March 14, 2024

Psalm 1.1, 2 (NIV)
Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.

One indication of a person being mature is that he is not unduly influenced by his environment.*

The word “blessed” as it is used here could be paraphrased as, “how rewarding is the life of.” Instead of making a “to-do” list for how to lead a happy, rewarding life, the Psalmist gives us a “to-don’t” list.

    Item 1 - Don’t follow advice from wicked people. We often need to seek and listen to good advice but how do we know we’ve been given good advice?

    Item 2 - Don’t allow yourself to be associated with sinners. This does not mean that you must avoid sinners; it means that your lifestyle should stand apart from theirs.

    Item 3 – Don’t become “one of them.” If we have considered the counsel of the wicked and if we have allowed ourselves to be counted among them in the name of tolerance, we have begun to “stand in the way” or to “establish residence” with them.

Our “to-don’t” list is a check-list for a downward spiral into a life apart from God.

The Psalmist follows his “to-don’t” list with a two-item “to-do” list:

 

     Item 1 - Delight in the law of the Lord.

     Item 2 - Meditate on his law day and night.

Remember the question posed in Item 1 of the “to-don’t” list? How do we know we’ve been given good advice? If you live by the “to-do” list - seeking counsel from others who delight in the law and meditating on it - it becomes a simple matter of asking God for the discernment to make wise decisions. Then we can rely on the Holy Spirit to speak to us through God’s Word.

Jesus preferred to be alone with the true God rather than in a crowd with the wrong people.*