Psalm 1:5 | A Holy God

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

Psalm 1:5 ESV says, “Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;”

Verses such as these can be challenging to approach. Often I have considered more “negative” verses such as these as merely a warning or a hard truth. And while there is a part of verses like Psalm 1:5 that should be considered from a place of seriousness, there is also an invitation for worship.

As odd as that might seem, I think it is rightful to view many of the Psalms about the wicked being no more as good news to celebrate. Of course, we have a slightly different ethic and worldview than when Psalm 1 was written. Jesus calls us to pray for our enemies and love them. We are to stand for freedom and hope for everyone, even the people who do the most wrong in our eyes.

Even so, at the end of time, God will judge all of humanity, and we should be grateful that there will not be a single moment of sin, death, and darkness in eternity with Jesus. We can celebrate the essence of God’s holy kingdom and his standard of righteousness and still contend for the redemption of lost souls. In fact, awareness of God’s holiness will drive our urgency to spread the gospel.

Again, I’m not saying that we need to take a mindset of rejecting everyone who does wrong. If we did that, we would have to reject ourselves. Most of the time, our standard of judgment of others would be just as self-incriminating. So when we read these verses, it is as much about looking at ourselves as it is about looking at others.

Are we living in sin? Are we living a life contrary to the truth? We should be careful not to think that we can just waltz into the congregation of the righteous.

Praise God that his mercy and forgiveness cover our sins. I want to take this opportunity to prompt you on two things. First, confess your sin this morning openly before God. Ask for his mercy and help to live in freedom. Second, thank God that he is holy and pure and will deal with wickedness in the world at the right time.

Maybe today’s prompt is a bit different than you expected. I encourage you to send us a message with a thought or a question that you may have. As always, feel free to leave a comment!

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