Walking...

                     Blessed is the person who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked,

Nor stand in the path of sinners,
Nor sit in the seat of scoffers!
But his delight is in the Law of the Lord,
And on His Law he meditates day and night. (Psalm 1:1-2)

 

          This is the beginning of a song, so I’ve rendered it as such above. This was the focus of my prayer time yesterday, and interestingly enough, it took the exact opposite approach from the thoughts about God in yesterday’s post. The idea for the post was that God is a person, not a mere force, and we should approach Him as we’d approach a person (but with much more respect.)

          As I responded to this passage yesterday, I wondered to what extent I do the things listed. To begin, I suspect there aren’t many people who would walk in the counsel of, stand in the path of (to encounter on a peaceful basis) or sit in company with someone they truly considered evil. Oh, I know there are some who do or cosplay the part, And I know that more have been seduced to “the Dark Side.” But in general, wolves wear sheep’s clothing so the sheep will let them near.

          Given that I don’t spend much time with most people, I wanted to check the first four items off my list and pat myself on the back. Ta Da! But while personal contact used to be how the wicked, the sinner, and the scoffer spread their evil, today they use social media and media (TV, movies, books, magazines, and social activism.) I’m not suggesting all social media and media are evil, but you must look for it. The evil comes to you and doesn’t even have to wait for permission to enter.

          The question is not whether I hang out with Adolph Hitler, Ted Bundy, or other reprobates, but what do I read? What do I watch? If I have questions about what to do, whose books or videos do I turn to? I just started a book called Belonging because I want to understand how to build community better and how communities and people work effectively – or don’t – as a writer. So am I waking, standing, or sitting with the book's author? May I find anything positive in any religion except Christianity? If I do, is that walking, standing, or sitting? Putting aside people – do I walk, stand, or sit with evil ideas? Do I allow them to influence me? Do they influence me without my knowing? How could I tell?

          And with all that, we reach the second verse. The alternative to walking/standing/sitting with wicked people is to walk to God, stand before Him with these influences in the dock and judge them according to His Word, then sit down with Him and discuss their influence and what you can do about it.