Psalm 1:4 - The LORD Blesses Job

Audio Bible

Context

The LORD Blesses Job
…3He is like a tree planted by streams of water, yielding its fruit in season, whose leaf does not wither, and who prospers in all he does. 4Not so the wicked! For they are like chaff driven off by the wind. 5Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.…

Cross References

Matthew 3:12
His winnowing fork is in His hand to clear His threshing floor and to gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”Job 21:18
Are they like straw before the wind, like chaff swept away by a storm?Isaiah 17:13
The nations rage like the rush of many waters. He rebukes them, and they flee far away, driven before the wind like chaff on the hills, like tumbleweeds before a gale.Hosea 13:3
Therefore they will be like the morning mist, like the early dew that vanishes, like chaff blown from a threshing floor, like smoke through an open window.Matthew 13:30
Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat into my barn.’”Isaiah 29:5
But your many foes will be like fine dust, the multitude of the ruthless like blowing chaff. Then suddenly, in an instant,Jeremiah 13:24
“I will scatter you like chaff driven by the desert wind.Luke 3:17
His winnowing fork is in His hand to clear His threshing floor and to gather the wheat into His barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”Isaiah 41:15-16
Behold, I will make you into a threshing sledge, new and sharp, with many teeth. You will thresh the mountains and crush them, and reduce the hills to chaff. / You will winnow them, and a wind will carry them away; a gale will scatter them. But you will rejoice in the LORD; you will glory in the Holy One of Israel.Job 27:21
The east wind carries him away, and he is gone; it sweeps him out of his place.Isaiah 40:24
No sooner are they planted, no sooner are they sown, no sooner have their stems taken root in the ground, than He blows on them and they wither, and a whirlwind sweeps them away like stubble.Malachi 4:1
“For behold, the day is coming, burning like a furnace, when all the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble; the day is coming when I will set them ablaze,” says the LORD of Hosts. “Not a root or branch will be left to them.”Daniel 2:35
Then the iron, clay, bronze, silver, and gold were shattered and became like chaff on the threshing floor in summer. The wind carried them away, and not a trace of them could be found. But the stone that had struck the statue became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.James 1:6
But he must ask in faith, without doubting, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.Ephesians 4:14
Then we will no longer be infants, tossed about by the waves and carried around by every wind of teaching and by the clever cunning of men in their deceitful scheming.

Psalm 35:5
Let them be as chaff before the wind: and let the angel of the LORD chase them.

Job 21:18
They are as stubble before the wind, and as chaff that the storm carrieth away.

Isaiah 17:13
The nations shall rush like the rushing of many waters: but God shall rebuke them, and they shall flee far off, and shall be chased as the chaff of the mountains before the wind, and like a rolling thing before the whirlwind.

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Psalm 1

Not so the wicked!
This phrase contrasts the fate of the wicked with that of the righteous, as described in the preceding verses. The righteous are like a tree planted by streams of water, symbolizing stability and prosperity. In contrast, the wicked do not enjoy such blessings. The term "wicked" refers to those who live in opposition to God's law and righteousness. Throughout the Bible, the wicked are often depicted as those who reject God's commandments and pursue their own desires (Proverbs 4:14-19). This distinction between the righteous and the wicked is a recurring theme in Scripture, emphasizing the moral and spiritual divide between those who follow God and those who do not.

For they are like chaff
Chaff is the husk or outer shell of grain that is separated from the edible part during the threshing process. In ancient agricultural practices, chaff was considered worthless and was discarded. This imagery is used to describe the wicked as being without substance or value in the eyes of God. The metaphor of chaff is also found in other biblical passages, such as Job 21:18 and Isaiah 17:13, where it symbolizes the fleeting and insubstantial nature of the wicked. The use of agricultural imagery would have been familiar to the original audience, who lived in an agrarian society and understood the process of winnowing and the insignificance of chaff.

driven off by the wind.
The wind represents the forces that scatter and disperse the chaff, illustrating the instability and impermanence of the wicked. Unlike the righteous, who are firmly rooted and nourished, the wicked are easily swept away by the trials and judgments of life. This imagery is echoed in other parts of Scripture, such as Hosea 13:3 and Matthew 3:12, where the wind or fire is used to depict divine judgment. The idea of being driven away by the wind also suggests a lack of direction and purpose, as the wicked are not anchored in God's truth. This phrase underscores the ultimate futility of a life lived apart from God, as the wicked will not stand in the judgment or have a place among the righteous (Psalm 1:5).

