Young People's Group

Blessed Is the Man

by Mitchell Tan
June 24, 2021

THE CONTRAST BETWEEN THE WAY OF THE RIGHTEOUS AND THE WAY OF THE UNGODLY

There is a stark contrast between the way of the righteous and the way of the ungodly. The Psalmist took time to make a clear distinction between the two. One of the ways by which he did this was with the use of imageries.

1. VERY CONTRASTING IMAGERIES

A. THE RIGHTEOUS IS LIKENED TO A WELL-PLANTED TREE

“He 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.”
Psalm 1:3

“Shall” denotes the idea that this will definitely happen to the person who walks righteously. The person who is in a state of blessedness is likened to the imagery of a tree.

i. He is like a strong and healthy tree that has deep roots in the ground.
ii. This tree is specially planted by rivers of water where it can draw much water from.
iii. The righteous man would grow to have a fruitful life.
iv. He would continue to be a healthy “tree” and not be diseased.
v. Whatever he does in life, the Lord will prosper his works.

There is the obvious hand of the Lord in this person’s life and in blessing it. This is a state of blessedness that the righteous man will have (Psalm 1:1).

B. THE UNGODLY IS LIKENED TO CHAFF

“The ungodly are not so,
But are like the chaff which the wind drives away.”
Psalm 1:4

The ungodly are not like the righteous who are blessed by the Lord. Instead, there would be no apparent blessings in their lives. They are compared to the chaff which the wind drives away. What is being described is a winnowing scene.

i. The grain after being threshed will go through the process of winnowing.
ii. The grain will be thrown in the air and the kernel which is the heavier part of the grain will fall to the ground.
iii. The chaff (outer casing of the grain) because it is lighter will be blown away by the wind.
iv. The chaff is used basically only for starting a fire.

There is indeed a huge contrast between a fruitful tree and chaff. What a big difference!

2. CONTRASTING END RESULTS

A. THE RIGHTEOUS

“The congregation of the righteous”
Psalm 1:5

i. The righteous will be able to stand before God in judgment.
ii. They will be part of the congregation of the righteous as they stand before Him.

B. THE UNGODLY IN THE JUDGMENT

“Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment,
Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.
…
But the way of the ungodly shall perish.”
Psalm 1:5-6

i. They will not have any standing at the time of being judged by God.
ii. They will not be able to stand with the congregation of the righteous before God.
iii. The way of the ungodly will only lead to destruction.

HAVING THE WISDOM TO CHOOSE THE WAY OF THE RIGHTEOUS

Which way would you choose? The way of the righteous or the way of the ungodly? There is no middle ground. It is either we choose one or the other. Let’s choose the way of the righteous.

1. Discern that the way of righteous is the only way to go.

2. Decision to follow the way of the righteous.

3. Dwelling on the word of God.

4. Deep assurance that we will be part of God’s congregation in heaven.

Back to Article Listing