Psalm 1 English Standard Version

Book One

The Way of the Righteous and the Wicked

1 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;
2 but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.

3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.
4 The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away.

5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;

6 for the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.

This is very old school but it is still as true today as it was then. So what changed?

We did.

Old Testament dependency was based on doing right. Obedience was a blessing and failure resulted in consequences. They still do but the consequences changed after Christ’s death, resurrection and ascension. The consequence of disobedience is no longer eternal death.

The biggest change has happened since Christ sent the Holy Spirit to us to tell us the meaning behind everything that is the Word of God. That is not what is taught by man’s understanding but rather by the Spirit of Truth who does no lie to us.

This is not to say that teachers lie to us even though some do. It is about reliance on the Holy Spirit to affirm truth when we hear it from others. Do we hear our teachers correctly all the time? If their style of communication is unclear we might not receive a confirmation from the Spirit. That does not give us the right to say “Teacher you are wrong!”

Clarity in communication is our responsibility to ask for clarification. “What does that mean?”

Clear communication is essential in all relationships.