Persons / Places / Events

1. The Wicked
In the context of Psalm 1, the wicked are those who do not follow God's law and live in opposition to His ways. They are contrasted with the righteous, who delight in the law of the Lord.

2. Chaff
Chaff is the husk of grain that is separated and discarded during the winnowing process. It symbolizes worthlessness and instability, as it is easily blown away by the wind.

3. The Wind
In biblical imagery, the wind often represents forces of judgment or the transient nature of life. Here, it signifies the ease with which the wicked are scattered and their lack of permanence.

Teaching Points

The Transience of Wickedness
The wicked may appear to prosper temporarily, but their success is fleeting. Like chaff, they lack substance and permanence.

The Importance of Righteous Living
In contrast to the wicked, the righteous are rooted and stable, like a tree planted by streams of water. This highlights the importance of living according to God's Word.

Judgment and Accountability
The imagery of chaff being driven by the wind serves as a reminder of God's judgment. The wicked will not stand in the judgment, emphasizing the need for repentance and alignment with God's will.

The Value of Substance Over Appearance
Chaff may look similar to grain but lacks its value. This teaches us to seek genuine righteousness rather than superficial appearances.

The Role of God's Word
The stability of the righteous is attributed to their delight in and meditation on God's law. This underscores the transformative power of Scripture in our lives.

Lists and Questions

Top 10 Lessons from Psalm 1What does "chaff" mean in the Bible?Why does Psalm 1:4–5 suggest the wicked will be swiftly judged when history and current events show corrupt individuals often thriving? How can Psalm 1's vision of immediate justice be reconciled with biblical accounts like Job, where the righteous suffer while the wicked seem to prosper?Psalm 68:1–2: How can the defeat of enemies described as “vanishing like smoke” be understood in light of historical or scientific plausibility?

(4) The ungodly.--Better, Not so the ungodly.

But are like.--They shall be winnowed out of the society of the true Israel by the fan of God's judgment. The image is a striking one, although so frequent as almost to have become a poetical commonplace (Habakkuk 3:12; Joel 3:14; Jeremiah 51:33; Isaiah 21:10). (See Bible Educator, iv. 4.)

Verse 4. - The ungodly are not so; or, the wicked (see the comment on ver. 1. But are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. "Chaff" is used throughout Scripture as an emblem of what is weak and worthless (see Job 21:18; Psalm 35:5; Isaiah 5:24; Isaiah 17:13; Isaiah 29:5; Isaiah 33:11; Isaiah 41:15; Jeremiah 23:28; Daniel 2:35; Hosea 13:3; Zephaniah 2:2; Matthew 3:12; Luke 3:17). In ancient times it was considered of no value at all, and when corn was winnowed, it was thrown up in the air until the wind had blown all the chaff away (see the representation in the author's 'History of Ancient Egypt,' vol. 1. p. 163). Parallel Commentaries ...

Hebrew

Not
לֹא־ (lō-)
Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

so
כֵ֥ן (ḵên)
Adverb
Strong's 3651: So -- thus

the wicked!
הָרְשָׁעִ֑ים (hā·rə·šā·‘îm)
Article | Adjective - masculine plural
Strong's 7563: Wrong, an, bad person

For
כִּ֥י (kî)
Conjunction
Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction

[they are]
אִם־ (’im-)
Conjunction
Strong's 518: Lo!, whether?, if, although, Oh that!, when, not

like chaff
כַּ֝מֹּ֗ץ (kam·mōṣ)
Preposition-k, Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4671: Chaff, threshed loose)

driven off
תִּדְּפֶ֥נּוּ (tid·də·p̄en·nū)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person feminine singular | third person masculine singular
Strong's 5086: To shove asunder, disperse

by the wind.
רֽוּחַ׃ (rū·aḥ)
Noun - common singular
Strong's 7307: Wind, breath, exhalation, life, anger, unsubstantiality, a region of the sky, spirit

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Psalm 1:4 Catholic BibleOT Poetry: Psalm 1:4 The wicked are not so (Psalm Ps Psa.)