Blessed is the man
Who walks not in the counsel of the [a]ungodly,
Nor stands in the path of sinners,
Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord,
And in His law he [b]meditates day and night.
3 He shall be like a tree
Planted by the [c]rivers of water,
That brings forth its fruit in its season,
Whose leaf also shall not wither;
And whatever he does shall prosper.4 The ungodly are not so,
But are like the chaff which the wind drives away.
5 Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment,
Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.6 For the Lord knows the way of the righteous,
Psalms 1
But the way of the ungodly shall perish.
The Way of the Righteous and the End of the Ungodly. If a blessed man is not listening to the ungodly, he is listening to, counseled by the godly, or God Himself through the Word. He heeds the word of God and depends on His wise counsel.
A blessed man does not stand in the path of sinners. To share that path risks being overcome by sin, or being tempted by it unnecessarily. That path is the wide path, the wrong path, the one that leads to death and destruction (Matthew 7:13-14). The righteous man takes the narrow path.
13 “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. 14 [a]Because narrow is the gate and [b]difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.
Matthew 7:13-14
A blessed man does not sit in the seat of the scornful, not bitter or holding contempt against others. He is at peace, always forgiving and heeding God’s will as he delights in the law of the Lord.
A blessed man is like a tree planted where it would be best nourished, by a river, so it always bears fruit in its season, full of everlasting life that brings prosperity.
All of this stands in stark contrast to the ungodly, who are not rooted in faith. They don’t hold fast to the source of all life and are driven away like worthless chaff by the slightest wind. They will not stand before God at judgment but be eternally separated from Him. Nor would they stand with the righteous. The way of the righteous is eternal life, but the ungodly is death.