The Empty Way of the Wicked

Psalm 1:4-5

Psalm 1, before the prayers and laments and praise and poetry, asks the question: how will you live? Psalm 1 doesn’t begin with a command, it begin with a promise; Blessed (happy) is the man …
In a world that chases happiness through money, success, fame, comfort, and approval; Psalm tells us where true blessing – true flourishing – comes from. King David shows us two paths with two destinies and two lifestyles.
So far, we have looked at the life that chooses God; today, we look at the life that doesn’t.
The wicked are not like this; instead, they are like chaff that the wind blows away. Therefore, the wicked will not stand up in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteousness. (Psalm 1:4-5 CSB)
David tells us the wicked are like chaff; the outer covering of wheat and other grains that must be separated because it is inedible. It looks like what it protects; however, it has no weight and no substance. It is useless, temporary and disposable.
Job, speaking about such people, states, “How often are they as straw in the wind or the chaff separated from the grain by fierce winds.” (Job 21:18 VOICE) In saying this, Job reminds us that those who choose to live by the ways of the world are easily blown away and destroyed by the forces of the world. He paints a picture which represents the fleeting and insignificant existence of those who walk in the advice of the wicked or stand in the pathways with sinners or sit in the company of mockers! (Psalm 1:1 CSB)
Psalm 1 contrasts the two ways of life:

• The righteous are rooted while the wicked are scattered
• The righteous endure while the wicked fade
• The righteous have stability while the wicked experience fragility

Verse 4 reminds us that a life built without God may appear successful for a season; however, without a firm foundation it becomes like the house built on shifting sands.
Verse 5 reminds us that accountability matters. One day we will all stand before God and be measured: not by popularity, achievements, or appearance. We will be measured by how well we aligned with God’s Word.
These two verses offer us an invitation into honest self-examination. Are we living with eternal weight, or are we being carried away with the ever-changing winds of the world? When we choose to place our faith and trust in Him, we enjoy a life that is firm, forgiven and secure. When we choose the wide path, we walk the path that leads to destruction.