LIKE THE CHAFF … THE WIND DRIVETH AWAY

In comparing them with the righteous, Psalm 1 verse 1 alludes to the ungodly as standing and sitting - seemingly secure postures. They appear to abide and prosper in this world, but their posi­tion is actually transitory. In explaining their transience, the psalmist compares them to chaff driven away by the wind, v. 4. The metaphor brings to mind the threshing of grain, which sep­arates the kernel from the husks. The ungodly are like the latter: worthless, light, and easily blown away by the wind. It is a com­mon word-picture in scripture, emphasizing the fleeting life of the unrighteous, Job 21. 18; Ps. 35. 5.

The most striking difference between the ungodly and the righteous is their attitude towards the word of God. Where the latter meditate on it constantly, the former have their own coun­sels. Their thoughts lead them to a scornful attitude. They stand for things, but their platform is built upon a foundation of shift­ing sand, v. 1; Matt. 7. 26, 27. Apart from the Bible’s spiritually enlightening power, the wicked are left in mental darkness. They fall victim to the swirling winds of contrasting human opinions and contradictory philosophies of sin-blinded men. Such thoughts offer no hope and no stability for time or eternity. Only in the scriptures can mankind find abiding wisdom and deliverance from the powers of iniquity and darkness. As Psalm 119 verse 130 expresses it, ‘The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple’. Verse 105 of the same psalm vividly paints the picture: ‘Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path’. Without the scriptures, men are easy prey for ‘the god of this world’, who blinds their minds lest they perceive the truth about the Lord and themselves as revealed in the glorious gospel, 2 Cor. 4. 4.

Contemporary wicked people unknowingly emulate their ancient counterparts of Psalm 1. Their willing ignorance of God’s word will prove spiritually disastrous to them. Unlike the righteous, they do not produce fruit or possess spiritual vigour. Like the ungodly, they will not ‘stand in the judg­ment’, v. 5. Instead the Bible affirms that ‘the way of the ungodly shall perish’, v. 6.