Psalms 1:1-2 – The contrast between the godly and the wicked

Psalm one describes for us both the wicked and the righteous in God’s reckoning. The wicked man as we can see, lives a self-centered life, whereas the godly lives a God-centered life. Here we see a definition of the wicked as well as the godly man. A wicked person is not just defined by his deeds. He is a wicked person not because he is a murderer or a rapist or such. He is wicked because he does not factor into his life and living the wonderful Sovereign God, who controls every aspect of human existence.

In describing the godly person, the Psalmist here unwittingly starts by identifying the ungodly person. He is wicked, he is a sinner and he is a scoffer. The Psalmist also shows us how a person can be initiated into adopting a lifestyle of this wicked person. He uses the three words – walk, stand and sit, to show how a person can be subtly inducted into the company of the wicked. A person first gets initiated into evil by walking among the wicked. In walking with them, he listens and entertains their philosophy. The more he listens, the more he becomes entrenched. So he then takes his stand with those wicked philosophy. Soon he becomes convinced and is committed to the principles of those evil philosophy. Then he adopts the philosophy and acts on them. To sit among the wicked suggests that he would soon join them in the ungodly practices and begin to scoff and sneer at godly principles. It begins with hearing the ungodly counsel, then becoming convinced, and finally making a commitment and joining in to scorn godly practices. So we need to be careful who we move with and who we are listening to. Keep in mind the wise words that say, “If you run with a skunk, you smell like a skunk.”

What the Psalmist is doing is to set the foundation for us to become the godly person we ought to be in God. It cries out loudly, “Avoid ungodly counsel, avoid ungodly principles and avoid ungodly practices!” Remember, it all starts with accepting the ungodly counsel, then adopting the ungodly principles that would cause one to finally scoff godly principles. So he explicitly states that the godly man refuses to be induced into the route of the wicked.

How then would a godly person be defined? He is defined by the time he spends in the Word of God. He has great delight in the Word that God has given to us, His children. The Word of God is not a book sitting on his shelf only. He takes the time to read it and reflect on it. He does not just do it occasionally. He mediates on the Word continuously. He meditates in the morning and he muses over it at night. He won’t start the day without it and he would end the day with it. He allows the principle of the written word to saturate his mind and fills his heart. He has deep consideration for the counsel of God’s Word. His principles in life are all derived from the Word. He spends time to read the Word, reflects on its implication and He acts on divine principles.   

It is God’s intention for us to adopt the stance of the godly. We become godly by avoiding the influence and counsel of the ungodly. We spend time in the godly discipline of meditating and musing over the Word of God. Every action in life begins with a thought in the mind. When we allow ungodly counsel to fill our thoughts, we naturally will gravitate toward them. How needful it is to begin the day with the Word and end the day with it. Bear in mind what Paul said in 2 Timothy 3:16-17 that “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.”