Pressing On

with THE WORD

A study of the Scriptures to discover who God is, what He is like, and how to partner with Him now.

Filtering by Tag: ruin

Two paths, final analysis

The Israelites wrote psalms as both poetry and songs to be sung.  Putting concepts into word pictures and to music are a great way to both express ourselves and help us remember truths.  Even today, Christians still use this art form in order to engage God and teach His truths. 

We’ve learned a lot by looking at and thinking through the lyrics of Psalm 1.  But now, let’s put it all together:

Psalm 1:1-5
How happy is the one who does not
walk in the advice of the wicked or
stand in the pathway with sinners or
sit in the company of mockers!

Instead, his delight is in the Lord’s instruction,
and he meditates on it day and night.

He is like a tree planted beside flowing streams
that bears its fruit in its season
and whose leaf does not wither.
Whatever he does prospers.

The wicked are not like this;
instead they are like chaff that the wind blows away.
Therefore the wicked will not stand up in the judgment,
nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.

The final verse sums up the entire psalm:

Psalm 1:6
For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked leads to ruin.

The way of the wicked leads to ruin because the Lord does not watch over it.  Multiple translations render the Lord watches over the way of the righteous as “the Lord knows the way of the righteous”.  The NET Bible translation really strikes a chord with me: “the Lord guards the way of the righteous”.

How comforting it is to know that someone has your back!  Flying solo means you are exposed in some area because you cannot manage or see everything going on around you.  Having a partner or someone who provides supportive oversight will give you confidence to forge ahead with the task at hand.  This confidence comes from knowing that someone else will warn you of potential issues, fight off problems so you don’t have to, and back you up when someone else challenges your work.  How much more inspiring is it when the Lord is the one who is watching over you!  He is all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-good…and as we walk the way of the righteous, the way He designed us: He’s got our back.

But it is possible for us Christians to take a different route, to walk a different path than the one God desires.  However, the result of walking through life without God’s support because we ignored His Word ends in just one place: ruin.

That’s not a word we typically dwell on.  Ruin isn’t something we like to think about.  If we consider what a ruined life looks like, we quickly become uncomfortable.  And for good reason…here’s the definition:

ruin – destroyed, to be lost, i.e. – be in a state of hopelessness, lacking confidence in a future situation. |to wander away, i.e. – lose oneself/by implication, to perish and not escape or surely be undone or have no way to flee

A ruined life is one that is wasted, stuck, hopeless, and of our own doing because of the choices we made.  At the end of our earthly life, there will be no way to fix it, escape it, or avoid it.  A ruined life is self-inflicted and cannot be undone.

The way of the wicked leads to ruin because it runs antithetical to God’s design and His path.  How could it lead to anything else?  When everything is made good because it was made for/by/through Him, there is no other alternative “good” ending if we’re not on the Lord’s path.

Solomon also wrote about this theme in the book of Proverbs.  Here’s just one example of when he notes the contrast between the path of the righteous vs the way of the wicked:

Proverbs 4:18-19
The path of the righteous is like the light of dawn,
shining brighter and brighter until midday.
But the way of the wicked is like the darkest gloom;
they don’t know what makes them stumble.

If we want to be the happy and prosperous person in Psalm 1, we need to abide in God’s Word and God’s Word needs to abide in us.  That is the only path that leads to God’s approval of a life well-lived.  All other paths lead to ruin.

Keep Pressing,
Ken

Two paths, different outcomes

We’ve learned quite a bit as we have traveled with the psalmist through his writing of Psalm 1.  We’ve seen that happiness is something that God gives as a reward to those who seek Him and His path.  We’ve learned about the impact of filling ourselves with God’s Word and what it means to mediate on the Scriptures.  The psalmist also showed us God’s definition of prosperity and how our choices now will impact God’s evaluation of our individual lives.

And now, fittingly, as we come to the end of Psalm 1, the psalmist gives us our final takeaway – the over-arching theme of the entire song:

Psalm 1:6
For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked leads to ruin.

The psalmist’s point is this: to choose the wicked path is straight foolishness.  All the good things in life, all of our desired benefits – both short term and long term – are found by those who walk the way of the righteous.

Those who walk with the Lord are successful because the Lord watches over the way of the righteous.  Conversely, the way of the wicked is not successful because the Lord does not watch over those who choose that path.  God offers no protection or blessing to those who ignore His guidance for life.

From the psalmist’s description, the Israelites who were living righteously are certainly blessed by God; and if the nation is living righteously, then the whole nation is blessed.  But the flip side is also true…which means that input affects outcome.

What is it about the Lord’s instructions that leads to our significant growth, strength, and prosperity?  We see time and time again, throughout Scripture, that the Lord honors those who honor Him. 

Who you spend your time with has a serious impact on the trajectory of your life. 

Who do you spend the most time with? 
Who are the top 5 “influencers” in your life? 

Stop for a moment and list them out.

Is God one of your “Top 5”? 
If so, who are the other four?
If you didn’t include God, why is that?

Is your “Top 5” a good list?  Do they help keep you on the way of righteousness or are they swaying you toward a life that ends in God’s disapproval and ruin?

This is something worth mulling over.  Let’s be intentional with who we allow to have influence in our lives.

Keep Pressing,
Ken