There is a prevalent idea today that though the righteous may be assured of reward in the coming world, they are generally speaking, unhappy here. The unrighteous, however, are largely free from trouble, it is suggested, whatever shadows may surround their future.
If you want to lift this problem out of the mists of uncertainty and see what God says about it, read Psalm 1. There you have full-length portraits of the righteous and the unrighteous. What is quite evident is the existence of a law of spiritual gravitation. The unrighteous man first “walks in the counsel of the ungodly”–he keeps bad company. Then he “stands in the way of sinners”–sin has become a habit, a fixed position. Finally, he “sits in the seat of the scornful”–his habit of thought and mode of life have led to cynicism. He has lost sight of all spiritual landmarks. He thinks of other men as being as devoid of principle as himself. To him, godliness is a jest. This is the portrait of the ungodly.
Now look at the portrait of the man of God. He is “happy,” or “blessed.” This person by conscious choice rejects these evil counsels. His life is compared to a fruitful tree planted by rivers of water. He is continually refreshed by that stream which flows from the Throne of God. His blessedness endures: “his leaf, also, shall not wither.” Instead of deterioration and decline, there is growth and blessing. And most remarkable of all, his life is attended by increasing benediction: “whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.”
The psalm is replete with contrasts. For the righteous, there is “delight” and happy meditation in God’s law “day and night.” His appreciations are lifted above the trivial and vulgar to share the very thought and purpose of God, while the ungodly are reckoned as “chaff which the wind driveth away.” The inspired summary reads: “for the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous; but the way of the ungodly shall perish.”
Is this not a radiant picture of the path of the one sheltered by the blood of Christ, and a heart-breaking record of the despair which belongs to the unbeliever? If it is all true, how can it be that men and women all about us are making such suicidal choices? How can they be so blind to the realities of life? You recall the plaintive words of our Lord to His disciples when many who had professed His name were turning back: “Will ye also go away?” The immediate response of Peter was, “Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life.” This is the instinctive response of the awakened heart; to turn from Him is to turn from all that makes life worthwhile. To lose Him would be to lose all.
There are many, nevertheless, who look skeptically on and question whether the Christian life holds any such wealth of blessing as this psalm suggests. They question the existence of evidence that the righteous possess great inner resources which to others are unknown. They regard it as particularly absurd to claim for the believer that “whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.”
This bold challenge of unbelief cannot be met by statistics. Nevertheless, it is true that each trusting child of God finds a satisfying answer in his own heart. It is important to realize that these deep inward satisfactions are not wholly intangible; they are not the mere quickening of emotion.
The trusting disciple enjoys the wonderful advantage of a God-directed life and a divinely charted future. He has the key with which to interpret his daily experiences and to measure their significance. He does not cherish the dream of mere temporal success, for that would be of doubtful value, but is assured of guidance, peace, and blessing with the supply of every need (not greed). To one happy in the sense of God’s companionship and care, there is reality in every line of this precious psalm. “If God spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?”