Walk on By
Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on His law he meditates day and night.
Psalm 1:1-2 (ESV)
Have you ever been at a party and you heard a conversation that piqued your interest? You were walking by, heard something that made you pause and turn around, and then you stood and slowly became a part of the group? Perhaps the group moved outside to the patio and before you knew it, you were sitting down on the patio chairs with a coffee in your hand, wholeheartedly engaged in the discussion. You are now totally immersed by what is being said and the people around you. You went from being an observer to being fully engaged.
In Psalm 1, David shows us how quickly this can happen to us regarding our faith.
David, the shepherd boy, warns us in Psalm 1 that we can go from being an observer in the things that do not honor our God, to becoming fully engaged in walking away from our faith in Jesus. David may be remembering how the enemies of his sheep would attack. The enemy would never come through the gate, but as John 10:1 tells us, the enemy climbs over the fence to get to the sheep. It is when we are least expecting it or are least aware that the enemy makes his move. It is not when we are walking by, but when we pause and listen and loiter.
David is advising us to keep walking when we hear or see things that do not align with God’s Word. We feel the pull to pause, just for a moment, we tell ourselves, but that moment can quickly extend, and we find ourselves standing there, lingering where we should not.
Proverbs 3:5-6 warns us not to trust our own wisdom. If we are not discerning, we can begin to accept worldly wisdom and we will then find ourselves sitting among those who do not believe He is The only Way, The Truth, and The Life. (John 14:6)
This is a reminder for us to stay engaged in our faith, and to make the choice, both day and night, to follow Jesus and love what He teaches. As Psalm 1:2 states, “His delight is on the law of the Lord and on His law he meditates day and night.”
If we don’t take God’s warning seriously, we can go from just walking by sin, to stopping and paying attention to it, to eventually sitting comfortably in it—sometimes before we even realize what’s happened.