Reflection on Psalm 1:1
“Blessed is the man who does not follow the advice of the wicked, take the path of sinners, or join the company of mockers.”
The Book of Psalms begins with these words. It points to a blessed man who has taken an attitude of three “noes” towards unwise and wicked people.
1) … does not follow the advice of the wicked
Wicked or ungodly people respect neither conscience nor justice towards others. They do not submit to God, and therefore their god is their ego and the things that suit them alone. They do not care about seeking and doing God’s will in their lives, and so it will do no good to follow their advice.
2) … does not take the path of sinners
A sinner can perhaps have a sort of weak faith, but this faith plays no crucial role in his life. He has become a slave to a particular sin, and sinful dependence takes priority in his way of thinking and way of life. Those who are in close unity with such a person are finally influenced and entrapped by the spirit of sin which has enslaved him. This is especially true for young people. They find friends who lead them into evil ways, alcoholism, drug addiction, sexual perversion, crime or various sects. Slaves of sin use persuasive lies and mockery to provoke others into taking the same sinful path. An old proverb says, “Show me your friend and I will tell you who you are.” If your friend is good and honest, you will be honest. If your friend is a thief, you will be a thief. If your friend is a drug addict, you will be a drug addict. And so on. The path of sinners does not lead to heaven but to hell.
3) … does not join the company of mockers
We know very well how mockery affects people, including children. Especially young people can hardly cope with mockery. They are deeply hurt if they are ridiculed for being behind the times or not knowing the ropes, or if someone intentionally ridicules their parents or teachers. Mockers only mock good people, good parents, good teachers and good authorities, making hurtful jokes about them and scornfully caricaturing them. If anyone, and especially young people, are not rooted in good and listen to their mockery, they are manipulated and pressurized into abandoning good life principles, fair and sound judgment, and get into bad ways ending up in destruction.
What does the Book of Psalms say in the next verse? It says that a wise man who avoids bad people delights in the law of the Lord and reflects on His law day and night. Do you reflect, at least sometimes, on the law of God? Do you reflect on His truths concerning death, God’s judgment, eternal heaven, eternal hell or the consequences of your sins? Do you reflect on the truth that the Saviour Himself died for your sins to obtain eternal life for you?
In verse 3, we read that such a wise man is like a tree planted beside streams that produces fruit in season and succeeds in everything he does.
Verse 4 says that wicked people are not like that. They are like husks that the wind blows away.
Verse 5 speaks about judgment. It is written that wicked people will not be able to stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.
And the concluding words of Psalm 1 are that the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.
Download: Reflection on Psalm 1:1
