In Psalms 1 it says, “The ungodly are not so, but are like the chaff which the wind drives away. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgement nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.” Does this mean He looks away from us, like depart from Me, I never knew you?
Questions like this give us an opportunity to teach a little bit about Bible interpretation basics. One of the most important things we can do as believers who want to know more about the Lord is learn how to study the Bible in context. Let’s look at the whole of Psalm 1 and we will see that, in context, the righteous and the wicked are put up against each other here as to compare and contrast the two.
PSALM 1
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.
He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water,
Which yields its fruit in its season
And its leaf does not wither;
And in whatever he does, he prospers.
The wicked are not so,
But they are like chaff which the wind drives away.
Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
Nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
For the LORD knows the way of the righteous,
But the way of the wicked will perish.
There’s much to unpack here and I’m glad you have asked about this because there are important truths we can pull from this psalm. First, notice the one who is blessed is the one who doesn’t receive counsel, which also means both advice and purpose, from this wicked world. This is so important for us to understand as we live in a world where there are louder and louder voices that would advise us opposite of the ways of the Lord. If our life is spent walking down the same paths as those who don’t know Jesus, we’ve essentially decided we don’t want the blessing of the Lord. Good luck being blessed the world’s way!
Who is blessed? It’s the one who delights in the truth of God. It’s the one who hears the Bible, even the parts that challenge the way they’ve always done things, even the parts that call for sacrifice of the things that feel good to the flesh, it’s that person who will see the blessing of God. Notice though in verse 2, that in order for us to walk in His ways, we’ve got to meditate, meaning to study, to speak out, to read, to think about and ponder, the Words and commandments of God if we’re to know them and walk in them. When someone delights in something it means it’s a joy for them to partake of that. I delight in time spent with my family. A believer ought to delight in time spent with God.
Now look at verse 3, this person, the one who delights in meditating on the Word, will be like a firmly planted tree. We have a lot of firmly planted trees in our woods on our property. They have been there a long time and their roots have become established into the ground. No storm that comes even shakes those strong trees. It’s the dead trees that become uprooted and fall down when the storms come. Likewise, the storms of life will knock down those people who aren’t firmly planted in the truths of God. Also on our property, we have a couple fruit trees that we’ve planted. We have put some tubing around them until they become established because there’s always animals and winds that will threaten them until they have become firm in their roots. As we protect and nourish these trees, we can expect fruit to grow on them. Our prosperity likewise depends on how firmly planted we are. Now, when I say prosperity, understand the biblical meaning of this. When the scripture says here that your life will prosper it means, it will be successful, good, and profitable. There will be progress and advancement. When? When you delight yourself not in the purposes and advice of this world, but in the purposes and advice of God and His Word.
Now this brings us to the scripture in your original question. Consider what a chaff is. Chaff is the part of the wheat stalk that blows off in the wind. Chaff is the part that gets thrown away while the seeds are harvested. Chaff is not valuable or fruit producing. The seeds are the fruit and the fruit producers. Let’s look at this scripture in the Amplified Bible. Psalm 1:5, “Therefore the wicked (those disobedient and living without God) shall not stand (justified) in the judgment…” The only way we stand justified before the Lord in the day of judgment is by living for Him. Now, with this, we must remember His mercies are new every morning and if we repent He is merciful and just to forgive, but our hearts should be to live for Him, each and every day. The wheat will always be separated from the chaff. The righteous will be separated from this sinful world. Will we be counted as righteous? It’s entirely up to us.
Look at Romans 12:1 (NKJV), “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.” He paid for you with His life. It’s reasonable for you to give your life to His purposes.
Be Blessed,
Pastor Renée
