Making a Stand Against Sin

Psalms 1: 1-6 ESV
“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.”

These verses seem to present a choice that every person must make. There is a fork in the road of life: one route is the way of the righteous, which leads to blessings; the other is the “path of sinners,” and it ends in destruction.

If someone is telling you that it is OK to talk a certain way, act a certain way, and think a certain way, and you compare their instructions to the Word of God and it doesn’t line up, trash the advice. Stick to what lines up with God’s Word. To walk not in the counsel of the ungodly means to reject any advice from the wicked.

Walking involves progression: these verses instruct us, “Don’t walk in the counsel, don’t stand in the path, don’t sit in the seat” of the ungodly. The apparent progression presents a picture of someone walking next to sin, then stopping to stand and engage with sin. Then finally sitting right down in sin’s seat to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin.

There is only one way to live a God pleasing life; reject sin and wicked advice, and cleave heavily to God and His instructions.

Prayer:
Lord, help me to line up everything I hear, see and understand with Your Holy Word. You word is quick and powerful, and sharper than a two edged sword that will judge the thoughts and intents of my heart. (Hebrews 4:12)