The Beginning and the End

The Psalms begin with a promise from God and end with a call to praise God. “Blessed is the man!” shouts the author. Any man? Every man? No. Indeed not. Blessed is “the” man who delights in and obeys the Words and the Ways of the Lord.

The Psalms end with a call to “Praise the Lord.” Any man? Every man? Yes. Yes, indeed. “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.”

The first Psalm makes a difference between the godly man and the ungodly man. But the concluding Psalm does not mention the ungodly. Why?

The godly are “like a tree that is planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.” What a beautiful description of the godly: they are happy, have lived a worthwhile life, and will live forever!

But the ungodly? They are pictured with words of hopelessness. “They are like chaff,” writes the Psalmist, “that the wind blows away. Therefore, the wicked will stand in judgment, and sinners will not be in the assembly of the righteous.” The ungodly will not be safe on Judgment Day. Nor will they be invited to stand among the godly. What a tragedy. What an ending to lives that surely had opportunities to become godly: lives that were misspent, misdirected and mistaken.

No matter what we hear from politicians and social scientists, there are only two classes of people: the saved and the unsaved. And, two ends: heaven and hell.

Prayer:  Lord, we pray that the world would hear Your Word and Your voice and accept Your invitation to become godly people. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Today’s Bible Verse:   Praise the LORD. Psalm 150:1


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