Walk Not in the Ways of this World

Psalm 1 

 

Psalm 1:1 How blessed are those
who reject the advice of the wicked,
don’t stand on the way of sinners
or sit where scoffers sit!

Proverbs 4:14 says:
"Don’t follow the path of the wicked
or walk on the way of evildoers."

The world has its' own wisdom, yet the worlds wisdom is not God's wisdom. The world's wisdom is this: "Doing good is all that matters. So long as you do what you feel is right, you are okay." Yet God teaches that our own righteousness is as filthy rags compared to God's righteousness.

I had a conversation with a guy at work. He follows the Sikh religion. He said that in his religion they believe that everyone has their own path, but that all paths lead to the same destination. He said that we all believe in the same God, whether it's Mohammed, or Jesus, or whoever. His belief is that as long are you do good and love one another, then you are achieving the basic principle of all religions. I told him though, that though he is partly right about loving others, the Bible says that Jesus (Yeshua HaMaschiach) is the only way to Salvation. I also told him that out of all the other religions, Jesus is the only one who was crucified and then rose again on the third day. He is the only way to salvation, and only the Bible teaches that. No other religion teaches that. So therefore, Jesus cannot be the same as Mohammed, or Brahma, or Buddha.. or whoever...

The world will follow whatever sounds appeasing to them. They will turn to other gods and worship them. They will turn to even worship themselves. This is not the way of Yah. There is only one way to salvation, and that is through Yeshua, our Lord and Savior.

^{Psalm 1:2} Their delight
is in Adonai’s Torah;
on his Torah they meditate
day and night.

Our delight is not in the ways of this world. We must put our hope and trust in God's Word. We must meditate on His Word, day and night.

Psalm 119:14 says
"I rejoice in the way of your instruction
more than in any kind of wealth."

We put our trust in the way of His instruction on how to live. Our trust is not in money. All things belong to Him. He gives, and He rightfully takes away. All things are under His control. Therefore, we put our trust not in the things of this world, but in Him.

Psalm 119:16 says
"I will find my delight in your regulations.
I will not forget your word."

Just as there are regulations for every household, God has set regulations for His house. In the same way that any parent would instruct his/her children, the same God instructs for us. We are expected to be obedient to His Word as long as we live in His house. God laid down the Ten Commandments, and instructed His children to obey them. 

There are also rules of conduct that we are to obey. This is why God said to 'honor thy Father and thy Mother." I am sure that it would not go to well if the child back-talks his mom. Surely, it would not go to well if we talked to God the same way that many kids today talk to their parents. People are so disrespectful to their parents, especially in these days, because there is a lack of discipline in the homes. Parents will not rise up and bring discipline in their homes. I believe that is the reason why our generation has gone so far astray.

Psalm 119:35 says
"Guide me on the path of your mitzvot,
for I take pleasure in it."

"Mitzvot" is Hebrew for commandments. David's plea was that God would guide him on the path of His commandments. David sought to walk in His commandments, because He took pleasure in God's commandments. How many here can say that we have taken pleasure in obeying our own parents commandments? A child who serves his mother or father because he loves them will take pleasure in doing so. In the same way: We who are servants of the LORD will serve Him because we love Him, and we will serve Him because we take pleasure in doing so.

^{Psalm 1:3} They are like trees planted by streams —
they bear their fruit in season,
their leaves never wither,
everything they do succeeds.

When we put our trust in God, He will sustain us. His Word is like the water that nourishes us. By His Word, we grow and bear fruit. By His Word, our leaves shall not wither. And by His Word, everything we do will succeed. We will not be anxious, worrying about what tomorrow will bring. For as long as we remain in His Word, we will be blessed.

Jeremiah 17:8 says,
"He will be like a tree planted near water;

it spreads out its roots by the river;
it does not notice when heat comes;
and its foliage is luxuriant;
it is not anxious in a year of drought
but keeps on yielding fruit."

^{Psalm 1:4} Not so the wicked,
who are like chaff driven by the wind.

Those who are rooted in God's Word will remain strong, unshaken by the wind. But those who have cut away from the root, which is God's Word, they will be carried away by the winds of this world. They will be driven about by the winds of doctrine, the ways of this world.
Job 21:18 says,

"to make them like straw in the wind,
like chaff carried off by a storm?"

^{Psalm 1:5-6} For this reason the wicked
won’t stand up to the judgment,
nor will sinners
at the gathering of the righteous.
⁶ For Adonai watches over
the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked
is doomed.

The righteous will live by faith. Though it may seem like the wicked prosper in this life, in the next to come they will surely be doomed to perish. All things in this world will perish, so it is wise that we do not put our trust in the ways of this world. We put our trust in the Lord, for He will bless us with great inheritance that exceeds far above the gains of this world. The wicked will perish in their ways, but the righteous who put their faith in Him will prosper.

Psalm 37:18 says,

"Adonai knows what the wholehearted suffer,
but their inheritance lasts forever."

So be of strong courage, do not lose heart, and remember His word. Keep it stored in our hearts, for if we abide in His Word, we will prosper in all things that we do. God bless and Amen.

Shalom :)