Psalms 1:1-6 BSB (Berean Standard Bible)

“Blessed is the man
who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked,
or set foot on the path of sinners,
or sit in the seat of mockers.
2But his delight is in the Law of the LORD,
and on His law he meditates day and night.
3He is like a tree planted by streams of water,
yielding its fruit in season,
whose leaf does not wither,
and who prospers in all he does.
4Not so the wicked!
For they are like chaff driven off by the wind.
5Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
6For the LORD guards the path of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish.”

Counsel of The Wicked

Now, when this says “man,” it is not excluding women. It is speaking of all of mankind, of all humans, both male and female. We are the blessed of God who are of faith in Jesus Christ, who do not walk (in conduct, in practice) in the counsel (advice, instructions) of the wicked, i.e. of those who make sin their practice, who do evil as a matter of habit, and who may be those who are leading others to sin, whether or not they profess faith in Jesus Christ.

And we are not to set foot on the path of sinners. And who are “sinners”? They are all for whom sin is what they practice. And the Scriptures make that distinction clear. So, as followers of Christ we are not “sinners saved by grace,” but we are believers in Jesus Christ who have been delivered out of slavery to sin to serve Jesus Christ with our lives, by the grace of God. We are not to be those who are continuing in deliberate and habitual sin.

So, the “sinners” are not just those who have never made a profession of faith in Jesus Christ, but they include many who profess faith in Jesus but who have not denied self, died to sin, and followed our Lord in obedience as a matter of life practice. Will we all be perfect? Probably not. But lack of perfection is never to be used as an excuse for deliberate and habitual sin. So we are not to walk in the ways of the unrighteous, of the ungodly.

The Law of The Lord

If our delight is truly in the Law (commands) of The Lord (God), which are now his commands under the New Covenant, we should be those whose desire it is and whose joy it is to obey the Lord, to do what his word teaches us as to how we ought to live, because we want to do what pleases the Lord. We want to follow his leading in our life. And so we meditate on the Word of God day and night to learn what it teaches so we do what it teaches us.

This isn’t just the “don’t do this” but “do this” commands such as don’t steal, but give to others, and don’t lie, but tell the truth, and don’t be adulterous, but be pure in heart and mind and behavior and be faithful. This has to do with totally surrendering our lives to the Lord, to his service, to go where he sends us, to do what he says to do, and to speak the words to the people which he gives us to speak, even knowing many will hate us in return.

But when we follow the Lord, and we obey him, and we go where he sends us, and we say to the people what he gives us to say, and we don’t let our opponents get the best of us, we bear fruit for the kingdom of God. Our lives begin to touch other people’s lives for the good. We make a difference in their lives in encouraging them in their walks of obedience to the Lord. Then they touch other people’s lives for the sake of the gospel of Christ, too.

Not So The Wicked

Again, please understand that the “wicked” are not just the “unsaved,” by human standards. They are all who live wickedly, for whom sin is still their practice and not obedience to our Lord’s commands. And this includes many people who profess Jesus as their Lord and Savior and who claim to be Christians, but whose life practices speak the opposite. For they are still living in slavery (addiction) to sin and not in holy living, pleasing to God.

And this includes many men (and some women) who serve as pastors of church congregations. So many men (and a number of women, too), even among those who profess faith in Jesus Christ, are living in spiritual and/or physical adultery against God, and against their spouses. And so many pastors and “church people” are giving them permission to live in sin while still claiming Jesus as Lord and Savior and heaven as their eternal destiny.

But on the day of judgment, those who have continued in addictive sin, even many of those who claim to believe in Jesus, but who have not surrendered their lives to God, to obey his commands in practice, they will hear God say, “Depart from me you workers of lawlessness. I never knew you.” But the righteous will hear God say, “Well done my good and faithful servants.” And they will have salvation from sin and eternal life with God guaranteed.

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; 2 Corinthians 5:10,15,21; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22]

Our Delight in The Law of God
An Original Work / July 25, 2026
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah

Hymn lyrics by William Williams, pub.1745
tr. by Peter Williams, pub.1771
Music by John Hughes, 1907

Guide me, O Thou great Jehovah,
Pilgrim through this barren land.
I am weak, but Thou art mighty;
Hold me with Thy powerful hand.
Bread of Heaven, Bread of Heaven,
Feed me till I want no more (2X).

Open now the crystal fountain,
Whence the healing stream doth flow;
Let the fire and cloudy pillar
Lead me all my journey through.
Strong Deliverer, strong Deliverer,
Be Thou still my Strength and Shield (2X).

Lord, I trust Thy mighty power,
Wondrous are Thy works of old;
Thou deliver’st thine from thralldom,
Who for naught themselves had sold.
Thou didst conquer, Thou didst conquer
Sin and Satan and the grave (2X).

When I tread the verge of Jordan,
Bid my anxious fears subside;
Death of deaths, and hell’s destruction,
Land me safe on Canaan’s side.
Songs of praises, songs of praises,
I will ever give to Thee. Amen (2X).

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