The Way of the Righteous and the End of the Ungodly

Christian Character: The Way of Righteousness I: 04 MAY 14

Psalm 1 (NKJV)

The Way of the Righteous and the End of the Ungodly

1Blessedisthe man
Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,
Nor stands in the path of sinners,
Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
2But his delightisin the law of theLord,
And in His law he meditates day and night.
3He shall be like a tree
Planted by the rivers of water,
That brings forth its fruit in its season,
Whose leaf also shall not wither;
And whatever he does shall prosper.

4The ungodlyarenot so,
Butarelike the chaff which the wind drives away.
5Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment,
Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.

6For theLordknows the way of the righteous,
But the way of the ungodly shall perish.

Question: What is the way of the righteous? The answer is listed in five distinct portions listed below from the passage.

1)Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly.

2)Blessed is the man who does not stand in the way of sinners.

3)Blessed is the man who does not sit in the seat of the scornful.

4)Blessed is the man who has his delight in the law of the Lord.

5)Blessed is the man who meditates on the law of the Lord day and night.

These five blessings come from a man, woman, or child being righteous before the Lord. The three types of people that are avoided and the actions committed for the law of the Lord are certainly a part of the way of righteousness.

1)The blessing on a person comes from walking in the counsel of the godly, not the ungodly. The godly counsel should be from God, His Word, and other like-minded believers. Ungodly counsel is from the devil, the systems of this world, and folks that do not follow Jesus Christ. The counsel of the ungodly is plenteous, destructive, and designed to cause failure.

2)The blessing on a person comes from not standing in the way of sinners. What is the way of sinners? Is it not found in John 10:10? The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. This is the way of sinners, always has been, and always will be. Apart from Jesus Christ a person will stand in the way of sinners and be drawn into the world’s system of stealing, killing, and destroying. Standing in the way of sinners is all about selfishness. However, the righteous should stand in the way of sinners as a preventive measure to bring the person light, godly counsel, and a godly life as an example of Christian character.

3)The blessing on a person comes from not sitting in the seat of the scornful, but sitting in the seat of the faithful. A scornful person is not convinced that he or she needs God. In turn this type of person will scoff and mock at those trying to stand in the way of sinners as a preventive measure. This scornful person is truly cynical, lacking in faith, and abundant with excuses. The motive of the scornful person is demise in accordance with the first section of John 10:10.

The ungodly, the sinner, and the scornful person all work for the same boss, the god of this world, Satan. This is the employer of these types of people until they submit their lives fully to Jesus Christ.

END SESSION I

Christian Character: The Way of Righteousness II: 11 MAY 14

Psalm 1 (NKJV)

The Way of the Righteous and the End of the Ungodly

4The ungodlyarenot so,
Butarelike the chaff which the wind drives away.
5Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment,
Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.

6For theLordknows the way of the righteous,
But the way of the ungodly shall perish.

Part I focused on the three types of people that are clearly not associated with Jesus Christ, the damage they can bring, and the trouble they can cause to other unbelievers and even to those that believe.

The Word of God admonishes us to not walk in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stand in the way of sinners, nor sit in the seat of the scornful. We are called to be the antonyms of these types of people. For us to receive the blessing from God and to be in the way of righteousness it is absolutely imperative that we adhere to this counsel. How do we adhere to it?

The Psalmist clearly tells us that part of being in the way of righteousness and receiving a blessing is to delight ourselves in the law of the Lord as mentioned above. It is important to note that delighting in His law means that we delight in Him. We cannot possibly delight in the law of the Lawgiver if we do not delight in and love Him. Our intent should always be centered about love, not personal intentions based on obligatory practices.

Delighting in the law of the Lord is clearly about trust. Do we trust God enough to believe that what He has laid out for us to walk in is for our best interest? If we walk this law in the flesh then we are doomed for utter destruction if left unchecked. If we walk in the Spirit then there is no condemnation (Romans 8:1). If we walk according to the letter of the law then there will be trouble. Delight in the law of the Lord because you love Him. If we truly love Him then His commands are not burdensome (I John 5:3). The only time His commands become burdensome is when we try to accomplish them in our own strength.

