The End of Standing, Sitting, and Walking | Psalm 1:5–6
“Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor
sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
6 for the Lord knows the way of the righteous,
but
the way of the wicked will perish.”
The righteous may grow tall as the tree (v. 3), but the
wicked will not stand nor thrive. Verse
1 says the blessed man won’t stand in the way of the wicked, but this verses says
that the wicked will not stand in the judgment.
Note that in verse five, sinners won’t remain in the congregation
of the righteous. Any unrepentant sinners
in the midst of God’s people will not remain.
Either they will remove themselves in disgust, or they will be
disciplined out the door, or the Lord will remove them. The wheat and tares may remain together for a
time, but Jesus warned, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted
will be rooted up” (Mt 15:13).
Why is it the blessed
man avoids the fate of the unrighteous?
First, because He has been transplanted beside the stream of water (v.
3)—the Lord has given him new life. The
Lord knows who are His, and He holds their paths in His hand. Spurgeon says here, “The righteous carves his
name upon the rock, but the wicked writes his remembrance in the sand.”
Second, he heeds the wisdom of God’s Word; on Scripture “he
meditates day and night” (v. 2). He
follows the Good Shepherd “in paths of righteousness” (Ps 23:3). Consider Prov 3:13, 16–17: “Blessed is the
one who finds wisdom, and the one who gets understanding… Long life is in her
right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor. 17 Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her
paths are peace.”
If you are unrepentant, you will find yourself walking a
crooked and difficult road, taking one forward to find yourself moving
backwards. If you trust in Christ for
eternal life and delight in His Word, however, you will find light and strength
in His precepts. You are declared
righteous by Christ and need not fear the judgment. You know the wicked who trouble the congregation
of the Lord are there for a season. And,
you find peace and vitality in the Lord; blessed is the man!
