ways. The Hebrew root of the word "sinners" is an
archery term for arrows that fall short of the target.
It is to enter into a habit of sin, actively doing what
is wrong.
all these attitudes because it represents a hateful
view of the things of God. Recall the mocking around
the cross that represented the most callous and an-
tagonistic actions of Christ's enemies.
meditates on His law
righteous person delights in God's Word. Like the
coin collector who searches his change and discovers
a rare coin, the righteous person, in a much deeper
way, searches the Bible and finds riches there, to
his delight. Jeremiah 15:16 says, "When Your words
came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart's
delight." Finally, the righteous person meditates on
the Word. The literal meaning of "meditate" is to
ponder by talking to oneself, to imagine what some-
thing means. Meditating deeply and light reading,
are as different as picking up worthless rocks on the
ground and digging deep to mine for diamonds.
does not wither--whatever they do prospers" (vs. 3).
The tree spoken of here is deliberately planted and
cultivated. And in the wonder of God's creation, trees
transform dirt and water into luscious fruit. The
righteous person does this "in season," at just the
right time. The fruit that is borne will not wither, or
fail in a drought. How many can testify that God's
Word sustained them during their darkest hour,
when all human comfort or words failed? A life lived
this way will prosper, not necessarily with wealth or
popularity, but in the things that last for eternity.
The godly life is a long�term investment, not a day
trading exercise.
the way of the wicked leads to destruction" (vs.4-6).
The fate of the unbeliever is outlined graphically by
the psalmist. He says they are like chaff, an allusion
to the method of separating grains of wheat from the
stubble. In the usually windy land of Palestine, the
wheat was thrown high into the air and the chaff was
taken away by the breeze, leaving the good grains
of wheat. Therefore, the ungodly are like the chaff,
fruitless because it is lifeless.
have no right to testify on their own behalf, no claim
on grace, no means to appeal for heavenly clemency.
There is no "good enough" apart from a relationship
with God. Their end leads to destruction. More liter-
ally, the original language indicates a road that dead
ends and produces nothing. Thinking they are going
somewhere, unbelievers find themselves instead on
a one-way road that leads to the edge of a cliff.
step leads somewhere for the child of God following
his Lord. And the Lord not only leads but knows ex-
actly where that person is, exactly what he is facing,
what it has taken to get there and what it will take
to finish the journey. The old song reminds us,
Which way is yours?