Psalm 1:1 The Don'ts Before the Do's

¹ Oh, the joys of those who do not
    follow the advice of the wicked,
    or stand around with sinners,
    or join in with mockers. – Psalm 1:1

Many feel the Bible is full of “don’ts”, but there are far more “do’s” in God’s word. There is a place, however, for learning what not to do, and these opening lines of the very first psalm offer a few good ones. Do not: follow advice from wicked people; “stand around” with sinners; join in with mockers. These three suggestions – and they are suggestions, not commandments - are more common sense than deep, insightful nuggets of wisdom. Here’s why:

Who’s advice should we follow? There are many answers to that, but the simplest is people whom we would most like to be. Is there someone who has had a positive influence on your life? When they speak, in person, lecture, sermon or inspirational book, you take their advice to heart, even grow from it. On the contrary, a “wicked” person might be someone who holds people back, hurts them or cares only about themselves. They might have done or said terrible things. If you do not want to be like this person, why accept any advice they might give? This is not rhetorical, for we often hear advice – on TV or social media - and even though we don't think they are the best moral example, we emulate or even admire them. This will mean different things to different people, but in the end: avoid advice from anyone you wouldn’t want to be, yourself. Doing so is akin to following the same moral road they are traveling.

What comes to mind when you hear people are “standing around?” Are they in motion, producing something worthwhile? Are they simply waiting for a moment when they will move and work? Or, are they locked in some mental or emotional stasis, with no forward momentum whatsoever? This latter group has no plans to change, and will be “standing around” the next day, week or year. As to standing around “with sinners,” what is sin? In a general sense, sin is any action or thought which comes between us and our relationship with God. Could be an addiction, behavior, a negative attitude towards a certain sex or people group. Whatever it might be, imagine people standing around doing or saying the things which you know come between you and Jesus. You probably want to avoid that corner, or walk on the other side of the street. Move forward, never back. There’s so much He has in store for you just up the road.

Finally, mockers feel the need to put others down, for their beliefs, a physical attribute, some or difference which makes the mocker uncomfortable. In short, they make fun of people. Sarcasm is a major weapon, one we likely have used ourselves from time to time. Maybe we aren't making fun of people, but have there been moments when we see or hear someone poking fun at someone else? Do we join them, or laugh? There is a line between actual, non-vindictive humor and being mean. The question one could ask, to get a better idea which side of the line it might fall is: “If I was person X, would this comment hurt me?” Humor is a wonderful, necessary part of life. Laughter lightens stress and makes us live longer. Go head and laugh, but don’t do so at the expense of hurting someone, when the humor becomes mocking. Have you ever laughed at a joke but privately thought, “I shouldn’t be laughing at this?” 99% of the time, you’d be right.

Prayer

Father, Your word is full of the “do’s” of living a full and joy-filled life with You. Thank You also for the occasional “don’t” which keeps us from straying off the road laid out for us.