Psalm 1 talks about the blessedness of walking in the path of righteousness and about the end of those who are ungodly.
Devotional Portion: Psalm 1:1-2
“How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked,
Nor stand in the path of sinners,
Nor sit in the seat of scoffers!
But his delight is in the law of the Lord,
And in His law he meditates day and night.”
The thought process of the world is always contradictory to the perspective of the word of GOD. The world considers one as blessed if they have material possessions or if they are wealthy enough to protect and preserve the company, of those who walk according to their will. The BIBLE says things that are contradicting to what the world says. According to the word of GOD, bring blessed is when we walk according to HIS will and as per the word of GOD. Such a person has the wisdom to refrain himself from the company of the ungodly.
Here, we see three instances where a man of GOD has to be very careful:
a) The counsel of the wicked
People give advices depending on how their hearts are. I can never give a Godly counsel if I don’t have a relationship with GOD. In 1 Kings 12:1-19, we see one of the best examples of wicked/ungodly counsel. Rehoboam, his peer groups, and the congregation of Israel are the people involved here. When we read that passage, we can identify how ungodly people act upon an issue:
1) They take decisions on their own,
2) They never pray on the matter,
3) They don’t care much about others,
4) They neglect the words of wise men.
As a man of GOD, we need to refrain ourselves from the advices of the wicked. We ought to discern the advices given by the people around us.
The counsel of GOD gives:
1) Guidance about eternity (Psalm 73:24),
2) Guidance for every moment of our life (Psalm 32:8).
b) The path of sinners
The path of the sinners provide things that slow us down in our eternal race. It includes lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes and the pride of the life. This path tempts its travelers to stand and enjoy the pleasures. Detouring from the path of righteousness may happen because of a slight mistake and if we delight in this path and stay there, we are going off from the track.
c) The seat of scoffers
Scoffers always look upon others with a heart of contempt. Their delight is in themselves and they are proud of doing the same. They don’t consider others better than themselves, which is a pure violation of the word of GOD. If we are in this company, we get trained to act like one of them. Their priority is to please themselves and to disgrace the works of the LORD.
A blessed man is the one who keeps away from all these companies and his delight is in the LORD and HIS words. His relationship with the LORD is not time bound, “And in HIS law he meditates day and night.” If our relationship with our LORD is time bound, which means, if we come to the presence of the LORD when we are in need or only when things go wrong in our lives, then we can never be called a blessed man. Find joy in obeying the word of GOD than finding happiness in the entertainment of the world. To be called a man of GOD, our hearts should dwell in the will of GOD.
Reflection: This day, let us examine ourselves: Am I a man of GOD or am I a man drifting from the paths of righteousness?
