GPS OR SKID ROW? (Psalm 1)

God charts the road you take.
The road they take is Skid Row. (Psalm 1:6)

We have arrived at Psalms--perhaps my favorite book in the Bible. Once again, the question strikes me: How have I not seen this before?

In this case, I am referring to the way Psalm 1 picks up where Job left off: comparing the ends of the wicked and of the righteous.

The language of Psalm 1 could be taken to suggest the wicked will suffer and the righteous won't. More of what we heard from Job's friends.

I see something more.

The righteous are planted by water. They have roots tapping into living giving water. Their leaves never wither.

Wither? For leaves to wither, the tree has to experience death--lack of sunshine, water, nutrients, warmth.

I think the righteous will experience those hard times. The promise is that God goes deeper and sustains them when life wants to knock them down.

The wicked? They too face tough times. I prefer the original KJV to the Message on this one. The Message calls it dust. The word is chaff, that part of the wheat stalk that is stripped away. Wheat, that which should sustain the wicked and indicates their wealth, blown about like the wind. No roots keep it strong when the wind blows.

Ultimately, the righteous have a divine GPS coordinator, one who charts their course.

The wicked end up on skid row. Nothing stands between them and a slippery slope to death and beyond.

Which road are you on?


P.S. I might take to giving an "honorable" mention throughout Psalms. There's just SO much.
Here comes one from today, which caught my attention because last year I studied "blessing" in depth.

Real help comes from God. Your blessing clothes your people! (Psalm 3:8, MSG)