Word of Encouragement (12/11/2020)

“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 wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. 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” (Ps. 1:3-6).

Yesterday, we saw how the blessed man is like a tree planted by streams of water. “The wicked are not so,” begins the Psalmist’s description of the wicked. Let us consider the contrast between the blessed and the wicked. This will help us appreciate our new life in Christ so much more.

While the blessed man is like a tree planted by streams of water, the wicked man is like chaff that the wind drives away. Obviously, the blessed man is deeply rooted in the grace of God. The wicked man has no such roots in God’s grace. When the wind of the Final Judgment blows, the blessed man will be able to withstand it by the firm hold of the grace of God. But the wicked man will be blown away like chaff: “Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.”

The wicked man will realize that his life was a big lie, having denied the truth of God. The fortress he is building for his security with worldly power, possession, position, popularity will be proven to be merely a house of cards. Living like “chaff,” He did not know what it is like to be planted by streams of water, the joy of being constantly supplied with streams of God’s grace. He will know that his life did not produce the kind of fruit that pleases God. All his efforts to lead a “good life” will be declared, “Vanity of vanities! All is vanity!” His good works will turn out to be like a filthy garment. He will not have any green leaves to show for. For he has rejected the offer of the gospel, which would have given him eternal life. He will also realize that he enjoyed no “prosperity” that really matters and lasts—the “soul prosperity.” He will realize that he has been living in hell all along because he never knew the joy of intimate communion with God. The wicked will have no defense before the all-seeing God. The divine promise is set: “The way of the wicked will perish.” Spurgeon says, “Not only shall they perish themselves, but their way shall perish too.” As with an earthquake, the wicked who walk on the path of sinners will be swallowed up together with their sinful path.

How blessed we are that God in His sovereign mercy planted us by the streams of Living Water! And if we do not walk in the counsel of the wicked, if we do not stand in the way of sinners, if we do not sit in the seat of scoffers, and if we delight in God and His Word, we will stand in the judgment justified and we will rejoice in the congregation of the righteous. But this is not because we are good in ourselves; it is because we are united with the Blessed Man. And we are given the assurance that the LORD knows the way of the righteous. “He is constantly looking on their way, and though it may be often in mist and darkness, yet the Lord knoweth it. If it be in the clouds and tempest of affliction, he understandeth it. He numbereth the hairs of our head; he will not suffer any evil to befall us. ‘He knoweth the way that I take: when He hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold’ (Job 23:10)” (Spurgeon, Treasury of David).

Remember how blessed you are as you begin this day!