Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the way of sinners, nor sit in company with scoffers. 2 Rather, the law of the Lord is his joy; and on his law he meditates day and night. 3 He is like a tree planted near streams of water, that yields its fruit in season; Its leaves never wither; whatever he does prospers. 4 But not so are the wicked, not so! They are like chaff driven by the wind. 5 Therefore the wicked will not arise at the judgment, nor will sinners in the assembly of the just. 6 Because the Lord knows the way of the just, but the way of the wicked leads to ruin.
The Psalmist tells of the fate that awaits the righteous and the wicked. The contrast is between the righteous person who is like a majestic tree planted near a running stream that produces good fruit and the wicked person who is like dry, lifeless chaff that is blown away by the wind. The wicked will be condemned when they stand before God on the day of Judgment.
The Law of the Lord is the Pentateuch (Deut. 17:18). After the corn was threshed it was separated by throwing the stalks, husks, and grain into the wind with a fork or shovel so that the wind could separate them. The grain would fall to the ground and the wind would blow away the rest. The wicked will not be able to justify their sinfulness. God recognized the deeds of the just but the conduct of the wicked leads to their ruin.
The Psalmist is saying basically the same thing that God told the Israelites, “See, I have today set before you life and good, death and evil. If you obey the commandments of the Lord, your God, which I am giving you today, loving the Lord, your God, and walking in his ways, and keeping his commandments, statutes and ordinances, you will live and grow numerous, and the Lord, your God, will bless you in the land you are entering to possess. If, however, your heart turns away and you do not obey, but are led astray and bow down to other gods and serve them, I tell you today that you will certainly perish (Deut. 30:15-18).”
Almighty God, through the birth and death of your Son we have received the grace necessary to lead righteous lives. Plant us firmly in the streams of living water that flow from Christ so that we may yield the fruit you desire and not be blown away like chaff in the storm of our worldly desires. This we pray through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Upper Saddle River, NJ, United States, Prentice Hall, 1990.
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