The Way of the Righteous (Part 1)
Biblical wisdom from my late seminary professor
===
Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.
Psalm 1:1-3 (ESV)
===
My Old Testament professor (he passed away in 2015) once asked us to categorize the book of Psalms.
Most of us thought it was poetry or writings, but his argument was that it was a book of wisdom. Now I had always assumed the Solomon books (Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs) were books of wisdom … but not Psalms.
How did my professor come to that conclusion?
The first chapter of a book tells you a lot about the author’s intent.
There are plenty of Psalms that give praise to God. And plenty of Psalms that lament the misfortunes of sin & wickedness.
But this first Psalm (as well as Psalm 2) gives us wisdom.
It begins by offering advice: To be blessed, to find goodness or happiness or blessing from the Lord, be a person who doesn’t walk in the “wisdom” of the wicked … doesn’t stand with sinners … and doesn’t accept scoffers berating them.
Instead?
The blessed person delights in God’s law and thinks about it all the time!
There is a good picture here of what repentance looks like: Turning away from sin and simultaneously toward God.
It’s not enough to simply avoid wickedness, sin, and mockery … we must actively pursue God.
Thankfully, God gives us the tools we need to do it. And His grace is good.
What are the results of a life lived in this way?
I’ll talk about that tomorrow.
— Ricky Ketchum
Copyright © 2025 by Ricky Ketchum. All rights reserved. Unauthorized duplication prohibited.
Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NET) are from the NET Bible® copyright ©1996, 2019 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://netbible.com All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked (ESV) are from the ESV®Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright© 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked (NKJV) are from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.