The Blessed Man’s Warning

Psalm 1:1 "Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful."

The Contrast Between Blessing and Cursing

This verse is the first part of the description of the blessed man.  The entire description is found in the first three verses of the chapter.  The phrase "Blessed is the man" should be placed before each one of the three descriptions found in the first three verses.  The significance of the phrase needs to be noted and understood.  The definition of the word "blessed" is "happy" or "happiness".  The word is always used in the Bible with the idea of great happiness and contentment.  Sin and the world cannot give true happiness and contentment.  James describes the progression of sin as beginning with uncontrollable desire after that which is prohibited and moving on to the action of taking hold of that prohibited thing.  The result of sin is death or just the opposite of happiness and contentment.  No one truly wishes for unhappiness and discontent but is often deceived by the subtle attractions and conversations presented by the world system.

Three Steps Away from Blessing

As a warning, this verse treats the slippery path provided by the world that leads away from blessedness and contentment to frustration and sorrow.  It describes the negative action that must be taken to be blessed.  The path that leads away from blessing is progressive.  It is not a leap or giant step.  To the contrary, the first step taken seems quite harmless, but it leads to the next step that carries the traveler into a much darker realm.  The third and last step is described as fixed and controlled.  Notice that all three steps are connected to those who are opposed to God and His truth: the ungodly, sinners and the scornful.  The first aspect of warning is the company kept in each of these steps.  Just as each step is progressively worse, the characters related to the steps are progressively destructive in their influence.  The means of the negative influence affecting the follower of this path are increasingly domineering: counsel (advice), way (habit) and seat (fellowship).

1. Let us look at the three progressive steps in more detail. The man who is living his life in the blessedness of God is walking under different instruction.  Rather than listening to the advice and philosophy of those who are self-seeking and with an attitude of independence from God, the blessed man looks to know and follow God's commands.  He gives himself in humble obedience to God's plan and purpose for his life.  The counsel of the ungodly leads to discontent, fear, unhappiness and condemnation.  The man who listens to the counsel of the ungodly soon finds himself thinking and acting contrary to God.  The sad thing is that the more a man listens, the more acceptable and logical that counsel appears to be.  However, it is also true that the more he listens, the less he experiences the blessedness of God.
2. The next step away from the blessedness of God is to stand or to hesitate in the presence of sinners. Once having accepted, even partially, the philosophy of those who reject God's commands and instruction, the unblessed man finds himself walking in the way of those who disobey God and His purposes and plans.  The word sinner means one who breaks God's commands.  It refers to the actions, while the word "ungodly" refers more to the thinking.  This position is to be habitually taking part with those who are doing that which is contrary to God's will.  Their very actions remove blessing and bring condemnation.  The blessed man is in another path that leads to righteousness and fellowship with God.  He is following the Lord Jesus Christ who declared, "I am the way, the truth and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me (John 14:6)".  To be with the Father is to be in the place of blessing.
3. The third and last step takes a man to the place of permanent action and character. He is sitting with no plan to move away.  He has found his resting place, but unfortunately, it is not a place of blessedness and peace.  He finds himself settled in with those who are not only in opposition to God but scorn Him making light of His authority and power.  Like Lucifer, they consider themselves to be above and beyond God.  They have assumed authority over their own lives and purposes.  They may call themselves atheists, but their very conscience reminds them of the existence and authority of God over them.  The proof of this is that they are constantly presenting arguments to prove their rejection of the existence of God.  The fact that their conscience and all facts when honestly considered declare the existence and authority of God places them in a constant battle with themselves and with nature.  They are far from a place of rest and peace and have absolutely no idea of the blessing of God.  The man who refuses to follow the path that leads to such a restless and discouraging place finds the blessing of peace and contentment at the feet of his Creator and Sustainer.  His words are those of praise and thanksgiving rather than scoffing and vain statements of rejection of truth.  He is truly happy because he is in the place for which he was created.

The Record of a Just Man’s Loss of Blessing

The Bible has recorded and preserved the best example of the man who left the place of blessing to follow the path of unblessedness.  2 Peter 2:7 declares that Lot was a just (saved) man who had become vexed or oppressed with the filthy conversation (lifestyle) of the wicked with whom he lived in Sodom.  He began his detour from the path of blessing by going in the direction of the beautiful fields of Sodom and Gomora.  For a time, he lived on the outskirts of those wicked cities, but in the end, he was found sitting at the gate of the city of Sodom.  The gate was the place where the leaders of the city gathered to conduct the plans and business of the city.  When Lot turned in the direction of Sodom, it was already known to be a place of great wickedness.  The result of his turning in that direction was the loss of all he owned, his wife and two daughters and ended up being led into incest by his two unmarried daughters.  The offspring of those relationships became the fathers of two of Israel's continual enemies.

Conclusion

We must remember that this warning is being given in Psalm 1 to those who are in a place of blessing.  Lot was a just man who had reaped the blessings of God because he had walked with his godly uncle.  Just because a man is saved does not mean that he must not take heed to the warning given in this first verse.  The flesh is subtle and the world is wily.  The beauty and prosperity offered by the world are not the blessing of God.  To the contrary, they are a facade which hides the sorrow and disillusionment of a world that scorns and rejects the God of blessing.  Let us reject this path to follow the blessing of God described in the next verse.