The Contrast
Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers. Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to destruction. Psalm 1:1-6 (New International Version, NIV)
This particular Psalm clearly shows the difference between the believer and the unbeliever, both in their behavior and their outcome.
The believer is true to God’s Word, not only reading and studying it, but meditating on it all the time. He keeps far away from the negative influences of the world. His future is bright. In every season, he (or she) is productive and standing firm. This passage describes him as never dry, never fainting, ever blessed, ever prosperous. Wow, that’s what we all want to be. And by immersing ourselves in God’s Word and living lives that line up with it, we can be exactly that. We don’t have to worry when the economy tanks or when the flu is going around. The blessing of the Lord is on His Word and on those who love it.
On the other hand, the unbeliever falls in with ungodly influences and mocks and scorns the things of God. The results of his (or her) actions are clearly portrayed as dust in the wind. What a picture that paints. Imagine a life that is easily blown away like the fuzzy seeds on the head of a dandelion- that is the outcome of the unbeliever. He will have no defense on judgment day, and according to this passage, nothing he does will succeed or endure for long, for he has no part with those who walk in truth. It goes on to say he is on the way to certain doom. Not good, not good at all.
The important thing for us to remember is that the Word is what makes the difference. What we do with the Word of God (or don’t do with it) determines how our lives will go. I believe it is possible for someone who has received Jesus as their Savior to actually have a life that is similar to the second group- similar to the unbeliever. If someone gets saved but has little interaction with the Word of God, his life is not going produce the prosperity and blessing that the Word promises. Yes, that person is going to heaven, but getting there will be bumpy. Do we want our lives to be firmly-planted, flourishing trees or merely dandelion seed blowing in the wind? The choice is ours.
