Never to Wither
BY PGF1 year, 11 months ago
“1 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. 2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. 3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. 4 The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. 5 Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. 6 For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.” – Psalms 1
Sometimes simple is the best course to take. Not a season but a day of seeming silence from God and in frustration turning to the first Psalm, there is the Lord, waiting in His mercy; the word of God beckoning; draw nigh to the throne of heaven and be refreshed.
Keep it simple; Psalm the first certainly does that for any who seeks to hear from the Almighty, to know of His basic instruction for saved sinners, and has the desire to turn away from the counsel of the ungodly. Also contained in this Psalm is the warning to the man without Christ as his God. Deuteronomy 11:26 plainly says what runs throughout the entire holy writ; God has set before us blessings and curses, a truth of the economy of our Creator, plain from the text above.
There is a lot of negativity today. So much so that it will disturb the soul. The closer one walks with the King of saints, the brighter the promise of His coming and the new creation. And conversely, the further from His love, the darker the counsel of this world, so much so the saved man may find himself standing in the way of sinners having sat down in the seat of the scornful.
Life is a choice every day; the way of the Lord Jesus Christ or the practice of evil that is of the world with its conventions and impostor gods. Psalm One offers two paths, the straight gate, the narrow way leading unto life and life eternal, or the broad way which leads to destruction.
The word of God engages the law written on the inward parts, that is, upon the heart, delighting in the Lord, meditating upon His grace, for the soul of the man that the Lord plants shall not be uprooted. Here is the way of the godly: though we may briefly faint, returning to God’s written truth, getting set firmly on the beacon of hope, the true north by which any compass must be fixed, which is Christ.
Two things are not so: speaking of the scornful (verse 1) doesn’t mean the godly saint goes along to get along with the evil of this world by not rebuking the sinner. Nor is the prosperity mentioned (verse 2) somehow worldly goods and pleasure; for all the riches of heaven await. Come out from the false churches of the New Religion and be revived!
The seat of the scornful is that of the man with a beam (Matthew 7:5) in his own eye. And the man that would prosper is bearing fruit in due season, blessed of the Lord, telling of the loving-kindness in salvation wherewith Christ has made him free indeed. Though He grows us through testing, failing to prosper in service is evidence of not doing as the Lord commands according to the word of God. Do all things God’s way, and though this is the more challenging road, follow the Bible, and by providence, in dominion, His blessings will reign from heaven.
Verse three tells us of the day when there will be a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. No more night, no more curse, but bathed continually in the love and light of God Almighty. In Christ is eternal life to those planted by still waters, never to wither, having an inheritance that fades not, calmed in the gale by the Lord’s indwelling hope, having the signature of His grace, the name of God, in their foreheads.
Every living thing brings forth fruit of its own kind (Genesis 1:11), in which is the seed of renewal. So too, the fruit of the Christian is all things by the law that tend to reproduce godliness in those with whom we interact; the fruit of the believer is the seed, which is the word God spread abroad, planting and watering in the souls of sinners and saints alike.
What better season than the fall of Empire to speak of a finer hope in a better Kingdom with better law and a great high King who rules in the affairs of men? Tell somebody about what great things the Lord has done for you!
The day of great separation is coming, the wheat from the chaff. There is One, Christ Jesus, who is come threshing all things; a great cleaving is at His hand upon the earth. Those without Christ, having never tasted the glories of the liberty in pardon the death of Jesus has brought, will surely perish, fruitless in the end; they will be driven away into outer darkness to burn up in the great fire.
Through Christ is forgiveness. Seek him carefully now before it’s too late because the ungodly, having rejected the day of new life that began with the resurrection of Christ from the dead, will be unable to stand at the great judgment of the Lord. In His wrath, He will indemnify evil for evil upon the head of the scornful man that rejects and mocks the most High by walking in the counsel of the ungodly.
Perhaps they don’t hate God; however, some do for no good cause, but they couldn’t be bothered with seeking their Maker, having no fear of God before their eyes.
And what future have those who called upon the Lord but continue to walk as scorners and sinners do? Integrity comes from following Lord in faith and trusting until the end.
All that heaven holds: the wealth of glory is to them that are joint heirs with Christ. The unforgiven may not enter into the congregation of the godly; one must be thoroughly cleansed, washed through and through by the blood of Jesus Christ, made upright, and seen of God in Christ, who is the only hope.
