Does Not Apply

How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked nor stand in the path of sinners  Psalm 1:1

Counsel – It’s hard to know where to begin with this verse.  We want to know what David means by “blessed”.  It must be important if he chose it as the first thought of all the Psalms.  But we can’t ignore “walk” or “stand” either.  Those are the action words in this verse.  However, unless we understand the word ‘etsah, we might think that this opening verse doesn’t apply to us.  After all, we aren’t chasing after the wicked or listening to the advice of atheists.  Are we?

‘Etsah is a challenging word because it has two different meanings.  It can be translated “plan” or “determine” on the one hand, and “advise” or “counsel” on the other.  Choosing one translation instead of the other is not always easy (or wise).  So, we must be careful not to gloss over the implications of both meanings.  In this verse, David could be telling us not to walk according to the advice of the wicked, or he could be saying not to make plans based on wicked. 

But we will still object, “I don’t do that.  This doesn’t apply to me.”

Then let me ask:

How do you make your buying decisions?  Do you decide what to purchase based on God’s priorities, or are you influenced by the marketing techniques of the world?  Who advises you on your desires, what you will wear, eat or where you will live?

Where do you spend your time and effort?  Are your choices based on the clear mission statement of Jesus, or are you subconsciously listening to the vacation and cruise line operators?  Do your goals in life overflow with service to others or with provision for yourself?

Who really influences your thoughts about investments, retirement, career or social circles?  Are you spending time, money and effort with the “least of these”?

How are your entertainment choices, reading materials and hobbies determined – by the culture or the Book?  When you make deliberate choices, are they always in alignment with the Kingdom?

Are you chasing the prosperity dream?  Why?  How much of your life looks like the picture of life in the Beatitudes?

The counsel of the wicked reaches everywhere the ungodly influences thoughts and deeds.  You and I have no immunity.  Our world is saturated with godless thinking.  If you want the blessing of the first psalm, you may have to do some serious housecleaning.