“Blessed is the man who walks not
in the counsel of the ungodly,
nor stands in the path of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
but his delight is in the law of the Lord,
and in his law he meditates day and night.”
Psalm 1:1-2
“his delight is in the law of the Lord…”
He’s not speaking here of the Levitical law. The word “law” here is the Hebrew word “torah,” which is “teaching.” His delight is in the teaching found in the Scriptures.
This is a call to be separate from the world, because the teachings of the Scriptures is opposite from the teachings, or principles of "the world." It’s a call specifically to NOT walk in the counsel of the ungodly because the Scriptures tell us that the philosophies of the world, the "counsel of the ungodly," are “foolishness” (1st Corinthians 3:19). Therefore, if you are going for counsel to an “expert” in the world, then you are asking for foolishness. What the expert or counselor says may sound good, but in the end you’ll see that it was foolishness.
These experts and counselors have no use for the Word of God, in fact they scoff at it. These are the paths of the ungodly, and the counsel of the scornful. None of them will give you the truth because they don’t KNOW the truth, they’re rooted, they’re steeped, in the philosophies, the counsels, of the world.
So then, how can one be guided into what’s right?
God is the SOURCE of wisdom and of truth. Jesus said, “I AM The Way, the TRUTH, and the Life…” (John 14:6).
If you truly want to be guided by truth, then turn to the Word of God. Bring your trouble to the Lord and ask him to guide you by his Word, and he will. But you have to know his Word.
“The entirety of your Word is truth,
and every one of your righteous judgments endures forever.”
Psalm 119:160
When you make the Word of God the foundation of your life, you will become like a tree planted by the water. You will not wither because your roots will go deep, and you will find success in what you do because your foundation is solid. Your help comes then, from the Lord himself.
“He shall be like a tree planted
by the rivers of water,
that brings forth its fruit in its season,
whose leaf also shall not wither;
and whatever he does shall prosper.”
Psalm 1:3
Turn therefore, turn away from the world and the philosophies thereof. Put your trust in the Lord. He knows the end from the beginning, he knows your past and your future, he alone knows your mind and he alone knows the depths of your heart. It is he who fashioned you, it is he who authored your very DNA, it is he who has a specific plan for your life, and it must be he who walks with you, the great Shepherd guiding his sheep in the way they should go.
If you have a Jewish friend, this passage in Isaiah would be an excellent one to share with him/her. It states that a child is born – who is God, the eternal Father. This CHILD is the mighty God - El Gibor.
This CHILD is the eternal Father - Avi Ad. The Jewish prophet Isaiah wrote this: "For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon his shoulder. And his name will be called: Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace." Isaiah 9:6 This CHILD is the mighty God - El Gibor. This CHILD is the eternal Father - Avi Ad. ----------------------------------------------------------------- A WORD-FOR-WORD TRANSLATION FROM THE HEBREW TEXT Ci yeled yulad lanu, ben nitan lanu. For a child is born to us, a son given to us. Vatehi hamisrah al shichmo. And will be the government upon his shoulder. Vayikra shmo: And will be called his name: Pele, Yo-etz, El Gibor, Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Avi Ad, Sar Shalom. Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. L'marbeh hamisrah ul'shalom Of the increase of the government and of peace ein ketz. no end, al cisei David v'al mamlachto upon the Throne of David and upon his kingdom, lehachin otah ul'saadah to prepare it and to uphold it b'mishpat uv'itz-dakah in justice and in righteousness me-atah v'ad olam. from now and until forever. MORE: Who Is Jesus Christ?
"For I say, through the grace given to me,
to everyone who is among you,
not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think,
but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one
a measure of faith."
Romans 12:3
This is where many of us get into trouble. It can be a tough one, one that causes division and separation in the Body of Christ. The passage goes on to say:
vs: 4-6
"For as we have many members in one body,
but all the members do not have the same function,
so we, being many, are one body in Christ,
and individually members of one another.
Having then gifts DIFFERING
according to the grace that is given to us,
let us use them…"
The point is that God equips each one with all that goes along with the person's gifting and calling. The believer's very personality will have been crafted to support his calling in the Body of Christ, and that will make us all different. For example, it speaks of one "who shows mercy" as a specific calling. That person will generally be soft-spoken, kind, and gentle. We all know people like that. A teacher, on the other hand, is usually going to be of the serious sort, focused on doctrines, and associating with people of like mind. These two may have little in common. Then the passage cites "ministry" as one of the callings. Someone who whose gift is in this area is going to be interested in all that makes up the ministry. Imagine administrators, coordinators, overseers, elders, and the like.
Now ...can we see how these differences can cause division? One who has mercy as his calling might chafe, for example, at decisions made by administrators, especially if there seems to be anyone whose feelings get hurt in the process of administration. Resentments build, the mercy-giver starts thinking (and, God forbid, speaking) ill against the administrator, and lo and behold we have a problem.
This is how divisions can be launched in the Body of Christ. We all want to be with like-minded people and that's perfectly ok, even necessary, because we support each other when we understand each other; furthermore, sharing perspectives, sharing cares, praying for each other, it all comes more naturally when we're doing so with people of like character and callings, with whom we share interests, viewpoints, and ...life.. But getting back to the opening verse, we are counseled by the Lord:
"...not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think,
but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one
a measure of faith."
In other words, before we write off a brother or sister with whom we disagree or whom we chafe at, it's important first to take into consideration that person's calling and see if our disagreement is not really a disagreement over truth or principle but rather over each one's natural approach to things, which may be different from ours by very nature.
This is where God calls us to patience and forbearance, and to soberly consider that that person is following his own call, and never to think that that person is inferior because he/she sees things in a totally different light than we do.
Brothers and sisters, we need to give great respect to the various gifts and callings and ministries and functions that God has sovereignly placed within the Body of Christ, especially when they ARE so very different from ours, and restrain the tendency to let it become an issue between us. Anything less is showing a great disrespect for the gifts and callings that GOD HIMSELF has provided and placed among us, which must be lived out each according to its own character. The bottom line is that we must love one another and hold in the highest respect each one's place in the Body of Christ.