 A daily, Bible-based perspective of hope, encouragement and exhortation. <Previous Message · Archives ·  Archive/print editionFriday, March 6, 2009  A view of wheat being harvested from the cab of a combine. This photo was taken in July when I rode in the combine with my friend Darrel, who along with his dad, Galen, farms here in Lancaster County. Click here for a larger photo with Scripture verse.  Listen to us share this message on your audio player."Like Chaff" "Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish" (Psalm 1:4-6). Chaff, unlike trees, is an agricultural term unfamiliar to many. It is the inedible, dry, scaly protective casings of the seeds of cereal grain. The view in our featured photo above is looking out over a wheat field being harvested as I rode in a combine during wheat harvest one summer. I watched as the combine separated the valuable wheat kernels collected for food and discharged the chaff out the back as it went along. The latter part of Psalm 1 is a major contrast to the first three verses that speak of the blessed person. It's a vital, instructive part of God's Word, though it might not be as uplifting as the first three verses. An article written in "Our Daily Bread" many years ago vividly exemplifies the contrast between the godly and ungodly as portrayed in Psalm 1:  "When John Wesley, who had been joyous, energetic, and effective even in his 88th year, was dying, he suddenly sat up, looked at the people weeping at his bedside, and said, 'Best of all, God is with us.'"  "In contrast Mark Twain, morose and weary of life well before he died at 75, wrote, 'A myriad of men are born; they labor and sweat and struggle for bread; they squabble and scold and fight; . . . age creeps upon them; infirmities follow; . . . those they love are taken from them, and the joy of life is turned to aching grief. . . . [Release] comes at last—the only unpoisoned gift earth ever had for them—and they vanish from a world where they were of no consequence; . . . a world which will lament them a day and forget them forever.'"The shift in descriptive characteristics between the blessed and evil is quite pronounced beginning in verse 4 of Psalm 1. Notice the emphatic manner in which verse 4 begins, "Not so the wicked!" "They are like chaff that the wind blows away…" This characterization of the wicked is a major contrast to the characterization of the blessed man who is "like a tree planted by streams of water." To separate the chaff from the wheat early cultures tossed baskets of grain into the air and let the wind blow away the lighter chaff which was inedible and utterly useless. As we apply this illustration to the wicked (or unbeliever) we see their lack of meaningful existence much like Mark Twain elaborated. "Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous." This parallel statement points out the future lot of the wicked and unrepentant sinners. Not standing in the judgment is a depiction of those unable to withstand God's wrath. They will be struck down and condemned by God on Judgment Day. The New Testament verse comes to mind, "Every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord." The final verse contrasts the two ways of life: 1) "The LORD watches over the way of the righteous" There are eighty-eight references to the "eyes of the Lord" in Scripture. This is the loving, caring attentiveness expressed in numerous verses such as "But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear Him, on those whose hope is in His unfailing love" (Psalm 33:18). 2) "But the way of the wicked will perish." Perhaps the most memorized verse in the entire Bible comes to mind. It reminds us that God does not want anyone to perish and that's why Jesus came to die for our sins: "For God so loved the world that he gave His One and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16). One glorious future day the Judgment of Christ will come and there will be a great harvest. I want to be among those who stand in the judgment and sit among the righteous. I expect to have great fellowship with you, our readers, as we stand before Christ and joyfully confess that He is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Be encouraged today, Stephen & Brooksyne Weber Daily prayer: Father, I want my life to be of value to You and to those around me. Through the Psalmist You depict the wicked to be like chaff which has no lasting value here on earth and certainly not for eternity. What a tragic waste to have been given human life and to have wasted it. I want my life to count right here and now and for all eternity. I bow my knees and confess with my tongue that Jesus Christ is my Lord and personal Savior. I choose not to walk in the counsel of the wicked, but I seek counsel from your Word and delight in Your ways. Amen.   Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources Click on the link to open and play. In some cases you may also need to click again to start the song. "Streams Of Water" (Psalm 1:1-3) Audio from the Integrity Scripture Memory series (Open this page and click on the "play" button.) Send a message to Stephen & Brooksyne."John 3:16,17" Audio also from the Scripture Memory series. (Open this page and click on the "play" button.) I am so blessed to have discovered an online source for these Scripture Memory songs to share. Here's an idea that at least works for me. Open either of the pages above and then notice the link on the left for "Play Top Tracks". This will play a succession of the Scripture Memory songs! (Great background music.) Video illustrating wheat chaff from the combine (for those who, like me, are incurably inquisitive.) Psalm 1 in the Amplified Version. A thoughtful question in our Bible Study on Psalm 1 concerned the meaning of verse 5. I believe the explanatory note here catches the sense: "Therefore the wicked [those disobedient and living without God] shall not stand [justified] in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous [those who are upright and in right standing with God]." The "Our Daily Bread" article referred to in today's message. |
 "We want to encourage you daily in your walk with Christ!" Personal Ministry Update Revised 01/20/09  Each weekday morning Brooksyne and I prepare these messages and distribute them at no cost to you and many others all over the world. Would you please consider a financial offering to support us in this daily encouragement ministry? Donations are tax deductible and will be receipted directly by my chaplaincy endorsing ministry. Thanks! See here for details. (2009 YTD financial offerings through 3/05/09: $2,305.00) SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION  Were you forwarded this edition of Daily Encouragement Net? If you desire you can receive your own free! To receive these "Daily Encouragement" devotionals each Monday-Friday through email see this page to subscribe. This newsletter is never sent unsolicited. It was sent to you because you either signed up to receive it OR a friend forwarded it to you. You can also subscribe to the rss feed.Cancel: We respect and value your time and privacy. If these messages no longer meet your needs (providing encouragement) you can remove your address by merely use the link automatically inserted by the mailing list software at the very bottom of each email message. Weekly Version: The weekly version is designed for those who may not check their email regularly. It is merely the Friday message with a link to previous messages. To receive the free weekly version, send a blank email to this address. (To change addresses cancel your old address and then join again using your new address.) Please feel free to pass these messages on! "A Daily Prayer" - A blog simply posting the daily prayer. We keep this up each day since it's merely the prayer from the Daily Encouragement Net message! "A Little Foolishness" - Humor/satire blog (a great outlet for non-serious writing but at times with a subtle message!) Last updated 2/18/09 with the story of Mildred Swanson, who joyfully discovers her "spiritual gift" is sending forwarded emails! (Note: This material is satire!) "Clear Minded" - Longer, periodic articles on specific issues impacting the faithful believer and church. (Actually this is my intent but I haven't done much with it!) "Hymns of Hope" - Brooksyne along with two friends made a CD using classic hymns. Brooksyne tells the background story of the 11 hymns. We are distributing this CD without charge in our ministry. All of these songs are also available for download on the site. If any reader in this series would like a CD merely write us and request one.  Daily Encouragement Net is an affiliate of Christianbook.com. Any orders placed to Christian Book Distributers using this link or any specific product link to a recommended resource in a daily encouragement message will help our Daily Encouragement ministry through a small commission on the sale. Thank you for using these links when purchasing online through CBD!Personal Mission Statement "I am created by God to bring Him glory. Through God's Son Jesus Christ I have been redeemed and I make it my life's goal to please the Lord. My mission in life is to honor God through my faith and obedience and to prepare myself and all whom I may influence for eternity."  How to become a child of God Scripture references are from The Holy Bible: New International Version. © 1984 by International Bible Society; NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. and the King James Version. © Copyright 2009 Stephen C. Weber - All Rights Reserved Daily Encouragement Net Stephen & Brooksyne Weber 495 Kraybill Church Road - Mount Joy, PA 17552 Contact us |
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