The tree is secured into the ground. Unlike a trash can or patio furniture, the tree has roots. A tree's roots go deep into the earth, securing its base into the ground and keeping it in place. This is obviously not the primary point of roots, but it certainly does function this way. Anyone who has dug up a tree understands the difficulty of pulling a stump up. Roots keep trees in place, and they keep us in place, as well.
Psalm 1 is only six verses long, but they are a huge six verses. Read with me:
1 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;
2 but his delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law he meditates day and night.
who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
2 but his delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law he meditates day and night.
3 He is like a tree
planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers.
4 The wicked are not so,
but are like chaff that the wind drives away.
planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers.
4 The wicked are not so,
but are like chaff that the wind drives away.
nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
6 for the Lord knows the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish.
-Psalm 1 (ESV)
Notice what verses one and two say about the righteous and wicked men: the wicked man is walking, standing and sitting with the "wicked," while the righteous man delights in and meditates on the Lord. The wicked man is engulfed in the foul, while the righteous man is shrouded by the fair. Then verse three takes the comparison further.
Here, we see a tree planted by the water, yielding fruit. The roots of this tree have gone down into the soft creek bank, drawing up rich water and nutrients and flourishing as a result. This is the righteous one; he draws his fuel from the Lord, and is filled with the everlasting water and life-giving nutrients of the Spirit. He yields greater fruit than any tree could dream of. Trees may bear oranges and apples and pomegranates and other tasty fruits, but these delicacies pale in comparison to the fruit of the righteous man. The righteous man brings forth love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and self-control.
By contrast, the wicked man brings forth much less. He is compared to chaff. Now, those of us who do not live in the agricultural realm may not know what chaff is, so allow me to explain. Chaff is the dry casing that coats seeds, straw and grain. It is scaly, brittle and dead. Its purpose is to protect that which is growing. Chaff is the toenail of the plant world: a necessary protection, but not pretty. Chaff does not produce anything. It merely exists. Chaff has not fruit; it just hangs on.
Now, let us think for a moment about a fruit-bearing tree and a pile of chaff. We have a beautiful cherry tree overhanging a bubbling brook, and beside it lays a pile of husks, a pile of chaff left over from a boy's pulling apart of grass. The sun is shining and all is well. Both the chaff and the tree remain in place. What happens, however, when a storm rolls up on this peaceful scene?
It is obvious, is it not? The chaff will blow away. Like the seeds of a dandelion going forth from a child's blowing, the chaff will scatter in the wind, twirling about to and fro in the gale. The tree, however, will most likely stay in place. It may lose fruit and branches and leaves, but with all likelihood, the tree will remain standing.
This is the future for the righteous man and the wicked man on the day of judgment. The wicked man, without having his roots firmly planted in the life-giving, supporting, loving Lord of all, will be blown away by the wrath of God. John the Baptist echoed the idea of the wicked being chaff on the day of judgment, saying that they would "burn with unquenchable fire" (Matthew 3:12).
This, my friends, is the state of all men. We all have walked in the counsel of the wicked, stood in the way of sinners and sat with scoffers. We were the chaff, a synonym for trash in the ancient world. We were kindling for the fires of Hell, "but God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus" (Ephesians 2:4-7, ESV).
If you are in Christ, you are no longer chaff. You are no longer trash for the burn pile, and instead are now a tree. You have roots that continue to grow into Him as you work more and more to grow in Him. We now walk in the light, delighting the in law of the Lord and meditating day and night on God and His glory. We reject the past that we spent with the wickedness, and we continue to pursue Jesus.
As the calendar has officially changed over to 2014, we have a new year. We have a new calendar. If you are still chaff, if you have never been brought to life by the work of Christ on the cross, make this the time. Become the righteous man. If you are already saved by the work of Christ, then dig deep in 2014. Sink you roots further into God and His Word. Pray with greater fervor. Give more generously. Meditate on Him day and night. Regardless, the judgment is coming. Will you stand before Him, or be blown away? Where are your roots: in Christ or in your own wickedness?
