IBS Psalm 1:4-6 (5-23-14)

Inductive Bible Study for Psalm 1:4-6 (5-23-14)

"The ungodly are not so, but are like chaff which the wind drives away. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgement, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. For The Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly will perish."

We just read about the man who delights himself in The Lord instead of in the counsel of the ungodly. This man is blessed, he produces good fruit and everything he does prospers. We're going to look at the way of the ungodly, and then the consequences of the different ways people live. One of the characteristics of the godly man was that he was like a tree, planted near water. In contrast, this ungodly man is like chaff which the wind drives away. 

I've heard it said "You should have an open mind". While this is true to some extent, if you are completely open minded you will be swayed by anything, just like chaff in the wind. What are we keeping our minds open to? Everyone is searching for truth, right? So what is truth? I used to think truth was subjective to how I wanted it to be. This is not the case. If everyone got to say their own definition of truth then there would be no truth because there would be opposing views. For example - some people say that lying is wrong, while some people say that lying is fine. They can't both be true - one is true and one is false.

Who determines truth if everyone's view of truth is different? I used to not like this answer, but that doesn't matter - the only One Who can objectively determine truth is God. His view never changes, regardless of circumstances, time or events. He knows everything and He is the same - yesterday, today and tomorrow. While people may not agree with Him and His standards, He is the final judge. I used to not like His commands because I disobeyed them - I've lied, stolen, hated, dishonored my parents, lusted, taken God's Name in vain and put things and people in the place of God. I hated that I couldn't meet His standard of perfection, so I ignored it.

I saw in Romans 6:23 that what I deserved for my sins was death and eternal separation from God. He can't be in the presence of sin, but He knew we couldn't measure up. The next part of that verse says that God gave us the free gift of eternal life. Awesome! So I have a free gift from God and can now go to heaven. Before this though, it says it's only through Jesus. This means I have to lay down my rights and let God be the ruler of my life. I am a very prideful person and this is a daily struggle for me - to give my plans, dreams and desires to Him and let Him have His way in me.

So we see from Psalm 1:5 that the ungodly won't stand in the judgement, and the sinners won't be in the congregation of the righteous. Romans 3:23 says "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory or God". What does this verse mean then? Everyone's a sinner - how then will ANYONE be righteous? As previously said, God knew we could never be righteous on our own. That's why He sent His perfect Son, Jesus Christ, to bear all our sins and offer His righteousness to us. These righteous and godly people we read about then are those who have accepted God's free gift of salvation.

Something very important to remember is that there's nothing anyone can do to earn righteousness or grace. We, as human beings, are constantly striving to be "good". The fact is that we literally CAN NOT BE GOOD. We are all evil at heart - even Adam and Eve, made perfect in the Garden of Eden chose to rebel against God. How much more are we rebellious against God, being born sinful? So why will the way of the ungodly perish? Why does God know the way of the righteous? 

Perishing is being eternally separated from God - which is what happens when a person lives how they want to live and refuses to accept Jesus' gift of salvation. God does not send people to hell. He is a Gentleman and will not go where He's not welcome. When people die and their soul goes to hell, it is because God can't be near sin and these people would not welcome Jesus into their hearts. Why would someone want to go to heaven (where we will worship God for eternity), if they never loved God or lived for Him? How does God know the way of the righteous? These righteous people have made the choice to live for Him, so He will know their ways.

So now what? What questions can I ask myself after studying these verses? First is - am I blown around by every wind of doctrine, or am I firmly planted like a tree? The answer is the second - I am reading God's Word every day, spending time in prayer and waiting on Him. Second question is - does The Lord know my way? Are my ways honoring to Him? All my ways cannot be honoring to Him all the time because I am a wretched sinner, but I ask Him to search my heart and reveal sin to me so that I can repent and be honoring in His sight. Last question is - with the knowledge of all ungodly people not being allowed in God's presence, am I sharing with them the Good News that can change their eternity? 

This will be my application. It's nice that I know what these verses mean, but there's no profit if I'm not living what I read. I am going to make an effort to ask people if they know Jesus. I've asked a few kids at Kid's Club, but I want to dig deeper in my conversations with people when I talk to them. If I truly love someone, I will share with them the greatest news they could ever receive - that God became a Man, took the punishment for their sins by dying on the Cross and they can receive His free gift of salvation if they just ask.