The Way of Life or the Way of Destruction?

A boy stands at a fork in a path. Down the path to the left is a gleaming castle in the sunshine. Down the path to the right is a castle surrounded by dark storm clouds and lightning. Everyone has seen this image used in memes. You may not be choosing between two castles, but you are men who stand at a crossroads. As men who lead families, you have to choose for yourselves and for your families. Will you lead them to Christ the living water, or will you lead them down the wide road which leads to death?

Psalm 1 lays out this choice as one of the plainest chapters in the entire psalter: choose the way of God and receive life or choose the way of the wicked and receive death.

The Character of the Godly Man

Matthew Henry describes verses 1-3 of Psalm 1 as “the character and condition of a godly man.” Verse 1 describes what a godly man should not do: walk in the counsel of the wicked, stand in the way of sinners, and sit in the seat of scoffers. This verse is saying that you should not spend time with sinners who are opposed to God and His commandments. Now, this is not to say that you should not spend time with family, friends, or coworkers who are unbelievers. You should spend time with unbelievers and share the Gospel with them. What verse 1 is saying however, is that you should not be influenced by these unbelievers. The psalmist, and ultimately God, knows that you will begin to resemble those with whom you spend time.

If you take counsel from the wicked, you will make wicked decisions. If you stand in the way of sinners, then you will follow their sinful footsteps. If you sit in the seat of scoffers, you will mock and criticize others, and perhaps even God! Conversely, if you are a godly man, you will seek out godly things. You will take counsel from the wise and holy saints in your church. You will stand amongst the redeemed, giving glory to God for your salvation. You will sit in the seat of encouragers and act like Barnabas, the son of encouragement (Acts 4:36).

Years ago, I served in the infantry of the United States Marine Corps. I love my Marines and the brotherhood which comes with the Eagle, Globe, and Anchor. But many Marines fall victim to the vices of men: fighting, drinking, and whoring. Many of you reading this article may have coworkers who talk about going to strip clubs or drinking heavily on weekends, or you may have friends who criticize everyone and everything across which they come. These men have no fear of God; they do not know that “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom” (Proverbs 9:10). There are those who are not simply content with sinning by themselves, but they also desire to tempt others to sin alongside them, “openly defy[ing] all that is sacred, scoff[ing] at religion, and mak[ing] a jest of sin.”

By way of application, I encourage you to think of the godly men of repute within your church, such as your pastor, your ruling elders, your deacons, or older saints. Think of the men who always seem to have the right answer, who always seem to be in reliance upon the Lord, and who always seem to be encouraging and leading others. I encourage you to seek out these men, spend time with them, have conversations with them, ask to be discipled by them, and study the Scriptures with them. The more time you spend with these men, the more you will become like them and the more you will be sanctified by the Holy Spirit.

The next observation about the godly man is that “his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night” (Psalm 1:3). The godly man loves the Word of God. The godly man reads, studies, and meditates upon the Word of God at all times. The Scriptures are bread for the Christian life, for “man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord” (Deuteronomy 8:3; Matthew 4:4). The Word of God is food for the soul of the Christian, so eat it! I encourage you to begin a regular Scripture reading plan and stick to it. Read the Word, think about the Word, and pray about the Word. The Holy Spirit works through the Word to strengthen and sanctify the church.

In verse 3, we see a simile describing a life saturated in the Word: “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.” The man of God who knows that he is redeemed by Christ, who reads and meditates upon the Word, and who attends corporate worship on the Lord’s Day, is like a tree planted by streams of water. He is fed and watered by Christ and the fruit of the Spirit grow and manifest themselves in his life (Galatians 5:22-23).

Men, when you live lives rooted in Christ, rooted in the Scriptures, rooted in Lord’s Day worship, and rooted in your local church, it will pay dividends for your churches, for your wives, for your children, and for you. Godly men impact those around them.

The Character of the Ungodly Man

Verses 4-5 begin the contrast between the righteous man and the wicked man. Verse 4 says “The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away.” Verse 4 is referencing the description in verse 3 of the godly man being like a tree planted by streams of water. The godly man is like a healthy tree; well-fed and well-watered. However, the wicked man is dry and barren, like the chaff of grain which is blown away in the wind and is not useful for anything. Instead of being profitable and healthy, he is fruitless and diseased. This is what happens to a man who is not rooted in Christ.

This also has application for Christians. Christians can still suffer and wither from the malnourishment which comes from neglecting the reading of the Word, prayer, the sacraments, and Lord’s Day worship. Men, make it a priority to lead your wives and children in family worship, prayer, and attending worship on the Sabbath. Do not neglect these means of grace because through them, you will grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ (2 Peter 3:18).

Verses 5-6 close out Psalm 1 with more consequences for the wicked: “Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; for the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish” (Psalm 1:5-6). The Hebrew word translated as “stand” carries a connotation of remaining, enduring, and lasting. Verse 5 is saying that the wicked will not be able to remain standing in the Lord’s judgment. They will crumble beneath God’s judgment of their guilt and sin, crushed by their wrongdoing. Additionally, the unrighteous will not be able to remain within the congregation of the righteous. They will be cast out, they will be condemned, and they will not receive the Lord’s blessing (Leviticus 24:14).

Matthew Henry comments on verse 6 most excellently:

They are blessed because the Lord knows their way; he chose them into it, inclined them to choose it, leads and guides them in it, and orders all their steps. Sinners must bear all the blame of their own destruction. Therefore the ungodly perish, because the very way in which they have chosen and resolved to walk leads directly to destruction; it naturally tends towards ruin and therefore must necessarily end in it.

Men, walk in the way of the Lord and flee from the way of the evil one. The way of the Lord leads to life and the way of the evil one can only ever lead to death.

Christ says “For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few” (Matthew 7:13-14). Men, take the hard, narrow road which leads to life. Pray to God that He will give you the strength to walk this road and the sanctification to become more like Christ in the process. Choose today who you will serve:

And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

Joshua 24:15

Men, lead your families in humble devotion and dutiful service to Jesus Christ the King, for there is where you will receive the blessing of the Lord.

Jared Dean serves as Assistant Pastor of Liberty Presbyterian Church in Owings Mills, MD, as a police officer and chaplain at a county police department in Maryland, and as an editor of Reforming Men.

WORKS CITED

Henry, Matthew. Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible: Complete and Unabridged in One Volume. Peabody: Hendrickson, 1994.