Psalm 1:4 Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away.
For the past three weeks we have been looking at my favorite Psalm, Psalm 1. Each week we are looking at one verse. If you haven’t read any or all of the past devotions I encourage you to go back and read them before this one. They talk about what a Godly person does and doesn’t do. Last week we talked about them being fruitful.
Today we look at the opposite of Godly people, wicked people. They are also referred to in some translations as ungodly or evil people. These people would be those who do not believe and have not accepted Jesus. The original greek word for “wicked” can mean; unrighteous, unjust, guilty. Wicked people are still guilty of their sin and have not accepted the forgiveness given through Jesus sacrifice on the cross.
The wicked are said to be “not so.” Which means they are not like the blessed ones we have talked about. They continue in sin and they are not fruitful because they are not part of the vine, which is Jesus. Not only are they not fruitful but the remaining of the verse tells us they are useless.
Wicked people are compared to chaff. If you are like me and you have grown up in a farming community you probably know what chaff is, if you haven’t let me give you a quick agricultural lesson. Chaff is defined as “the husks of corn or other seed separated by winnowing or threshing.” Is is also defined as “worthless things; trash.” When farmers grow wheat there is a head. It is the top of the shaft where the wheat seed grows It is held in place by a small piece of plant called the husk or chaff. When the wheat is cut by a combine it separates the wheat seed out of the husk and the chaff is shot out off the back of the combine. You will see a lot of “dust” coming out behind it. A lot of that is the small pieces of chaff that either fall to the grown or are blown away to fall somewhere else. The chaff is worthless, it has no financial or nutritional value.
We see chaff mentioned other places in the Bible. We see it some in Old Testament but the scripture that stands out to me regarding chaff is found in Matthew 3:11-12, “I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 12 His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”
To read that is pretty black and white and very real. Jesus will gather his wheat into his barn and will burn the chaff with eternal fire. Those who have accepted Christ will be gathered with Him for eternity. The wicked who reject Him will spend eternity in hell. I know people don’t like to read or hear that, but it is true and needs to be proclaimed. We need to tell people it is black and white. Your eternity is one of two things, eternity with Jesus or eternal separation from Him in hell. It isn’t based on how “good” you are or how much money you give to the church but only on if you have made a personal choice to accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior. If you have never made that decision and are feeling called to please don’t wait! Do it today! If you are unsure and want to talk to someone about it please email me maygodbeglorified@gmail.com