Righteous or wicked: You Pick

For the full context of this post read Psalm 1.

The book of Psalms oozes with emotion. From joy to sorrow, to anger and gladness, Psalms captures the emotions of the human heart. It is a book of songs, a book of poetry, a book that portrays the imperfections, insecurities, and inconsistencies of those who desire to follow God. Psalms 1 provides two options for this thing called life:

2 Blessed is the one

whose delight is in the law of the Lord,

and who meditates on his law day and night.

4 Not so the wicked!

They are like chaff

that the wind blows away. (Psalm 1: 2&4)

The psalmist David paints a picture of a person who delights in the Lord and meditates on God’s word. This person is described as a tree planted by streams of water, a tree which yields fruit, and prospers. David records that the Lord watches over the way of the righteous.

David illustrates a second type of person, the wicked. The wicked are not like beautiful trees which bear fruit and are planted by streams of water. The wicked are like chaff that blows away in the wind. The ways of the wicked lead to destruction and David states that the wicked will not be able to stand in judgment.

Easter Sunday is a day of rejoicing. It is a day of joy and gladness, and a day to sing praise and give thanks to our God for the salvation he has provided us through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Easter Sunday is a good day to reevaluate the trajectory of our life’s choices. The imagery provided in Psalm 1 simplifies this reflection process for us. We either delight in the Lord which results in flourishing life or we are like the wicked whose ways lead to destruction. This Easter I chose to delight in the Lord.