Where are we walking, standing and sitting?*

by Danielle Shroyer

Psalm Reading:  Psalm 1

For Sunday, May 20, 2012: Year B—Easter 7

If you’re going to compile a collection of poetry, it’s fitting to begin with a poem that will set the overall tone. Psalm 1 works nicely in that role, for it is rich in imagery that tells us right off the bat that there is a way to be traveled, and choices to be made.

And if there’s one week where you may want to bust out the King James Version, this may be your ticket. For although the NRSV sounds fine, the translation not only muffles but completely erases the powerful imagery at work.

A Slow Descent

From the very onset of Psalm 1, we can guess that this is going to be a description of opposites: blessed is the one who doesn’t do this, but instead does this. It’s very “two roads diverged in a yellow wood” and we are clearly encouraged to take the road less traveled. And what will happen if we don’t?

The psalmist gives us a clear picture. The ungodly traveler, when we first encounter him, is walking along his ungodly path. And then he is no longer moving, but standing in the way of sinners. And then he is no longer walking or standing, but sitting in the seat of the scornful, like a child in a corner, donning his dunce cap.  The KJV says, “Blessed is the (one) that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.”

And as if we thought he couldn’t get any lower, in verse 4 he becomes like chaff, a tossed-aside bit of garbage, carrying not even substantial weight or heft, easily tossed along by the wind. In a few short verses, this traveler has gone from purposeful walking to purposeless chaff, human to dandelion fluff.

Walk This Way

The righteous one, on the other hand, is like a tree planted by the waters. Her roots grow down, sinking into the soil, while her branches grow up, bearing fruit in due season. Her leaves don’t wither and her sod doesn’t stink. While the path of the ungodly leads ultimately nowhere, the righteous one finds growth in all directions- down, out, and up.

The ungodly cannot stand like that. They can’t stand tall, and their argument won’t stand in the court of justice, either.

The psalmist’s message is clear: walk the way of righteousness, for it will be conducive to growth and health. Walking the way of the unjust is like traveling miles down a road only to realize it’s a dead end. All that time and energy will have floated away, and you’ll have nothing to show for it.

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