Psalm 1:4 - Printer Friendly

ESV: The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away.

NIV: Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away.

NASB: The wicked are not so, But they are like chaff which the wind blows away.

CSB: The wicked are not like this; instead, they are like chaff that the wind blows away.

NLT: But not the wicked! They are like worthless chaff, scattered by the wind.

KJV: The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.

NKJV: The ungodly are not so, But are like the chaff which the wind drives away.

Scripture states emphatically that the wicked are unlike the blessed persons who relish God's Word and are fruitful (Psalm 1:1–3). By contrast, the wicked resemble chaff that is blown away in the wind. Chaff refers to the husks of grain that are tossed into the wind and blown away in the winnowing process. Just as chaff is worthless, the ungodly lifestyle is worthless in God's sight.

The Hebrew word for "wicked" describes people who do not belong to God and are controlled by their passions. They are totally depraved: every part of their being is tainted by sin. Because of this, they are incapable of doing anything that has eternal value in God's sight.

This is the natural condition of all people, until they submit to Christ. Romans 3:10 declares, "None is righteous, no, not one," and Romans 3:12 says, "All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one." According to Romans 3:18, "There is no fear of God before their eyes," and Romans 3:23 says categorically that "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Fortunately, God provides a way for sinners to be redeemed, as given in Romans 6:23: "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Although a wicked person may perform kind deeds occasionally, God does not consider those deeds to be eternally worthwhile.

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.