Andy Sochor October 26, 2009

Contrasting the Righteous and the Wicked

Text: Psalm 1

The Righteous Man is Blessed (v. 1-3)

He does not walk in the counsel of the ungodly – following their thinking/advice
He does not stand in the path of sinners – putting himself in a position to encounter them
He does not sit in the seat of scoffers – among those who grumble and complain
He delights in the law of the Lord and meditates upon it
He is like a tree firmly planted by streams of water

The Wicked are Not Like the Righteous (v. 4-5)

The follow the words of others who are wicked
They do not try to avoid sin and temptation
They join in complaining with the scoffers
They do not delight in God’s law
They are not like the tree firmly planted by the river
They are like chaff – worthless, driven away by the wind
They cannot stand in judgment

Summary (v. 6)

The Lord knows (approves of) the way of the righteous
The way of the wicked will perish

Read the article: Contrasting the Righteous and the Wicked – A Brief Examination of Psalm 1

Filed Under: Christian life, Old Testament, sin Tagged With: grumbling, judgment, meditation, righteousness, sin, study, temptation, wickedness, word of God

Jesus Christ came to set us free from the bondage of sin (Romans 6:3-6; John 8:34-36). Yet many Christians are content to remain enslaved to it. They have been convinced that we can never defeat sin; therefore, they have resigned themselves to the belief that they will always struggle with it.

Yet the Bible does not present the removal of sin from one’s life as an unattainable ideal but as a realistic goal. Paul said there is a way of escape for every temptation (1 Corinthians 10:13). Peter spoke of what one needs to do so that he will never stumble (2 Peter 1:10). John wrote so that we may not sin (1 John 2:1). Jesus told the woman allegedly caught in adultery, “Go. From now on sin no more” (John 8:11).

But how can we successfully remove sin from our lives? We first need to understand the reasons why we sin so we can learn how to find the way of escape. This material has been written to help each one of us overcome sin, rather than struggling with it perpetually.

The second edition also contains questions at the end of each chapter to aid in personal and group Bible studies. There is also an appendix at the end with additional articles related to sin and temptation. This book is available in paperback and digital formats.

Click here for more information and to download a sample of the book.