Christian Gothic Perspective

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; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. 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 wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away.

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.

Psalm 1

v. 1
It is difficult not to desire the way of the wicked. Sin is enticing and fun for a season. The comforts of the world rest here, and in the counsel of the wicked we have friendship with the world. In a sense there is peace, or rather what some would mistakenly call peace. There is acceptance, and a sense that one could find and have the whole world.

It can be so incredibly enticing.

But it is the man who rejects these things -rejects the world- for the sake of the Lord who is blessed. The man who lays aside himself to follow in the ways of the Lord will stand; for he loves God above all else, and his love is a response to the love which God first had for him (1 John 4:7-21).

v.2
The delight of this man is in the way of the Lord. The Lord and His Word guide him safely through the darkest night and the most frightful storm. The Law of the Lord is a lamp unto his feet, and a light unto his path (Psalm 119:105). And though the world may seek to surround him in misery and sorrow, it is the Lord who sustains him in peace and joy.

v.3
He -this blessed man- is rooted in the Lord; trusting in His Word. He is sustained by faith in an unfailing God. He is not a hearer of the Word only, but also a doer of the Word (James 1:21-24); producing the fruits of the Spirit at the right time, and in the right season according to the providence of the God.

Though he stumble and struggle along the way, his leaf -this tree rooted in the Lord- shall not wither. He will not be taken away from the promise of our Salvation in Christ! He shall prosper in all he does, for what he does is that which the Lord instructs him. Our Father leads him, and Christ is his MASTER! Merciful is our God upon His children!

v.4
But the wicked, in contrast, are not so. The enticing ways of men are an illusion offering false peace and false joy. The world, confident in itself, proud of its darkness, and sure of its ways, shall be utterly shocked when -like chaff- all their ways are cast aside as dung and defiled garments (Isaiah 64:6). Their iniquities take them away from before the Lord who will cast them out according to His righteous judgment.

v.5
They will not be able to stand in the judgment of the Lord. They shall have no place in His house, nor at His table.

v.6
For the Lord knows His own; He calls them to Himself (Romans 8:28-30). The blessed man is blessed for his trust, and his life, are in Christ; in Whom he finds redemption, reconciliation, and peace with God. His delight in the Law of the Lord is a result of the regeneration and faith the Lord has granted him. He is saved by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:1-10), and not by his works. Nothing done by his own hands has made peace between him and God

The wicked, who have hated God, and who have delighted and trusted in themselves shall be cast out from the mercy of the Lord. They shall enter into the fulness of His wrath; condemned forever (Revelation 20:10-15).

We are without hope in and of ourselves, and our very best is as a defiled garment before the Lord of Hosts (Isaiah 64:6). It is impossible to please God without faith (Hebrews 11:6), and no work of our hands shall save us. Repent, turn to God, and place your faith in Jesus Christ (John 3:16), for there exists no other name by which men are Saved (Acts 4:12).