The Righteous and the Wicked – Psalm 1

Sermon Video

Introduction to Psalms

The book of Psalms (or the Psalter) is both the hymnal for Israelite worship and a book of personal devotions and prayers. The psalms were written by several authors over a period of hundreds of years.

Psalms is divided into five sections or “books.”

1. Book One – Psalms 1-41
2. Book Two – Psalms 42-72
3. Book Three – Psalms 73-89
4. Book Four – Psalms 90-106
5. Book Five – Psalms 107-150

There are several different kinds of Psalms:^[1]Tremper Longman, How to Read the Psalms.

• Hymn psalms
• Psalms of lament
• Psalms of thanksgiving
• Psalms of confidence
• Psalms of remembrance
• Wisdom psalms
• Kingship psalms

The Psalms show us the full range of human emotions. When you read the Psalms, you sense that the authors are pouring themselves out before God. In the Psalms, we see human need and God’s providential care. ^[2]Gould, Dana. Shepherd’s Notes: Psalms 1-50, 23. B&H Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

The Psalms are important to us today because they help us understand God and our relationship with him. The Psalms picture God as our Creator who is capable of rescuing his people. We also see in the Psalms that God is a just judge who rewards the righteous and opposes the wicked.^[3]Gould, Shepherd’s Notes: Psalms 1-50, 22.

And that is exactly what we see in Psalm 1, which is our text for today. Psalm 1 is a wisdom psalm. It contrasts the way of the righteous and the way of the wicked. It is an introduction to the whole Psalter. From the opening psalm, we are confronted with a decision. Will we be righteous people who seek to live fruitful lives for God or will we go our own way, the way of the wicked? That is the subject of today’s message.

Will we be righteous people who seek to live fruitful lives for God or will we go our own way, the way of the wicked?

Sermon Text: Psalm 1

A happy, righteous person delights in God’s Word, while the wicked keeps bad company (1-2)

Blessed is the man
    who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
    nor sits in the seat of scoffers;

In verse 1, we see that the man that doesn’t keep company with the wicked is blessed (happy). Implied in the text is that the wicked keep bad company. The wicked walk in the counsel of other wicked people and thus think like the wicked. Proverbs 13:20 says, “Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.“

Not only do the wicked think like the wicked, but they live liked the wicked (“stand in the way of sinners”) and associate with the wicked (“sit at the seat of scoffers”).

With these words in mind, I want you to consider:

Who are you getting advice from?

Who are your closest friends?

Are they encouraging you in your walk with Christ?

No friend that you have is neutral. Your friends are either encouraging you to become more like Christ or to live contrary to his ways.

No friend that you have is neutral. Your friends are either encouraging you to become more like Christ or to live contrary to his ways.

Wise people live godly lives. If you want to be wise and godly, spend time with wise and godly people. If you want to suffer harm, then spend time with wicked and foolish people.

but his delight is in the law of the Lord,
    and on his law he meditates day and night.

In contrast to keep company with wicked people, the happy, righteous person delights in God’s Word. The way to frustration and foolishness is to try to live life apart from the truth of God’s Word. If you try to live in God’s world apart from his wisdom you’ll be constantly be frustrated.

The real way to happiness and wisdom is to live a life that delights in God’s Word. As you delight in God’s Word, the Spirit of God changes you. God’s Spirit uses his word to do his work (Josh 1:8; John 17:17; Rom 12:2).

God’s Spirit uses His Word to do His work.

Are you delighting in God’s Word? Are you exposing yourself to God’s Word?

• Are you delighting in God’s Word?
• Are you exposing yourself to God’s Word?
• Are you reading the Bible regularly?
• Are you memorizing any Scripture?
• Are you meditating on Scripture?
• Are you consistently attending Sunday worship where the Word is faithfully preached?
• Are you in a small group where the Word is discussed in community with other Christians?

In verses 1-2, we see that a happy, righteous person delights in God’s Word, while the wicked keeps bad company. In verses 3-4, the Psalmist further contrasts the righteous and the wicked.