Is our delight truly in the law of the Lord? Are we honestly striving to make His law our delight? Should following the commands of God be delightful for us? If we truly love Him and are truly concerned about His heart then we will do our very best to follow His law. If we follow His law based on our love for Him then the natural progression is our delight in serving and pleasing Him. If we are following His commands based on a selfish motive then His law will not be a delight. His law will be a cumbersome set of ideals that are too tough to follow because our priority is on the law and not on the Lawgiver. If our focus is on the Lawgiver then His law will be a delight. If we focus on the law and not the Lawgiver then this can lead to hatred of His law, and hatred of Him if left unchecked. Why? We were not meant to accomplish His commands outside of His sufficient love and grace given to us to do them. We must trust Him and His law.

Psalm 119 has much to say about delighting in the Law of the Lord.

Psalm 119:16—I will delight myself in your statutes; I will not forget your word.

Psalm 119:24—Your testimonies also are my delight and my counselors.

Psalm 119:47—And I will delight myself in Your commandments which I love.

Psalm 119:70—Their heart is as fat as grease, but I delight in Your law.

Psalm 119:77—Let Your tender mercies come to me, that I may live; for Your law is my delight.

Psalm 119:92—Unless Your law had been my delight, I would then have perished in my affliction.

Psalm 119:143—Trouble and anguish have overtaken me, yet Your commandments are my delights.

Psalm 119:174—I long for your salvation, O Lord, and Your law is my delight.

END SESSION II

Christian Character: The Way of Righteousness III: 18 MAY 14

The Way of the Righteous and the End of the Ungodly

4The ungodlyarenot so,
Butarelike the chaff which the wind drives away.
5Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment,
Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.

6For theLordknows the way of the righteous,
But the way of the ungodly shall perish.

We spoke of avoiding the counsel of the ungodly, not standing in the way of sinners, and not sitting in the seat of the scornful, delighting in the law of God, and meditating in His law day and night.

What can we expect for being faithfulas a lifestyle for the man, woman, or child that loves God. The blessing that comes from this obedience to His commands is that the doer of such is indeed blessed.

This same person also has a great delight in the law of God. A delight is not simply a like for something, but a deep-seated joy concerning something, in this case, the commands of the law given by the Lawmaker Himself. It is important for us to remember that a person cannot delight in the law of the Lord unless that person loves the Lawgiver. Several verses from Psalm 119 were discussed and read, and the common theme was that the Psalmist absolutely DELIGHTED in the law of the Lord.

Along with delighting in the law of the Lord is a meditation on the law itself. It stands to reason that a person delighting in the law of the Lord will meditate on it. A person is probably not going to meditate on something that he or she does not delight. These two are interconnected, and the Psalmist is clear that the law of the Lord is a lifestyle.

To meditate on something day and night is a way of living. Meditation is not a passive ordinance for obligatory practices; it is an active passion that a man, woman, or child of God MUST actively engage for it to become real. Notice that the Psalmist states that the blessed man meditates day and night IN His law, not on His law. This shows the reader that there is a relationship with the Lawgiver, not just a following of His law.

Let’s take a look at some verses that deal with this meditation concept.

Joshua 1:8—“This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditatein it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.

Sound familiar? It should! This was written long before Psalm 1, but the theme is absolutely on the money. There is this theme of meditation IN the Book of the Law, not on the Book of the Law. This suggests clearly that meditation is very personal with God and His Word, not passive and with little interaction. It is important to keep in mind that we as parents and couples and families should be so familiar with the Word of God that it is what comes out of us naturally. The more we meditate IN it, the more we love the Lawgiver, the better our walks, and the easier it becomes to obey what He has commanded us. It is a matter of trust!

Psalm 4:4—Be angry, and do not sin.Meditatewithin your heart on your bed, and be still. Selah

The command is for us to be angry, but to do it in a righteous way. The way of the righteous is to allow for righteous anger only. This is important when it comes to personal interaction with our spouses and children. How we deal with each other on this personal level will speak volumes of our righteousness! How much or how little we have will show through in how we control our anger. It is important to be angry about things that God is angry about. We are commanded to meditate in our spirit with His Spirit when we are alone with Him. What should we meditate on? Should it not be the Word of God? Take careful thought of God and His Word; this will ensure assistance to us in our walks with Him.

