“Blessed
is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly; nor stands in the path
of sinners; nor sits in the seat of the scornful” (Ps. 1:1, NKJV).
“God blesses those people who refuse
evil advice and won’t follow sinners or join in sneering at God”. (Ps. 1:1, CEV)
“Blessed (happy, fortunate,
prosperous, and enviable) is the man who walks and lives not in the counsel of the ungodly [following their
advice, their plans and purposes], nor stands [submissive and inactive] in the
path where sinners walk, nor sits down [to relax and rest] where the scornful
[and the mockers] gather”. (Ps. 1:1, AMP)
“Happy are those who reject the advice
of evil people, who do not follow the example of sinners or join those who have
no use for God”. (Ps. 1:1, GNT)
Introduction
The Scripture is filled
with diverse counsel on how believers should live their lives here on earth for
their own good. Of particular mention is the Book of Proverbs which, typically,
is packed with wise sayings.
Our text above is of
profound significance for it captures succinctly, three important activity
areas of mankind – walking, standing, and sitting – and how they impact on our
spiritual lives.
The advice here is quite
straightforward. The person who desires to be blessed will not walk under the
direction of the ungodly; will not stand in the route of sinners; and will not sit in the meeting of the scornful. In other words, the individual
that seeks divine favour will not hobnob with people who are immoral, reprobate,
and contemptuous.
I have taken the liberty
to quote from different versions of the Scripture just to make the phrases in
the New King James version clearer.
Musketeer No. 1: The
Ungodly:
The ‘ungodly’ are also
referred to as the ‘wicked’. By asking those seeking to be blessed to ‘reject
their advice’ means that the ungodly are up to no good. Their counsel can only
be unto disobedience and iniquity and these do not attract the blessing of the
Almighty God. Any wonder we are instructed to keep away from them?
“Do not enter the path of the wicked, and do not walk in the way
of evil. Avoid it, do not travel on it; turn away from it and pass on” (Prov. 4:14-15).
The verse 16 of that
passage describes the major preoccupation of the ungodly – evil and violence.
It gets worse (Prov. 1:10-19) and
worse (Prov. 2:12-15). The truth is
this - the ungodly have nothing virtuous to offer, certainly not to believers (2 Pet. 2:10-19) – better to keep far
away from them.
Musketeer No. 2: The
Sinners:
Sinners, on the other
hand, are the degenerates who have deliberately chosen a life of corruption and
depravity. In some dictionary meaning, they are described as miscreants and
rebels. What does it mean to ‘stand’
in their path? It means to toe their line, to hang out with them, and follow
their example, just to mention a few.
Sin is contagious and
ruthless. It has the tendency to drag others into its decadent net (1 Kings 14:16). Close association with
sinners brings about a poisoning of attitudes and thoughts (Mk. 7:20-23) and it should be the determination
of every believer to stay away from their circle (1 Jn. 5:18-21). No matter how pleasant their amity, the most
sensible thing will be to reject them as role models (Matt. 5:29-30).
Musketeer No. 3: The
Scornful:
The ‘scornful’ are another kettle of fish in the hierarchy of unsavory
characters. They are known for being disrespectful and contemptuous of the
principles of the word of God. They have rejected God, ignored His proclaimed
word, and exhibited outright disobedience towards Him. ‘Sitting’ here would connote a meeting or an assembly or alliance
with them. It could also mean resting and relaxing in their company; feeling
comfortable in their midst.
A relationship with the ‘scornful’ brings only trouble and misery
to individuals (Ps. 123:4) and even to
nations (Hab. 1:10) in a relentless
manner (2 Pet. 3:3-4). What will a
believer be doing, ‘sitting’ in the
company of those who have no use for God?
To be continued next week...
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