Psalms 1:5-6

1:5-6

Now begins the aforementioned promise to the wicked. In vs.4 we saw their characteristics, their nature. They are the antithesis of the Godly man described in vs. 1 and 2. Now enters the promise of God to the wicked because of their sin.

The Amplified makes perhaps a clearer differentiation between the wicked and the righteous in these two verses and the wicked’s justifiable fear when they stand in judgment. 1:5-6, “Therefore the wicked, those disobedient [and living without God], shall not stand [justified] in the judgment; nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous [those who are upright and in right standing with God]. For the Lord knows and is fully acquainted with the way of the righteous; but the way of the ungodly [those living outside of God’s will] shall perish (end in ruin and come to nought).”

“Shall stand in judgment”:
• They shall stand there to be judged, but not to be acquitted. Fear shall lay hold upon them there; they shall not stand their ground; they shall flee away; they shall not stand in their own defense; they shall be covered with eternal contempt. Well may the saints long for heaven, for no evil men shall dwell there. All of our congregations upon earth are mixed. Every church has one devil in it. Let us rejoice then, that in “the general assembly and church of the firstborn” (Heb. 12:23) above, there shall by no means be admitted a single unrenewed soul. Sinners cannot live in heaven. They would be out of their element… such a privilege shall never be granted to the man who perseveres in his iniquities. CHS
• [The wicked shall not stand in the judgment] but tremble when they feel God’s wrath. 1599 GB
• The Prophet teaches that a happy life depends on a good conscience, and that, therefore, it is not wonderful, if the ungodly suddenly fall from the happiness which they fancied themselves in possession. And there is implied in the words a kind of concession; the prophet tacitly acknowledges that the ungodly please and enjoy themselves, and triumph during the reign of moral disorder in the world. But he assures us, that things will not always remain in their present state of confusion, and that when they shall have been reduced to proper order, these ungodly persons shall have been entirely deprived of their pleasures, and feel that they were infatuated when they thought themselves happy. The Psalmist pronounces the ungodly to be miserable, because happiness is the inward blessing of a good conscience. He does not deny, that before… judgment… things succeed well with them; but he denies that they are happy… for the true integrity of the righteous manifests itself when it comes at length to be tried. JC
• There is a judgment to come, in which every man’s present character and work, though ever so artfully concealed and disguised, shall be perfectly and truly discovered, and appear in their own colors, and accordingly every man’s state will be, by an irreversible sentence, determined for eternity. The wicked and profane, in this world, ridiculed the righteous and their congregation, despised them, and cared not for their company; justly therefore will they be forever separated from them. MH
“For the Lord knows the way of the righteous”:
• There is a more full idea rendered here than this translation. As the Amplified says, “For the Lord knows and is fully acquainted with the way of the righteous” or in the Hebrew, “the Lord is knowing the way of the righteous”. He is actively involved with knowing the ways and the works of the righteous, He knows it completely, it is fully understood by the Lord.
• The knowledge of God is not only perfect in kind, but also in its inclusiveness. It is called omniscience, because it is all comprehensive. God knows Himself and in Himself all things that come from Him (internal knowledge). He knows all things as they actually come to pass, past, present, and future, and knows them in their real relations. He knows the hidden essence of things, to which the knowledge of man cannot penetrate. He sees not as man sees, who observes only the outward manifestations of life, but penetrates to the depths of the human heart. He is perfect in knowledge (Job 37:16), looks not on outward appearance but on the heart (I Sam. 16:7), observes the ways of men (Deut. 2:7 and Ps. 1:6), knows the place of their habitation (Ps. 33:13), and the days of their life (Ps. 37:18). Louis Berkhof
• He is constantly looking on their way, and though it may often be in the midst of darkness, yet the Lord knows it… He understands it. He numbers the hairs of our head; He will not suffer any evil to befall us. Job 23:10, “But he knows the way that I take: when he has tried me, I shall come forth as gold.” CHS

“but the way of the ungodly shall perish”:
• Not only shall they perish themselves, but their way shall perish too. The very “way” of the ungodly shall perish. CHS
• God is the Grand Judge of the world. Granting this, it follows that it cannot but be well with the upright and the just, while, on the other hand, the most terrible destruction must impend over the ungodly… at length He will visit them with destruction. Instead, therefore, of allowing ourselves to be deceived with their imaginary felicity, let us, in circumstances of distress, have ever before our eyes the providence of God, to whom it belongs to settle the affairs of the world, and to bring order out of confusion. JC
• Sinners must bear all the blame of their own destruction. The ungodly perish, because the very way in which they have chosen and resolved to walk leads directly to destruction; it naturally leads towards ruin and must necessarily end in it.[God] is angry with the way of the wicked, all they do is offensive to Him, therefore it shall perish, and they in it. MH


Personal Summary:

The Lord knows the way of the righteous and the wicked. The righteous He prospers and in the full realization of time assures a full and complete victory. The wicked He utterly destroys, “but the way of the ungodly [those living outside of God’s will] shall perish (end in ruin and come to nought).” We give thanks to the Lord for the blessings he bestows on us including and most importantly our inclusion to eternal life. Never must we forget that aside from God electing us to salvation, the Son dying on the cross as the propitiation for our sins, and the Spirit giving us the effectual call and ever sanctifying our damnable souls; that we too would be blissfully incorporated with the plight of the wicked and most assuredly spend eternity in their unenviable estate.
When it seems like we are losing the fight with the world, when it seems they prosper at our expense and in place of us, when we see them persecute and oppress with impunity, when life is beating us down as it will have occasion to do from time to time… fear not, despair not, only keep your eyes ever focused on the Lord. He is the omniscient creator of heaven and earth and nothing escapes His potent gaze. The sins of the lost are punitively passed by but for the briefest of moments and then eternity waits, and how dreadful it is for the wicked.
Even consider each half of this chapter in comparison to the other. As the bible is apt to do it weighs it in a balance with one verdict on each side. On the one side is the Godly man, he loves the Lord, refrains from the wicked, he envelopes himself in the Word of God and constantly it is in his thoughts, as a result his ways are prospered, his spiritual life is blessed beyond compare, the Lord cares for him, Jer. 29:11-14, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. And I will be found of you.” The Lord secures us in our walk in all that we do He lifts us up. On the other side is the wicked, he hates God, has enmity against him, he persecutes and mocks the righteous, he sins and relishes in that sin, he is proud, he is a fool, he is dishonest, and he is self absorbed. For the wicked, their reward cannot even be placed on the same scale. It is justly inferior in every way. Ours is God’s assurance of prosperity and theirs is God’s assurance of damnation.
Let us be steadfast in seeking the Lord and may His glory always be the intense focus of our lives.