Psalm 63:6—WhenI remember You on my bed, Imeditateon You in thenightwatches.

Interesting! How often are we remembering God? Are we remembering Him for what He has done for us? Or are we remembering Him because He did not do for us what we wanted? This passage suggests that the Psalmist is in a quiet place, his bed, to remember what God had done for Him. He meditates on God in the night watches. This suggests that meditation is not restricted to an area of time; it can be utilized whenever and wherever. The Psalmist does not just think about God; he meditates on Him with very serious consideration!

Thus far today we have looked at this concept of meditation. Some key takeaways from today’s lesson are written below.

1)Meditation is a lifestyle, not a passive thought here and there.It is something that must be practiced; it is an acquired discipline. It will cost you time, but it will pay you with eternity.

2)Meditate IN the law of God! Meditate ON the person of Jesus Christ. Those that meditate in the law should be those that love the Lawgiver. If you are meditating in the law of God then you have delight in His law. If you delight in His law then you delight in Him!

3)Meditation is very personal in nature, not impersonal. Meditation has its focus on a person, Jesus Christ. Meditation does not have its focus on you or me, only Him.

4)Meditation requires us to be still. If we are still then we can hear from God. If we are of a calm spirit then our chances of becoming angry drop significantly. In the event that we become angry it is important that we do it righteously.

5)Meditation is what is expected from the way of the righteous.

END SESSION III

Christian Character: The Way of Righteousness IV: 25 MAY 14

We have looked at five different aspects of the way of the righteous in the last four weeks. Those characteristics are as follows:

1)Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly.

2)Blessed is the man who does not sit in the seat of the scornful.

3)Blessed is the man who does not stand in the way of sinners.

4)Blessed is the man whose delight is in the law of the Lord.

5)Blessed is the man who meditates in His law day and night.

These are all well and good, but what is the bigger picture here? What really is the product given over to those in the way of righteousness? Besides the blessings that come from being obedient to Jesus Christ, what can we expect as those that are in the way of the righteous? Verse 3 paints a very clear picture for us on this matter.

Verse 3: He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf shall also not wither, and whatever he does shall prosper.

***He or she (the blessed man or woman or child) that has taken it upon himself or herself to follow the five portions of righteousness will indeed be:

1)Like a tree. This person is not just like any tree planted just anywhere. No, this person is like a tree planted by the rivers of water. This person is adjacent to the Source, with a deep root system. This person is firmly rooted in Jesus Christ, His Word, His Father, His Holy Spirit, and His church. This person is next to the Living Water, Jesus Christ. John 4 speaks of Jesus being the Living Water to the woman at the well. This person has an endless supply of what he or she needs because he or she is firmly rooted in Jesus Christ in accordance with Philippians 4:19: 19And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. This person is constantly fed and placing roots deeper day by day. This person, as long as he or she stays near/in the Source, will not be uprooted in accordance with John 10:28: 28And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. We are secure in Jesus Christ when we are in the way of righteousness. This person is absolutely rooted in eternal life.

2)This person brings forth fruit? What is the season in which this person brings forth fruit? This season is whenever good works for Jesus Christ are performed. Anytime that something is done to further the Kingdom of God then fruit is created in that season. Fruit should be brought forth at any time, not just in a setting like church. Fruit can be brought forth in our prayer closets, when we love and discipline our children properly, when we love our spouses correctly, etc. Fruit comes in many forms. It is up to us to ensure that our trees are sprouting good fruit, not rotten fruit. We must make sure that the works we do are those given by the Lord in accordance with Ephesians 2:10: 10For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. The key is to stay hooked into the Living Water, Jesus Christ. It is also important to work as a team of trees, as it were, to live in unity and to spur one another on to do good works in accordance with Hebrews 10:24: 24And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, We need to rely on each other and ensure that the fruit we are producing is acceptable to God. We must tap into each other and feed off each other.