation on the Word of God.
Finally, as Nee points out, we need to stand against the adversary of our souls whose aim is to draw us back into compromise and/or conformity to this present evil world. We are admonished, "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand [Eph. 6:10-13]."
The sad fact is that the majority of professing Christians in our day are trying to live "blended" lives, and it is impossible to tell to which category they belong; the righteous or the ungodly. That will not work; the trend will inevitably be downhill, as our text implies. May God give us grace to sit, walk, stand in Christ alone, delighting and meditating in His law "day and night."
For God's glory,
"Pastor" Frasier
Psalm 1, short and to the point, could be entitled, "The Song of the Blessed Man." It marks his distinction in v.1; his delight in v.2; his development in v.3, and implies his destiny in v.4-6. Our purpose today is to share some thoughts arising especially from the first two verses.
The immediate impact of the first verse is the evidence that sin is progressive. "Walk, stand, sit." What begins as a casual encounter, left unchecked leads to a settled relationship. Those who take their moral cue from the ungodly are presently found in companionship with sinners, and finally become allies with those fools who contemptuously declare, "There is no God" (Cf. Ps. 14:1).
The ungodly are those who are indifferent to God; sinners are those who are disobedient to God; the scornful are those who are defiant of God. The implied warning here is to those who would know the blessedness of the Lord, that they separate themselves from all that characterizes "the way of the ungodly." In today's world, we are tempted to say, that is extremely difficult. The fact is that it has always been difficult. There is "nothing new under the sun," and the world has always been at hand. The believer in every age from the first until now has been obliged to recognize the world for what it is, and to resist its influences and its philosophy. Those who desire the blessing of the Lord are counseled to immerse themselves in the Word of God, "the law of the Lord." God's word alone affords us direction for our walk and defense in our warfare.
Many years ago the Chinese Christian Watchman Nee did studies in the epistle to the Ephesians which were later published in book form under a title that is an interesting parallel to the key words in our text: "Sit, Walk, Stand." It is a study in spiritual victory, the "way of the righteous."
The first order is a settled relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ: "sit." Since "all have sinned and come short of the glory of God," we all begin life in the "way of the ungodly." In order to be released from that bondage, we must know the Lord Jesus Christ as savior in a real and personal way. Religion will not do; relationship is essential, and when by faith we enter into that relationship, receiving Jesus Christ as savior and Lord, we are by God "raised up together, and made [to] sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus [Eph. 1:6]." This implies a fixed and settled relationship, "abiding in Christ."
Thus SITuated in Christ, the believer is to learn to walk in Him. In part we are instructed, "This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye walk not as other gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart… [Eph. 4:17,18ff]," but that we "walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God [Col. 1:10]." It should go without saying that this requires meditation on the Word of God.
Finally, as Nee points out, we need to stand against the adversary of our souls whose aim is to draw us back into compromise and/or conformity to this present evil world. We are admonished, "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand [Eph. 6:10-13]."
The sad fact is that the majority of professing Christians in our day are trying to live "blended" lives, and it is impossible to tell to which category they belong; the righteous or the ungodly. That will not work; the trend will inevitably be downhill, as our text implies. May God give us grace to sit, walk, stand in Christ alone, delighting and meditating in His law "day and night."
For God's glory,
"Pastor" Frasier
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