March 13, 2023: Delighting in God - Walking Blessed

“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.” (Psalm 1:1–2, ESV)

In Psalm 1, one man is compared to three groups: the wicked, the sinners, and the scoffers. This one man is set against the masses. One against three is not so bad. One against three groups is vast. The purpose of this presentation is to demonstrate the gap between the way of the righteous man and the way of the wicked. Not only are the two ways distinguished by who travels down them, but by how many!  
    
It should not surprise us that the road the one man is on appears to be less traveled. And the road that the groups are on by nature must be broader. Hmmm...narrow the way that leads to life, and few find it. The narrow way may seem less traveled and more challenging, but it is the way of happiness. The one man chooses not to walk with the wicked, stand with sinners, or sit with scoffers. Because of this, he is happy.
    
On a positive note, the man delights in the instruction of the Lord.  When you contrast this to the first verse, here is what we understand: the way to happiness is not in following the advice of the questionable people but rather the instruction of the Lord.
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