Psalms 1:1 Blessed is the man who doesn’t walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the way of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers;

Dear Fellowship of the Burning Heart:

In order to receive the Word of the Lord, in order to be instructed in his ways, in order to respond in obedience to his commands, we must reject the world’s message, because it runs counter to God’s ways.

There are those who see the three phrases in the first verse of Psalm 1 as synonymous expressions. But I tend to see more of a progression in the verse. Let me explain.

Walking presents a picture of movement in a direction, of pursuing that direction. At any given moment that direction might change if one turned to walk in a different direction.

Standing presents the idea that one has made the decision to choose a position to occupy. “I have taken my stand!”

Sitting gives the impression that the position has become so comfortable that little movement away from it is to be expected. My wife knows that when I come home from work, if I take a seat in my easy chair, there is little expectation that I will be moving from that position in the near future.

Wicked is a general word used to describe the morally wrong, to those who stray from the right way. It would embrace all kinds and degrees of the unrighteous.

Sinners refers to those who “miss the mark”, and choose to stray from the path of duty. They seem to point to those who “rebel” against the right way.

Scoffers is the most intensive of the three, referring to those who “mock, ridicule, scorn, and deride the right way.

Counsel refers to the principles, plans, and advice that influences others.

Way refers to a lifestyle, “a way of life”, that involves the acceptance of a certain approach to life, a certain set of values, a certain set of goals.

Seat refers to the place of position, judgment, authority, and prestige in the society of ancient times. To sit in the assembly of the city was to be accepted, acclaimed, and authorized by the community to take up deliberations and act.

Maybe you are beginning to see the progression. First, we are lured into thinking and acting like the world. We begin by ASSOCIATION. We listen to the advice of the world and accept their assumptions, premises, deliberations, ideas, conclusions, and evaluations. We start to value their acceptance, so we slowly drift toward their thinking. It may be swift and deliberate, but more likely it is gradual and imperceptible. Over time we begin to think differently, to react differently, to respond differently. The things that we once thought were wrong, were unacceptable, were morally objectionable, no longer seem so. And though God’s Word clearly speaks against such behavior, we find ways of justifying our new positions, of explaining away the message of the Bible, and of approving our new lifestyle.

The second step is to “take our stand” with the world. As we adopt the world’s thinking and adapt to its demands, we find that we have an IDENTIFICATION with the world. Just as we see that those who share a common bond stand together in a crowd, so we find ourselves standing with those who have become rebels against God’s ways. Their habitual evil has intoxicated us into acceptance of their ways and insulated us from God’s truth.

Finally, we have a FIXATION with the world and its ways. We accept and use their coarse, crude and rude expressions. We laugh at their vulgar jokes, ridicule, and mockery. We listen intently to their acclamations, rationalizations, and pontifications. We embrace their motivations, their valuations, and their goals. We refuse to allow ourselves to think that we have now rejected all that we once held dear. The world has a hold on us and clasps it greedy hands around our throats in a stranglehold that slowly suffocates our souls.

But the person who rejects the world boldly refuses to live by the advice of the world, choosing rather to stand on the Word of God and trust what it says. That person will not adopt the lifestyle of the rebellious world, nor employ time in pursuit of its ways. Instead, that person will seek to adopt a lifestyle that reflects the values presented in God’s Word. That person will also refuse to make decisions or live by the expectations of the world. As Paul told believers in his day,

Ephesians 5:11 Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather even reprove them.

Just as people who seem well decide to get an annual “checkup” or physical, we need to conduct a periodic spiritual “checkup” to determine if and where the world has started to make inroads toward infiltrating our thinking and our behavior. God’s Word is the line, the standard, the measure we must use to make this determination. Are you willing to allow God to scrutinize your life?

Psalms 139:23-24 Search me, God, and know my heart. Try me, and know my thoughts. See if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the everlasting way.