Have you ever noticed how easily you can drift away from a good habit? It doesn’t happen overnight, as a deep compromise in our faith is rare for us. Instead, the momentum of our faith fades one small step at a time. This Psalm 1 study shows how King David reveals the subtle mechanics by which sin slows us down. We’ll do this by looking closely at the strategic progression of three simple words in Psalm 1:1—walking, standing, and sitting—and discovering a powerful warning about how easily our daily habits and influences can anchor us in a place we never intended to go. Let’s use this Psalm 1 study to spot this progression of sin before it stalls our spiritual momentum entirely.
Three-Stage Progression of Spiritual Drift
Sin is progressive: it starts with thoughts that lead to changes in behaviour and a search for belonging. In other words, the progression of sin is in our thinking, our behaving, and our belonging.
Think back to the evening when David had trouble sleeping and got out of bed. Consequently, as he looked out the window, he saw a beautiful young woman taking a bath. Part of me thinks she chose a nighttime bath because she figured everyone in the neighbouring homes would be asleep, and she would have privacy. At this point, David should have closed his curtains and gone back to bed. But instead, he went through the progression of sin.
Let’s examine the Psalm David wrote as he described the progression of sin. Turn with me to Psalm 1:1 as we examine this verse carefully. Here’s the verse if you don’t have your Bible.
NKJV: Psalm 1:1 –
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;
In this Psalm 1 study, we will look at the verbs walking, standing, and sitting.
Stage 1: Walking in the Counsel of the Ungodly (The Mindset)
The first verb used in Psalm 1:1 is “walking.” Both the KJV and NKJV use the words “walks not” or “walketh not” in the counsel of the ungodly. For ease, we’ll use the word “walking.”
The Psalm begins with “Blessed is the man who”… is not walking in the counsel of the ungodly.
Walking in the counsel of the ungodly is the first stage in the believer’s change of behaviour toward sin. Hanging around people who don’t share your concept of holiness will surely lead you down a dangerous path. If you play with fire, you’ll get burned. Their thoughts and ideas are different than yours, and while they may respect your faith, they do not live by your faith. Their counsel is often unwise.
Ungodly people come in all shapes, sizes, and appearances. They may be your co-workers, your neighbours, or even family who don’t believe in God. They could also be your close friends, but if any of these people give you advice that clearly goes against the Bible, you ought to disregard their advice. In fact, if it’s a repetition with them, you may want to consider finding new friends who are like-minded with you in your faith.
Remember this: the righteous woman and the ungodly woman think differently. Walking with wicked or ungodly people will influence your daily walk with God. You do not want to jeopardize your relationship with God, so be very careful who you walk with. Don’t let their thoughts be so influential that you lose sight of godly wisdom.
Thoughts may come
Kenneth E. Hagin, “What to Do When Faith Seems Weak and Victory Lost”, 1979
Thoughts may persist
But thoughts that are not
put into action
die unborn.
Blessed is the woman who is not walking in the counsel of the ungodly. Psalm 1:1
Stage 2: Standing in the Path of Sinners (The Behaviour)
The second verb in Psalm 1:1 is “standing”. This slippery slope began with walking and has now slowed to standing still. This person is seriously contemplating their actions and enjoying the sin they are experiencing. It could be that she has started an affair with a married man. Or, if she’s married, then with a single man. It doesn’t matter at this point because an affair is an affair.
The progression of sin is in its second stage now. The thoughts came first, intriguing her to act. Now the behaviour supports those thoughts, and the sin compounds to include lies and deceit. She is standing, along with many others, on the path of sinners.
Remember, if you don’t have the thoughts, your behaviour will remain true.
Blessed is the woman who is not standing in the path of sinners. Psalm 1:1
Stage 3: Sitting in the Seat of Mockers (The Identity)
The last stage in the slow progression of sin is the verb “sitting.” We all want to belong somewhere. Sitting with those who encourage criticism is not where the righteous woman belongs. This is not the identity we long for.
Let’s look at the text again, Psalm 1:1: “Nor sits in the seat of the scornful” (NKJV). You may also read it as “or sit in the company of mockers” in the NIV.
What does this mean, to sit with mockers? In David Guzik’s commentary on Psalm 1:1, he wrote,
“The scornful love to sit and criticize the people of God and the things of God. The righteous man will not sit in that seat!”
We see this happening almost daily with others criticizing Christians and the Jewish people. They have nothing good to say; let’s not be like them!
Blessed is the woman who is not sitting in the seat of mockers. Psalm 1:1
The Consequence of Slowing Down: Becoming Like Chaff
As a person progresses through the three stages above, they begin down the slippery slope of sin. This is a dangerous place to be.
