Bible Study Devotional: Psalm 1:4-6
Now, back to today's verses.
4 The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.
All the good things that were said of the righteous person in Psalm 1:1-3 emphatically do not apply to the “ungodly” according to this verse. The word that is translated as “ungodly” here is “rasha” in Hebrew and it generally refers to “a wicked person” who does not know God throughout the Bible and other Jewish writings. The ungodly person is nothing like the firmly planted tree that describes the righteous person. Rather, they do not have roots that allow them to be sustained spiritually but are like “chaff” or the husk that surrounds a kernel of wheat. The word chaff brings to mind John the Baptist’s shocking words when He said regarding Jesus in Matthew 3:12, “Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”
5 Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.
According to several prophecies in both the Old and New Testaments, there will be a separation between those who choose to belong to God and those who reject Him. For example, Isaiah 59:2 issues a warning to Israel and to all humankind when it says, “But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.” Those who are still called sinners (every person has sinned and fallen short of God’s glory), who have broken any of God’s laws and who choose not to accept the free gift of salvation from Jesus’ nail-imprinted hands, undergo separation from the God of the Bible both in this life and in the life to come.
6 For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.
The word for “knows” or “knoweth” here in the Hebrew language is “yada” and it does not just mean to know or understand intellectually. The word “yada” actually entails an active experiencing of something or someone else. The “way of” someone can be a description of the life experience and pathway of the person in question.
Prayer:
Father, thank you that if I have accepted the offering of your only Son as payment for my mistakes, you consider me righteous and will help me to walk out that righteousness in my everyday life. I am so happy to read that you experience the pathway of my life along with me and that you are always there, every step of the way. Show others around me the pathway of Life through your Son and grant them a heart that is willing to accept your gift that they may also know and experience you.
Amen
“For wisdom is better than rubies; and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it.” – Proverbs 8:11
All Bible Verses are from the KJV Unless Otherwise Noted
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