Psalm 1:4 | Like Chaff

(Jump here to get to the beginning of this mini-series on Psalm 1)

Psalm 1:4 ESV says, “The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away.”

Compared to the surety and stability of the righteous, the wicked are just dust.

It is easy to skip and ignore this verse because it is not “encouraging” in the way we might expect a verse to be. Sometimes I think we get the impression that the only verses we need to read and learn in the scriptures are the positive ones. Could that be because, deep down, we don’t want to confront our sin, iniquity, and wickedness?

When we read the beginning of Psalm 1, we see a powerful depiction of a life with God, but we shouldn’t automatically assume that we find our place there. There may be unsurrendered things that keep us from a life of righteousness.

Maybe someone has a better explanation for this, but for me, sin is missing the mark, iniquity is the compulsion to sin and the sinful nature, and wickedness is the evidence of an empty heart.

If we only view the word wickedness in the Bible as synonymous with “the bad guys,” we will immediately exclude ourselves from that category. Yet, in my study of the scriptures, it seems like wicked refers less to what we think of as evil or villainous and more to what we think of as broken and far from God.

That is the power of Psalm 1:4. It demonstrates what the wicked are like. They are not strong, flourishing, and rooted by the river. They are dried-up chaff that blows in the wind. A healthy tree can withstand powerful headwinds, but dust is displaced with the slightest breeze.

Setting aside our preconceived notions about wickedness, I wonder how this verse resonates with you today. When you examine your life (not just how you feel), do you see a strong tree or chaff constantly blowing in the wind?

Maybe this verse about the wicked could be more transformational today than 100 blessings. Perhaps this verse will cause us to live in greater conviction to the word of God and the truth of his word.

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