A Life beyond Compare
The central lesson in Psalm 1 is this: there is not the slightest similarity between the spiritually accelerating life of the righteous and the slowly eroding life of the wicked. Take time to ponder the bold contrasts:
| Godly | Ungodly |
|---|---|
| Happiness many times over | Not so! |
| Uncompromised purity | Driven by the wind |
| Has a guide—Word of God | No guide |
| Like a tree | Like chaff |
| Stands erect before God | Unable to stand erect |
| Special object of God's care | No right to stand among righteous assembly |
| Destiny secure, safe, prosperous | Perish |
Let's bring our recent devotion on Psalm 1 to a close with an expanded paraphrase:
Oh, the happiness, many times over, of the man who does not temporarily or even casually imitate the plan of life of those living in the activity of sinful confusion, nor comes and takes his stand in the midst of those who miss the mark spiritually, nor settles down and dwells in the habitation of the blasphemous crowd. But
(in contrast to that kind of lifestyle) in God's Word he takes great pleasure, thinking upon it and pondering it every waking moment, day or night. The result: He will become treelike—firm, fruitful, unwithered, and fulfilling the goals in life that God has designed for him.Not so, the ungodly! They are like worthless husks beaten about and battered by the winds of life
(drifting and roaming without purpose) . Therefore, on account of their inner worthlessness without the Lord, the ungodly are not able to stand erect on the day of judgment, nor do they possess any right to be numbered among the assembly of those declared righteous by God, because the Lord is inclined toward and bound to His righteous ones by special love and care; but the way of the one without the Lord will lead only to eternal ruin.
There’s no similarity between the stable life of the righteous and the slowly eroding life of the wicked.
— Charles R. Swindoll Tweet ThisAdapted from Charles R. Swindoll, Living the Psalms: Encouragement for the Daily Grind (Brentwood, Tenn.: Worthy Publishing, a division of Worthy Media, Inc., 2012). Copyright © 2012 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc.
Used with permission. All rights reserved.
Listen to today's broadcast of Insight for Living with Chuck Swindoll at OnePlace.com.
Visit the Bible-teaching ministry of Chuck Swindoll at www.insight.org.