The choice is indeed simple this day: Christ Jesus is the righteous one, and God sees and does know if you are His. Destruction and hell are the future of those without hope; they are the ungodly scornful sinners who reject Christ. The Lord knows the way of the righteous man, but the ungodly shall perish in His wrath.
On January 21, 2023 at 9:55 pm, Furminator said:
Let us suppose, as a thought experiment, that the Bible and Torah never were written. How would anyone know any of this was true?
Just asking.
On January 21, 2023 at 11:04 pm, PGF said:
Thanks for the question, @Furminator.
There was a day when they weren’t written. The Bible is already invalid to those who don’t know the author. Every man is a sinner by nature, born into a life of rejecting God and the Holy Bible. Salvation is to those who believe, by faith, at His will. The men who believed the Lord would stand upon the earth before the Bible was written had faith in the exact same way a man does today. You can read the Bible one hundred times, but until God calls you, it’s just a vague storybook.
Here is the way of salvation in Christ:
https://www.captainsjournal.com/2022/05/05/walking-dead-man/
On January 22, 2023 at 12:26 am, Furminator said:
“We hold these truths to be SELF EVIDENT, that all men are created equal”, etc, etc. Our Republic is founded on spiritual Truth assererted to be independent of scripture by far wiser men than you or I. God does not expect us to glean a thousand words of Truth from a hundred twice-translated words in the Bible.
On January 22, 2023 at 7:21 pm, Herschel Smith said:
@Furminator,
Weird question. But I’ll try to respond despite your lack of clarity. In order to understand the response you’ll have to turn to the WCF Chapter 1, and especially part 9. You’ll have to turn to 2 Peter 1:21 and 2 Timothy 3:16-17.
This is the best and most clear defense of the infallibility of Scripture. The two passages above CLEARLY show what Scripture is and how it came to us. Any interpretation of the Bible which doesn’t comport with that understanding is wrong. We know it’s wrong because of the first rule of hermeneutics, WCF 1:9.
As to the issue of the thought experiment, it’s a false hypothetical. We know it’s false because God has revealed Himself, past tense. In general revelation, and then in special revelation (the Scriptures). Thus, given that He has done so, it was always in His nature to have done so. It is impossible that it NOT be this way. Are there things God cannot do? Of course. He cannot violate His own character or attributes. He is a revealing and saving God for His people. It is impossible that He NOT do that because He has already done it.
As for the Torah, I’m not sure to what you refer. The laws written by the Hebrews that were additions to the 66 books of the Bible are no better than a comic book and should be treated that way.
As for what God expects, he expects obedience and true worship. His word is clear, lacking nothing (2 Tim 3:16-17).
You know all of this because He has said so in His Holy word. Past tense. It is already done.
You could clarify the answer if you clarified the question. I don’t understand the question any further than this reply.
On January 23, 2023 at 12:23 am, Furminator said:
Herschel, I respect everything you and the other readers bring to this discourse. I am only asking any Christian to share their Salvation experience independent of reference to Scripture. Teach me the Truth of Christ without resorting to the Bible. Jesus did.
On January 23, 2023 at 12:39 am, Herschel Smith said:
Sigh …
Jesus quoted the OT at least 78 times, with more subtle references into the hundreds of times. I can prove it.
The Scriptures are the special revelation of God. There is no reason to dismiss them. General revelation cannot bring you to salvation. Only special revelation can.
Like I said in my first remarks, you must go back to the WCF and try to understand the difference between general and special revelation. Or perhaps go to Paul’s sermon at Ephesus (Acts 19).
Go read it before you remark again.
On January 23, 2023 at 12:42 am, Furminator said:
I enjoy your blog.
On January 23, 2023 at 10:24 am, PGF said:
The Operation of God in Salvation:
Excerpt:
“When a soul gets saved: it is given by the Father to the Son (John 6:37), Jesus died for them (Revelation 13:8, many others), saved them (Acts 4:12), and the Holy Spirit convicts them (John 16:8-9 above) when you (Mark 16:15) relate the Gospel (1 Corinthians 15:3-4) bringing belief by faith through sharing scripture (Romans 10:17) with the hearer. I know that seems backward but hang in there.”
https://www.captainsjournal.com/2022/05/24/gospel-witness-the-operation-of-god-in-salvation/
This was not written because it was learned in a book about Christianity. Nor was heard from some other man. This is straight from Scripture and personal experience, having contacted thousands of people to tell them of the offer of salvation in Christ Jesus.