Reading further in this Psalm 1 study, verse 4 clearly says, “the ungodly are not so but are like the chaff which the wind drives away.” If you’re familiar with wheat growing in the field, the chaff is the lighter casing around the wheat kernel. It doesn’t take much for the wind to blow it away.
The first part of the verse refers to “the ungodly are not so…” This tells us that the ungodly person is not blessed in the same way as the godly person. The godly person has deep roots and prospers in whatever they do. The ungodly person displays unstable character and lacks substance. Their legacy is one of disdain and, to the godly person, is sorrowful.
What It Means to Live a Rootless Spiritual Life
The ungodly person has no roots in the things of God, nor do they regard Him in their lives. With low standards, they prefer to live for themselves, fulfilling their own pleasures, whims, and fantasies.
While they may consider themselves to be happy and blessed, according to God, they are wretched and pitiful (Revelation 3:17-19). They deceive themselves, thinking they are good, but in fact, they are not. Because they don’t have roots in God’s standards, their successes will blow away when the winds of adversity arrive.
Let this Psalm 1 study keep you focused on developing deep, strong roots in Christ rather than being like chaff, blowing in the wind.
Distinguishing Godly Success from Worldly Stagnation
When God’s will for your life is your number one priority, your success will be internal as you store your treasures in heaven and live holy and blameless for Him.
Godly success also shows up in your obedience to Him, no matter the outcome, whether it’s hardship or not. Desiring what He wants leads to success on God’s timetable.
Since God owns everything you have, including your relationships with family and friends, your faithful stewardship of what He’s given you shows your desire to please God in all things.
Another point of godly success is your dependence on God. You may not consider this a point of success, but your dependence on Him comes from the internal transformation within you. You are no longer your own, for you were bought with a price (1 Corinthians 6:19-20), and the Holy Spirit resides in you. Do you see your dependence on Him as a success?
The ungodly do not experience these godly successes. They are mired in the world’s pitfalls and cannot experience God’s blessings.
How to Reclaim Your Spiritual Momentum
When sin slows us down and we need to get right with God again, these two simple actions will restore us to right standing.
First, in James 4:9-10, we read, “Humble yourself before God, and He will exalt you.” This is a great place to begin getting right with God. Humility through repentance and confession of sin to Him will yield His quick forgiveness (1 John 1:9).
Secondly, do the right things:
- Spend daily time with God in prayer and worship.
- Resume your Bible reading and study.
- Get together with your church family. (Hebrews 10:25)
You do these things, and you’ll be back on track with God. Plus, you now have a testimony of victory to share with others who may be slipping down the slope to sin.
Auditing Your Daily Influences and “Counsel”
We began this Psalm 1 study by examining the three stages of spiritual drift. Do you remember the first one? It has to do with our thoughts. Our thoughts, if left unattended, can lead us to do things we don’t want to do, like eating that whole bag of chips or that huge family-size chocolate bar. We know these are unhealthy for our bodies, yet we let our thoughts control us. 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 reminds us that through prayer (a spiritual weapon), we can take those thoughts captive and not obey them, but rather obey Christ.
Thoughts come to us from people around us, what we watch on TV or hear on podcasts, and even from ourselves. We need to be careful who we listen to. We don’t want ungodly advice or encouragement to do the wrong thing to be prevalent in our lives. It is vital that we seek God’s wisdom. The Holy Spirit is your Counsellor; let Him counsel you (John 14:16, 26).
Moving from Stagnant Sitting to Active Meditating
I love this verse, Psalm 19:14: “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.”
If we were to actively meditate, that is, think on God’s Word, we would avoid that progression of sin that Psalm 1:1 teaches us. Part of meditating on Scripture is hiding it in our hearts and letting it be our beacon of light to guide us (Psalm 119:11; 105).
Another way to meditate on the Scriptures is to write it out. Use a binder, loose-leaf lined paper and a pen. This way, you can write out the books in any order, yet file them according to the OT and NT order, if you should choose. You will be blessed tremendously as you write out God’s Word! A great place to start is with Psalm 1; write out the whole Psalm. It’s only six verses, so it’s very doable for your first time writing out God’s Word. (P.S.) I have future posts coming about writing out the bible and how it benefits you.)
Wrapping This Up: Choosing the Path of Blessing
Psalm 1:1 begins with the blessed woman who does not do particular behaviour. So often we read this verse without realizing the danger of sin in verse 1 as we focus on the path of blessing in the remaining verses.
Let me encourage you with this: Blessed is the woman who delights in the LORD and meditates on it constantly. When she does this, her spiritual roots will go deep in the river of life, and she will prosper in all that she does. And she who reveres God shall be blessed and praised (Proverbs 31:28, 30).
Do you have anything to add to this Psalm 1 study? Has this teaching encouraged your faith?
~ Cindy
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