Walk - Stand - Sit

These are words we are all familiar with. They are verbs - doing words or action words. They convey an instant picture of a particular action. They are actions that we learn as infants and will use right through to old age.

Psalms 1:1, 2:
"(1) Blessed is the 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;
(2) But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night."

Psalms 1, the first book in the Old Testament Book of Psalms begins with the blessedness of the the man who:
(a) Does not walk in the counsel [advice] of ungodly people
(b) Does not stand around with sinners [prefers their company]
(c) Does not sit with those who are scornful. [Scornful of others who do not follow their views on life].

God calls the man blessed who chooses to follow Him in righteousness and delights in His written words; a man who thinks about God's words and meditates upon them day and night. This man has made a deliberate choice to follow God and His ways.

Psalms 1 is a psalm with a distinct contrast between a blessed man and an ungodly sinner. Let's continue to have a look at this psalm.

Psalms 1:3
"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."

The illustration brought before us is that of a tree that is growing alongside a river. This tree has an abundant supply of water from which its roots can draw the moisture necessary for its continual growth. The trees leaves don't wither and die because they have an endless supply of sap to sustain them.

So our blessed man is likened to this tree. When hardships come he will not wilt but rather he will continue to prosper. For those very same hardships will strengthen his faith in his God. He will continually remind his God of the promises He has made in His words and rest on them. The picture is of a happy, satisfied, abundant, righteous life.

Psalms 1:4, 5:
"(4) The ungodly are not so, but are like the chaff which the wind drives away.
(5) Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous."

Here we have another illustration where the ungodly person is likened to chaff. What is chaff?  Chaff is the husk or the hard covering around grain seeds. For instance, if we harvest a wheat crop, the outer husk (chaff) needs to be broken off before the wheat is useful for food. Chaff is not digestible by humans and therefore is useless as a food source. So if we want to grind the wheat into flour all traces of the chaff need to be gone.

In Old Testament times the harvested wheat had to be threshed to break off the outer husk (chaff) from the wheat. Then the mixture of chaff and wheat was winnowed to separate the chaff and wheat. They would take a large shallow, flattish dish and place a quantity of the mixture on it. When a light breeze was blowing they would toss the mixture up slightly and the chaff would blow away in the breeze. The grain would fall back into the dish. This would be repeated until all the chaff was gone. The wheat grains would then be stored and the winnowing would continue until the harvest was chaff free.

In verse 4 the ungodly are likened to the chaff which the wind carries away. In verse 5 we are told that the ungodly won't be able to withstand the judgement of God. In effect, they will be like the chaff driven away by the wind. We are also told that sinners won't be allowed to stand in the congregation of the righteous.

When the wheat is growing there is a bond between the wheat grain and the outer husk. However, the wheat cannot become useful to mankind until that bond is broken and the grain is set free from the husk.

Psalms 1:6:
"For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall perish."

This last verse of the psalm reminds me of the words of the Lord Jesus Christ in Matthew 7:13, 14:
"(13) Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it.
(14) Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life [eternal], and there are few who find it."

The ungodly sinner who dies in his or her sins will stand before the Great White Throne of judgement and be cast into the Lake of Fire which is the second eternal death (Revelation 20:11-15).

"...for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it."

"...nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous." There will not be any ungodly sinners in Heaven. The contrast between the righteous man and the ungodly sinner is never so marked as when we compare their eternal destinies.

It is wise to consider the end of life's journey on Earth and where we will spend eternity. It will be either Heaven or the Lake of Fire.

Jon Peasey
Biblical Perspectives blog www.jon-peasey.blogspot.com
Ebooks author page https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/JRPeasey

[All Scriptures quoted are from the New King James version; unless otherwise noted. Words enclosed in [ ] are inserted for clarity. Words in bold type emphasise a point. You may notice some verses are quoted with ... at the beginning, ending or elsewhere in a verse. Only the relevant part or parts of the verse, that relate directly to the current subject matter is quoted.]

[If you have any questions or comments you are invited to contact me via the comments section below.]

 

A Perfect Autumn Day

I am sitting at my desk gazing out the windows of my study. The sky is blue with little wispy clouds dotted about. It is a beautiful sunny day with a gentle fresh breeze. A lovely fresh smell is in the air from the many trees and bushes in the retirement village where I live. Below my windows I can see across the roofs of the units below. Australian gum trees are silhouetted against the sky. It is a peaceful, relaxing scene.

Today is the first day in May. It is a public holiday in Queensland for today is Labour Day. Trade unions will march through the Brisbane city streets to celebrate the day. Many people take advantage of the three days' long weekend to go off on a short holiday with their families.

 As I sit and type I am reflecting on the order in God's creation. The sun shines during the day to give us light and warmth. It has been placed perfectly in position in our solar system to give the maximum benefit to our planet Earth. Without the sun's rays the trees and bushes and plant life that I can see would not grow. God has given us the sun by day and the moon at night. The myriads of stars at night reveal the immensity of God's universe. It is an interesting fact that all the space probes undertaken by man have revealed that Earth is the only planet that sustains life. God created Earth for mankind to live on. He created the perfect physical environment for mankind. The variety of landscapes and terrain on Earth is truly fascinating. The interplay of the four seasons has been carefully designed by God for mankind's benefit. Different types of foods grow in the different seasons to give variety in our diets.

As I sit and reflect on the many benefits we have to give thanks for, my mind turns to some dear friends of mine in Wellington, New Zealand. Today is a sad day for them. Today is the day they are burying their youngest daughter. She passed away from spinal cancer at the age of 48 years. They had decided to look after her at home and that is where she passed away. They however have the blessed hope of seeing her again. For their daughter belonged to the Lord Jesus Christ and has gone to be with Him in Heaven.

True born again believers in the Lord Jesus Christ have this assurance in their hearts and minds that death conveys them to heaven when they die. It is only the body that is left behind. The spirit and soul of a person goes back to God. God has prepared a place for departed souls. For unbelievers still in their sins when they die; they go to Hell. For redeemed believers whose sins have been forgiven they go to heaven to be with the Lord Jesus Christ forever.

I am sure that the funeral service in Wellington will be a celebration of the life of a woman who loved her Lord and was a true friend to many, many people. She endured much pain due to her illness and is now in the place where there is no more sorrow.

Revelation 21:4 tells us:
"And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away."

I wonder about you. Where will you be at the end of your life's journey? Don't want to think about it? It is not a pleasant thing to contemplate your own mortality. The fact is, that at the end of your life's journey - is your death. It is common to all mankind. Where you end up is a matter of choice. You have the power to decide where you will go!

Stay with me a while longer; I am interested in your eternal wellbeing. The Holy Bible clearly outlines that the end result of a person dying in unbelief and still in their sins is the Lake of Fire (Revelation 20:12-15).

On the other hand the true believer in the Lord Jesus Christ will know this:
"(6) So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord.
(7) For we walk by faith, not by sight.
(8) We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord." (2 Corinthians 5:6-8).

Heaven is my eternal home. Will it be yours? Salvation and assurance can be yours today!

Romans 10:9-10:
"(9)... if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
(10) For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."

If you are saved today it will be a perfect day for you.

Jon Peasey
Words of Life blog www.jrpeasey.blogspot.comEbooks author page https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/JRPeasey
[All Scriptures quoted are from the New King James version; unless otherwise noted. Words enclosed in [ ] are inserted for clarity. Words in bold type emphasise a point. You may notice some verses are quoted with ... at the beginning, ending or elsewhere in a verse. Only the relevant part or parts of the verse, that relate directly to the current subject matter is quoted.]
[If you have any questions or comments you are invited to contact me via the comments section below.]