Blowing In the Wind

                                                                              

Alexander the Great is one of the greatest men in history. He led one of the largest and most powerful armies in the world. He ascended to the throne at the age of 20. By the time he was 30, Alexander had created one of the largest empires in history. He is known today as one of the greatest military minds ever and is considered to be one of the greatest rulers in all of ancient history. He was never defeated in battle.  Alexander named over 70 cities after himself and one after his horse.

Alexander the Great died in the palace of Nebuchadnezzar II in Babylon, the city that he intended to establish as his capital. He was 32 when he died and the cause of his death is still not certain.  After death his kingdom collapsed as he had no clear heir. His territory was divided up between his generals, bringing an end to everything that he and his father had fought for.

Alexander’s dying instructions were, “my physicians alone must carry my coffin.  When my coffin is transported to the grave, the path leading to the graveyard shall display the wealth I collected. When you bury my body, don't build any momentum. Keep my hands hanging outside the coffin so that the world knows that the person who won the whole world had nothing in his hand while dying.”

Psalm 1 uses figurative language to depict two kinds of people- the godly and the ungodly. In Psalm 1:1-3 the psalmist recounts the ways and the strong character of the godly.  In Verses 4- 5 the psalmist contrasts the godly with the ungodly. Verse 4 starts with the phrase “not so the wicked !" This phrase reverses every part of the preceding picture.

Whatever good thing is said of the righteous is not true in the case of the ungodly. The godly avoid the pathways of sin; not so the ungodly for they are familiar with the pathways of sin. They walk in it and sit in it; they know the way of sin enough to give advice on how to participate in it.

The godly delight in the law of the Lord; not so the ungodly, they have no interest in God’s word. The righteous are evergreen, beautiful, fruitful trees; not so the ungodly, they do not have Christ, the life eternal, in them. Their leaf withers with time and any beauty they have eventually fade. The godly are of value to God both now and eternally; not so the ungodly, they are of no value to God.

In verse 4 the nature of the godly is contrasted with that of the ungodly by a change of figures from tree to chaff. The ungodly here include all those in the three stages of sin mentioned in verse 1. They range from the mild beginners (ungodly) who disobey only some laws, to the seasoned sinners who openly mock God. In the end they will all be in one group and will suffer the same fate. Standing before God at the close of history, there will be only two groups of men the godly and the ungodly.

A godly man is likened to a tree but the ungodly man is likened to chaff that the wind blows away. The psalmist has in mind the practice of winnowing wheat. Threshed wheat is tossed into the air, seeds drop back to the floor, while chaff is blown away by the wind.  Trees and chaff differ in significant ways. A tree has life but chaff has no life. A tree has roots and is firmly anchored; chaff has no anchor and it’s easily tossed around by a slight breeze.  A tree has great value, chaff is valueless. Trees are long-lasting but chaff rots fast.

Nothing could more vividly suggest the intrinsic worthlessness of the ungodly than the contrast of a fruit laden tree with lifeless chaff.  Chaff describes three aspects of the ungodly character- unstable, worthless and insecure. The ungodly have nothing solid and substantial to guide them in life. They lack the knowledge of God and his word which is useful for showing people how to live (2 Tim. 3:16). So they determine what is right or wrong, good or bad themselves.  

The ungodly lack any sense of moral grounding; they have their feet planted in mid-air. Chaff is a light substance in nature subject to many alterations; even so the ungodly are easily tossed and blown in all directions. They flow with the popular culture which keeps changing. They blow with the winds of secular society. They keep checking to see which way the wind is blowing to decide their next move.

The ungodly are like the tossing sea, which cannot rest, whose waves cast up mire and mud. There is no peace,” says my God, for the wicked” (Isa 57:20-21). This graphically portrays the restlessness within those who are out of touch with God, whose hope and trust is not on the Lord. In their unsatisfied and agitated state, they are propelled forward in a search for whatever its they think will give peace, satisfaction, security, and significance

The ungodly usually appear to do very well in life. Job observed that “their bulls never fail to breed and their cows do not miscarry. They make merry to the sound of the pipe. They spend their years in  prosperity and go down to the grave in peace.Yet they say to God "leave us alone! we have no desire to know your ways. who is the almighty that we should serve him?" how often are they like chaff swept away by the gale? (Job 21:10-18)

Job acknowledged that the wicked was never ultimately rewarded and was always punished in the end.  Asaph was shown the end of the wicked and he concluded “I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory. Those who are far from you will perish; you destroy all who are unfaithful to you. But as for me, it is good to be near God”.

Asaph had made the same disturbing observation “I saw the prosperity of the wicked. Their bodies are healthy and strong. They are are not plagued by human ills. Therefore pride is their necklace; they clothe themselves with violence. Their evil imaginations have no limits. They say, “How would God know?Does the most high know anything? the wicked are always free of care, they go on amassing wealth (Ps.73:3-12)

Things may just continue as if nothing is going to happen for a time. But God is not mocked; there will be a day of judgment. The ungodly are like “the morning dew which soon disappears. They are like chaff which is blown away from the threshing floor” (Hosea 13:1-3). Gods winnowing fork is in His hand. He will gather His wheat into the barn and He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire” (Matt 13:12).

In Psalm 37: 34- 39 we are told “Hope in the Lord and keep his way. He will exalt you to inherit the land; when the wicked are destroyed, you will see it. I have seen a wicked and ruthless man flourishing like a luxuriant native tree, but he soon passed away and was no more; though I looked for him, he could not be found.  Consider the blameless, observe the upright; a future awaits those who seek peace. But all sinners will be destroyed; there will be no future for the wicked.”

We often hear the deeds and accomplishments of the wicked praised although they lived solely for the things of this world. But, however much the ungodly man may value himself or is esteemed by men, he is as nothing in the estimation of God. He may have many friends, he may have much wealth, he may be a star in the eyes of men, but in God's sight, he is of no value.

History records a long list of men that seemed to be stars in this world, rich and happy. Surrounded by many admirers, they spread themselves like a green bay tree, often envied by many. But, within no time they were not and there was not so much as a stump of them left, God had cursed their habitation. Many withered before death and others were upon death blown away like chaff leaving no trace behind. In the end they will burn in hell.

On the other hand there are godly men, who faithfully served God in their lifetime; some well known, others not known except by God and those who lived around them in some small remote places in the world. Those “of whom the world was not worth… like Abel being dead yet speaks”(Heb. 11). Their character still gives flavor to the faith they held and the work they did. And though dead, they still preach today. They are still bearing fruit in death and their leaves have not withered.