Proper 25, Year A
Reverend Gregg D. Wood
Meditation on Psalm 1.
Usually when preachers preach, they take for their lesson the Gospel for the day. But there are actually four lessons, the Old Testament Lesson, the Psalm, a reading from the New Testament but not the Gospels (usually from one of Paul’s letters), and the Gospel itself. We should not neglect the other parts of the Scriptures. The psalms are especially a rich source of moral and spiritual imagery and teaching, so today I would like to focus on the psalm, which today is the first psalm in the whole psalter.
It has six verses. And if we look down to the sixth verse, we will be able to understand the structure of the psalm, For it says,
For the Lord knows the way of the righteous,
But the way of the wicked is doomed.
So this psalm is about the righteous and the wicked. And it gives both groups “equal time:” we have three verses for the righteous, and then three verses for the wicked.
The psalm, then, is what we call a two ways writing: it describes two ways of living, the way of the righteous and the way of the unrighteous or wicked. And it sets out a contrast between these two opposite ways of living.
Why only two ways? We know that there are many paths open to us in life. We can choose what we study in school, we can find what interests us and what we are good at, and there are many vocational paths open to us. Likewise with our “lifestyles:” we can choose to be single or married, we can choose to be traditional or “cutting edge,” we can choose our friends and associates.
The underlying assumption of the psalm is that we can also, to a large extent, choose the moral path we follow in life. But in that area, there are only three possibilities. There are choices that are morally neutral, and then there are choices that are either good or bad. So for those choices that really matter there are only two options. We can choose to be good, or we can choose to be wicked. The “two ways” writings always present the choice as a fairly clear one, between good and evil.
This psalm follows a pattern that we encounter elsewhere, not only in the psalms but in other places in Scripture. For example, the beatitudes. We are probably pretty familiar with the beatitudes of Jesus from Matthew’s Gospel. It is a series of nine blessings. The first one says, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven". The rest are in a similar form. But in Luke’s Gospel, there are four blessings and four woes. The first blessing is, "Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God". The first woe is, "Woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation". So the beatitudes in Luke set up a contrast between the way of the righteous and the way of the wicked.
Getting back to the first psalm, the first verse of the psalm says,
"Happy are they who have not walked in the counsel of the wicked, not lingered in the way of sinners, nor sat in the seats of the scornful!"
This first verse warns us against keeping company with those whose aims are not upright. Avoid walking with them, “lingering” with them, or sitting in their seats. We are judged by the company we keep, so avoid the company of the wicked. Another reason to avoid the company of the wicked is that we may not be as morally strong and resistant as we like to think we are. We may be drawn into their schemes, their distorted and self-centered ways of looking at things, their disregard for the rights and feelings of others. After all, the wicked don’t present themselves as such. They don’t introduce themselves: “I’m John, and I’m wicked.” Instead, they present themselves as more knowledgeable, more cool, or more wise in the ways of the world. A susceptible person might be attracted to their company.
Note the word “scornful.” Nor have I sat in the seats of the scornful. Scorn is contempt for someone or something that is thought to be inferior. One of the great weapons of the unrighteous with the susceptible person is scorn. “Oh, you don’t believe that, do you?” The righteous are warned, not only not to be scornful, but not to associate with those who are – not to sit in their seats – because their attitude may be contagious.
The second verse tells us that [the righteous] delight in the law of the Lord, and they meditate on his law day and night. This should be seen as a follow-up to the first verse. If we’re not going to keep company with the wicked, how should we spend our time? The second verse gives the answer: by studying and meditating on God’s law.
This means actual Bible study of course, but it is not limited to that. It could include reading devotional and inspirational books, or watching tv shows and movies that inspire faith, hope, and love. Or, of course, actually doing good things.
The third verse gives us a suggestion as to why we should be righteous. What are the beneficial results of righteousness? The third verse tells us that the righteous are like trees planted by streams of water, bearing fruit in due season, with leaves that do not wither; everything they do shall prosper.
The psalms come from a desert country, where streams and lakes of water are a rare and welcome sight. Likewise trees; trees will only grow strong and long-lived when they are planted near a reliable body of water. There is a word, oasis, which describes any place in the desert where there is water and shade trees. So the writer of the psalm compares the righteous to trees planted by a body of water; they are strong, and they have deep roots because they are “watered” by the continuing refreshment of God’s grace. The righteous are like an oasis in the desert.
The metaphor continues. Just as trees bear fruit, so do the righteous; whether or not they have real offspring, they have spiritual children, other people for whom they are teachers, models, and examples.
Finally, there is the promise that “everything they do shall prosper.”
The last three verses of the psalm are concerned with the wicked. The fourth verse relates directly to the third, which compared the righteous to trees planted near water. By contrast, the wicked are like chaff which the wind blows away. In other words, they and their projects are transient and ephemeral. They are always looking for the immediate gain, the easy victory. They are unwilling to think in long-range terms; they do not consider the long-range consequences of their actions. In their relationships, they don’t do the spadework which is necessary if others are to have lasting trust and confidence in them.
The result of their behavior is shown clearly in verse 5. If you don’t behave in a trustworthy manner; if you consistently put your own welfare ahead of the well-being of others; if you are scornful of others, what happens? For a while, you may have some success. As Abraham Lincoln said, you may be able to fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all of the time. Sooner or later, they get your number. This is reflected in verse 5: Therefore the wicked shall not stand upright when judgment comes, nor the sinner in the council of the righteous. Sooner or later everyone gets your number and you will be called to account.
Verse six is a final summary on the two ways. Which way should we follow, then, the way of the righteous, or the way of the wicked? It’s not even close, says the sixth verse: The Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked is doomed.
The teaching of this psalm is reflected in an old Cherokee story, with which I will close this sermon.
A Cherokee grandfather was telling his grandson about a great battle that goes on inside people. He said, “My son, the battle is between two wolves inside us all. One is Evil. It is anger, jealousy, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, resentment, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego. The other is Good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith.” The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather: “Wow! I see that: two wolves. But – which one wins?”
And his grandfather said, “The one you feed.”
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