In this Psalm we see contrasted the righteous man and the ungodly man. In studying this psalm we must bear in mind that under the New Covenant, a man’s righteousness or ungodliness have no bearing on his salvation. It is only the righteousness of Christ imputed on your behalf that affects your standing with God. We can, however, gain very practical spiritual truth on how, once saved, we can fully experience God’s blessings.
I. The Righteous Man (verses 1-3)
A. He is blessed. “Blessed” means “happy.” (Gen. 30:13)
B. The way to happiness (negative).
1. Don’t walk in the counsel of the ungodly.
a. Whose advice do you follow about life? (TV, celebreties, etc.)
b. Who are your influences on what and how you think, how you talk, how you dress, etc.?
c. As a Christian you should be walking in the Spirit and not the flesh.
2. Don’t stand in the way of sinners.
a. Are you out milling around were the world is?
b. A bad environment can, and most often will, affect you.
c. As Christians we should be standing in the power of His might equipped with the whole armour of God.
3. Don’t sit in the seat of the scornful.
a. Now the progression of sin has led you to become comfortably entrenched with the wicked.
b. “Scorn” means to deride, or show contempt. The literal meaning from the Hebrew gives the idea of moving your mouth–like a mocker.
c. These scorners abound today sitting around mocking and making light of God, His word, His people, etc. Even many Christians find themselves seated here making fun of the things of God.
d. As Christians we are to be seated in heavenly places (Eph. 2:6). We should be soaring like eagles up on that higher plane rather than squawking on the ground with all the turkeys.
C. The way of happiness (positive).
1. He delights (loves, enjoys) God’s word.
a. He doesn’t ignore it.
b. He doesn’t correct it.
c. He doesn’t try to explain it away.
2. He meditates on God’s word through the day.
a. This is not the meditation of yoga and Eastern mysticism which instruct you to empty your mind. Such practices can be dangerous and are meant to fill your mind with spritiual influences (not the Holy Spirit).
b. To meditate on God’s word means to constantly think it over, to chew on it.
D. How is this righteous man blessed?
1. “Tree planted by the rivers of water”
a. He is made strong and stable.
b. He has a constant supply of what’s needed. We have the promise of God’s provision of our needs in Phillipians 4.
2. “Bringeth forth its fruit in its season”
a. Fruit naturally comes from fruit trees. We also produce fruit when we are by the water. (Metaphorically–the fruit of the Spirit and the “water” of God’s word)
b. Fruit does have its seasons. You may not show fruit at all times.
3. “Leaf shall not wither”
a. The righteous man has life.
b. Christians ought to be lively and not appear to be dead.
4. Prosperity
a. Don’t think that prosperity is the same thing as money. It may include money, but it is so much more.
b. To be prosperous, means that good comes from everything in life. Romans 8:28 also gives us this promise.
II. The Ungodly Man (vss. 4-6)
A. “Not so”
1. All of the characteristics and blessings just given for the righteous man do not apply to the ungodly.
2. The ungodly man may appear to have it all, and he may for a relatively short time. There is pleasure in sin for a season, but in the end there is no blessing.
B. He is like chaff.
1. There is no strength or stability in the throw away husk of wheat kernels.
2. He is spiritually dead.
3. There is no real prosperity.
C. The end of the ungodly.
1. They will continue to be outcast from God for eternity.
2. They will stand before the Lord Jesus Christ at the Great White Throne judgment and give an account of their lives.
