The Righteous vs. The Wicked: A Psalm Reflection
By Elizabeth Prata
SYNOPSIS
I discuss Psalm 1, which contrasts the righteous with the wicked who are likened to chaff, which is worthless and destined for destruction. Through biblical references, chaff represents unrepentant sinners who reject God and face eternal punishment. The discussion emphasizes grace and the importance of salvation through Jesus, reminding readers of their own past.
The Righteous and the Wicked Contrasted.
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.
He will be like a tree planted by streams of water, Which yields its fruit in its season, And its leaf does not wither; And in whatever he does, he prospers.
The wicked are not so, But they are like chaff which the wind blows away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, Nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. For the LORD knows the way of the righteous, But the way of the wicked will perish.
It’s a beautiful Psalm. If you’re saved, that is, and not chaff. Some time ago I undertook a study on the agricultural process of threshing winnowing, and looked into what exactly chaff was.
Today as I read the Psalm I got to thinking about chaff. It’s mentioned frequently in scripture, and usually negatively.
Are they as straw before the wind, And like chaff which the storm carries away? (Job 21:18).
The wicked are not so, But they are like chaff which the wind blows away. (Psalm 1:4).
His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clear His threshing floor; and He will gather His wheat into the barn, but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire. (Matthew 3:12).
Do you see the cloud of chaff above their heads? It’s the chaff blowing away.
Chaff- it’s waste, unwanted, unprofitable, unyielding. The sinner is chaff. The sinner is waste, unwanted, unprofitable for any good thing, unyielding.
I got to thinking about that. If we are unfamiliar with the winnowing process, we might not absorb the depth of that statement. If we are familiar, we might picture chaff husks blowing away in the wind, and then go on with our day. But if we really think about the scriptures’ comparison of chaff with the wicked destined for eternal hell, it’s deeply mournful.
I learned today that someone I knew years ago, tried to evangelize, who chose the most debased lifestyle possible, who dabbled in Wicca but then hated all religions ‘because the spells don’t work’, especially hated God, rejected the Gospel to the end, passed away. Sad and pensive…
Easton’s Bible Dictionary says chaff is the refuse of winnowed corn. It was usually burned (Ex. 15:7; Isa. 5:24; Matt. 3:12). Chaff is used as a figure of abortive wickedness (Ps. 1:4; Matt. 3:12). False doctrines are also called chaff (Jer. 23:28).
Job 21:18; Psa. 1:4; 35:5; Isa. 17:13; Dan. 2:35; Hos. 13:3; Matt. 3:12; Luke 3:17.
Merriam Webster defines chaff:
1. the seed coverings and other debris separated from the seed in threshing grain
2: something comparatively worthless
The International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia explains – “In the process of winnowing, as it has been carried on in the East for thousands of years, the grain is tossed into the air so that the wind may cause a separation of chaff and straw. The light husks from the wheat and fine particles of straw are dispersed by the wind in the form of a fine dust; the heavier straw which has been broken into short pieces by the threshing process falls near at hand on the edge of the threshing-floor, while the grain falls back upon the pile.”
“In Syria and Palestine, that which falls near at hand as cut straw is called tibn. This word occurs in the Arab. This straw is ordinarily saved and fed as “roughage” to the animals. It could easily be gathered and burned, as indicated in the above-mentioned vs, while the chaff is blown away beyond recovery. (Job 21:18; Isa 29:5; 41:16; Hos 13:3, Dnl 2:35).” End of ISBE entry.
When I pass church signs declaring “God has good plans for you” I wince. On the one hand, ALL His plans are good, because He is good. But His plans do include punishing the wicked for all eternity. To the punished, that is not good. It is dreadful.
Though all humans are made in the image of God, those who take their final breath outside of Jesus, not having repented and turned to Him as Lord & Savior, will be punished as chaff, fit only to be burned. This is a sobering thought. As we go through our day, we do not know who is saved, unsaved, about to be saved, marked for salvation, or marked for perdition. Let us remember that “there but for the grace of God, go I,” because once we were chaff. Only through the grace of Jesus, His submission to the Father, holy life, agonizing death, and glorious resurrection & ascension, can we please God as a repentant individual serving Him.