A happy, righteous person is marked by a fruitful, steady life, while the wicked live empty, shaky lives (3-4)

He is like a tree
    planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
    and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers.

The first thing we notice is that the righteous person is a fruitful person. In the New Testament, Jesus tells his disciples that they are to be spiritually fruitful (John 15:8) and that bearing fruit is one mark of a true disciple of Christ. True followers of Jesus don’t just speak about God but their life bears fruit that is pleasing to God. They bear the fruits of the Spirit.

Like a tree planted by streams of water, a person that is delighting in God’s Word (v. 2) is not moved by the storms of life (Matt 7:24-27). So, when the storms of life (job loss, a bad diagnosis, prodigal children, the loss of a loved one, or betrayal by a loved one) are pounding them, they have an unshakable faith in God and his sovereignty (Job 1:20-22).

Just as the fruitful tree draws in v. 3 draws strength from the water, we as Christians draw our strength from a continual relationship with Christ.

John 4:13-14

Jesus said to the Samaritan woman, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

In lands without abundant rainfall, vegetation flourished only where there were natural streams or man-made canals.^[4]Craig S. Keener and John H. Walton, eds., NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible: Bringing to Life the Ancient World of Scripture (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2016), 880. Similarly, even if we live in a place that is spiritually dry, we can flourish if we delight in God’s Word and have a deep abiding relationship with Christ (John 15:1-11), the true living water.

The wicked are not so,
    but are like chaff that the wind drives away.

In contrast to the righteous, who are like rooted and fruitful trees, the wicked are like chaff that is blown away by the wind.

To understand the analogy, you need to understand a little about chaff. Chaff is the inedible part of the grain. Farmers would break the seeds free from chaff and the husk and the straw by threshing. Then, they would take a winnowing fork and throw all of the mixture in the air. The straw and husk would blow away, but the heavier grains would fall to the ground. Thus, chaff is a description of all that is passing and useless. The psalmist here says that the wicked are living lives of chaff. The contrast between a fruitful tree and useless chaff is clear. The tree is one of well-watered stability. The chaff is one of dry, dusty, impermanence.

Their lives are marked by a rejection of God and His ways. They have built their lives on sand. A wicked person is driven by his or her selfish desires. They love the things of the world rather than experiencing the love of God through Christ. They love the things that are passing away (1 John 2:17).

A happy, righteous person is known by God, while the wicked will perish (5-6)

Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
    nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
for the Lord knows the way of the righteous,
    but the way of the wicked will perish.

In verse 6, it says “the Lord knows the way of the righteous.” Of course, God knows the way of the wicked as well, for he will judge them. This verse means that God knows the way of the righteous in an affectionate way ^[5]The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 943. and he approves of them because of the imputed righteousness from Christ (2 Cor 5:21).

Verse 5 says that “the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.” The wicked won’t be able to stand in the judgment because they have nothing to stand on. Their works are wicked and they have not trusted in Christ. Christians can’t stand on their own merits but are righteous because of Christ (Rom 8:1; 2 Cor 5:21). The wicked, however, will be punished for their unrighteous deeds. They will not be allowed to be in the presence of the righteous.

I’m reminded of Proverbs 14:12. Many people think they will be able to get away with their sin. They may be able to fool their spouse, their boss, or even other church members. However, no one can fool God. He sees all. The way of a sinner is hard and it ultimately leads to spiritual death (1 Cor 15:22; Rom 6:23).

Psalm 1 reminds that there are only two ways – the way of the righteous and the way of the wicked. Jesus teaches the same. Consider his words in Matthew 7:13-14.

Matt 7:13-14

“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.

John the Baptist said this of Jesus:

Matt 3:12

“His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”

The only way to avoid God’s judgment is to cast yourself on the perfect Son of God. Turn from your wicked ways. Delight in God’s Word. Repent of your sin and believe in Jesus Christ. Then you will be able to stand in the judgment – not on your own works but on the perfect atoning work of Christ.

How about you? Who are you in Psalm 1? Are you a righteous person that delights in God and his word or do you love your sin and spend time with people that love the world instead of the Father?