Psalm 1:5 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;

NIV: Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.

NASB: Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, Nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.

CSB: Therefore the wicked will not stand up in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.

NLT: They will be condemned at the time of judgment. Sinners will have no place among the godly.

KJV: Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.

NKJV: Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.

When God judges the righteous and the wicked, He will separate the two groups. The righteous will "stand" in His presence, which in this case is contrasted with those who "fall" in the presence of God. Those who fall are the wicked, who will be sentenced to eternal punishment.

Jesus foretold a time when He will separate the sheep from the goats, likewise meaning the righteous from the unrighteous (Matthew 25:31–33). He will welcome the sheep—those who are blessed by the Father—to enter His kingdom (Matthew 25:34). However, He will tell the goats, the unrighteous, "Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels" (Matthew 25:41).

Here, in this psalm, Scripture declares that sinners, meaning those who go against God, will be excluded from the congregation of the righteous. The congregation of the righteous may refer to Israel as opposed to the heathen or to faithful Israelites as opposed to the unfaithful Israelites who spurned God's covenant by breaking His laws.

No one can violate God's commandments and refuse to repent without incurring God's wrath. Since all people are guilty of sin (Romans 3:10), only those who accept Christ can be declared free from that penalty of sin (John 3:16–18). Though we all once fit into the category of "wicked" or "sinners" as used in Psalm 1 (Ephesians 2:1–3), God made a way for us to become His children and be counted among the righteous—Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:4–9; 2 Corinthians 5:21; John 1:12). All who put their faith in Him will be saved (Romans 10:9–13).

Psalm 1:4–6 presents a striking contrast between wicked and blessed people. The blessed person leads a life anchored in the Word of God, which is therefore spiritually productive in God's sight. The lives of the wicked are unproductive in God's sight. The lifestyle of the wicked is as unstable and valueless as chaff. The destiny of the wicked is damnation. This contrast is reinforced by Jesus' words about the narrow way and the broad way (Matthew 7:13–14). The narrow way leads to eternal life, but the broad way that many choose leads to eternal death. Revelation 20:1–15 discloses what is involved in this destruction.

This psalm begins by describing the man who is blessed. He doesn't keep company with a bad crowd. Furthermore, the Word of God governs his thought life. Both day and night he thinks about what God has disclosed in His Word. He thoroughly enjoys spending time in reading and pondering God's Word. His devotion to Scripture produces fruit in his life. In a spiritual sense, he is like a tree whose roots are nourished by a stream. He enjoys vitality and success. His life of blessing and productivity stands in stark contrast to the lives of the wicked. What their lives produce is as worthless as the chaff that the wind blows away. When God separates His people from the wicked, the wicked will fall in the judgment. The Lord is fully aware of the lifestyle of His righteous people as well as the lifestyle of the wicked, so His judgment will be just. The Lord will sentence the wicked to eternal perdition.

Psalm 1, typically ascribed to David, stresses the importance of ordering one's life according to God's Word. This emphasis sets the tone for the rest of the collection of psalms. Themes in this passage echo the early chapters of Proverbs, with an emphasis on seeking godly wisdom. Psalm 1's emphasis on meditation on and obedience to God's Word parallels God's instructions to Joshua when He commissioned Joshua to lead Israel into the Promised Land (Joshua 1:6–9). Its teaching about the blessing of obedient believers and the disastrous end of the wicked parallels the blessings and curses we read about in Deuteronomy 28. New Testament passages that emphasize the link between devotion to God's Word and righteous living include Matthew 7:24–27; Colossians 3:16–17; 2 Timothy 3:16–17; James 1:19–25; and 2 Peter 1:19–21.

The book of Psalms is composed of individual songs, hymns, or poems, each of which is a ''Psalm'' in and of itself. These works contain a wide variety of themes. Some Psalms focus on praising and worshipping God. Others cry out in anguish over the pain of life. Still other Psalms look forward to the coming of the Messiah. While some Psalms are related, each has its own historical and biblical context.