“Blessed is the man Who walks not I the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in
the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful; But his delight is in
the law of the Lord, And in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be
like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its
season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper.
The ungodly are not so, But are like the chaff which the wind drives away.
Therefore, the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, Nor sinners in the
congregation of the righteous. For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, But
the way of the ungodly shall perish.” -Psalm 6. (NKJV)
When we plan a journey, we want to arrive safely at our chosen destination. We
map out a route. Now we have a our fingertips help through the Global
Positioning Service (GPS) as a handy device on our cell phone. We can quickly
get directions and the route to travel. We often refer to living life as the
“path” we follow, or the “journey” we take as we live out our allotted days on
earth. The anonymous writer of the first Psalm invites all who read it to
embrace the pathway God has established for the good of man. He calls it “the
law of the Lord”—another way of stating that God has made a covenant with man,
to lead and direct him, and lead him in the “paths of righteousness,” the way
man should follow and live. This way is delightful, and man should “meditate on
it day and night.”
Early in my Christian life, I committed the King James Versions of this Psalm to
memory. Throughout my years, I have often quoted the Psalm and meditated on its
truth. “Blessed”—“happy”—is the person who avoids the counsel of the ungodly,
refuses to stand in the path of sinners, and avoids the seat of the scornful.
Instead, happiness comes when one delights in the law of the Lord and thinks on
God’s law day and night.
As a child, I could easily understand the metaphor (although I did not then know
to call it a metaphor, a comparison) of being like a stately tree growing beside
the water and bearing fruit. On our farm, we had apple, pear and peach trees.
These bore delicious fruit for our family’s use. I could then easily relate
what the Psalmist was teaching when he said the “blessed” or “happy” person was
like a productive, fruit-bearing tree. I related, too, that trees that bear
fruit need water, just like a person, to grow and develop. And in my thinking,
I related the study of God’s Word as being the “water of life.” This is a
wonderful concept for a young child to learn and live by! I also liked the
promise as a result of this action: (The tree—the person) “brings forth fruit
in its season; the leaf does not wither; whatever he does prospers.” As a youth
and into adulthood, I wanted to follow that method of seeking fruit and that
result of bearing fruit. I had much to learn, but somehow the lesson fell upon
eager ears. My path was set. Early on, I wanted to walk with Go, and I made a
choice to do so.
This past weekend I had the happy privilege of returning to “my mountains,”
where my roots began. I took friends, one born and reared in China and another
born and reared in British Guinea, to visit the mountain community where I was
born and reared. We walked a short distance on the famed Appalachian Trail that
crosses Highway 129/19 at Neel Gap a few miles “up a mountain” from where I grew
up. We drove to the church which was a pivotal point in my growing up years.
We visited the country schoolhouse where I studied from Primer through Seventh
Grade, thus getting a firm foundation in education. We viewed a portion of the
land that was once my father’s fertile farm. We saw my “old homeplace.” We
drove near the river where I was baptized as a testimony to my faith in the Lord
Jesus Christ on an August Sunday afternoon in 1939. I think my friends easily
learned from my excitement at being “home’ that I had learned early in life an
eternal truth: To choose and follow God’s path in life is the way to go. This
path does not preclude troubles. But it does assure that God is in control and
that God knows “the way of the righteous.” Therefore, we have the choice of
choosing the right pathway, the Way with God as Guide. It is a sure path—the
right path! Selah! - Ethelene Dyer Jones 06.04.2017
the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful; But his delight is in
the law of the Lord, And in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be
like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its
season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper.
The ungodly are not so, But are like the chaff which the wind drives away.
Therefore, the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, Nor sinners in the
congregation of the righteous. For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, But
the way of the ungodly shall perish.” -Psalm 6. (NKJV)
When we plan a journey, we want to arrive safely at our chosen destination. We
map out a route. Now we have a our fingertips help through the Global
Positioning Service (GPS) as a handy device on our cell phone. We can quickly
get directions and the route to travel. We often refer to living life as the
“path” we follow, or the “journey” we take as we live out our allotted days on
earth. The anonymous writer of the first Psalm invites all who read it to
embrace the pathway God has established for the good of man. He calls it “the
law of the Lord”—another way of stating that God has made a covenant with man,
to lead and direct him, and lead him in the “paths of righteousness,” the way
man should follow and live. This way is delightful, and man should “meditate on
it day and night.”
Early in my Christian life, I committed the King James Versions of this Psalm to
memory. Throughout my years, I have often quoted the Psalm and meditated on its
truth. “Blessed”—“happy”—is the person who avoids the counsel of the ungodly,
refuses to stand in the path of sinners, and avoids the seat of the scornful.
Instead, happiness comes when one delights in the law of the Lord and thinks on
God’s law day and night.
As a child, I could easily understand the metaphor (although I did not then know
to call it a metaphor, a comparison) of being like a stately tree growing beside
the water and bearing fruit. On our farm, we had apple, pear and peach trees.
These bore delicious fruit for our family’s use. I could then easily relate
what the Psalmist was teaching when he said the “blessed” or “happy” person was
like a productive, fruit-bearing tree. I related, too, that trees that bear
fruit need water, just like a person, to grow and develop. And in my thinking,
I related the study of God’s Word as being the “water of life.” This is a
wonderful concept for a young child to learn and live by! I also liked the
promise as a result of this action: (The tree—the person) “brings forth fruit
in its season; the leaf does not wither; whatever he does prospers.” As a youth
and into adulthood, I wanted to follow that method of seeking fruit and that
result of bearing fruit. I had much to learn, but somehow the lesson fell upon
eager ears. My path was set. Early on, I wanted to walk with Go, and I made a
choice to do so.
This past weekend I had the happy privilege of returning to “my mountains,”
where my roots began. I took friends, one born and reared in China and another
born and reared in British Guinea, to visit the mountain community where I was
born and reared. We walked a short distance on the famed Appalachian Trail that
crosses Highway 129/19 at Neel Gap a few miles “up a mountain” from where I grew
up. We drove to the church which was a pivotal point in my growing up years.
We visited the country schoolhouse where I studied from Primer through Seventh
Grade, thus getting a firm foundation in education. We viewed a portion of the
land that was once my father’s fertile farm. We saw my “old homeplace.” We
drove near the river where I was baptized as a testimony to my faith in the Lord
Jesus Christ on an August Sunday afternoon in 1939. I think my friends easily
learned from my excitement at being “home’ that I had learned early in life an
eternal truth: To choose and follow God’s path in life is the way to go. This
path does not preclude troubles. But it does assure that God is in control and
that God knows “the way of the righteous.” Therefore, we have the choice of
choosing the right pathway, the Way with God as Guide. It is a sure path—the
right path! Selah! - Ethelene Dyer Jones 06.04.2017
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