FOLLOWING THE LEADER (Psalm 1:1)

1 Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. (NIV)

Before the birth of Nintendo DS, Playstations and satellite TV there was “follow the leader”. At the risk of sounding like my dad (an official old person), kids today have too many toys. I miss the good ole days! We use to spend hours trailing after whoever’s turn it was to be the leader. Balancing along logs. Leap-frogging over bushes. Skipping from stone to stone across a stream. Swinging like monkeys from tree branches. The game was boundless in its simplicity. The only rule was mimicking the leader and their antics. However, as the psalmist reminds us in today’s verse, it isn’t always a good idea to follow the leader. It all depends on the leader. In verse one of Psalm one, we read not a specific list of forbidden behavior but an example of a way of life to avoid. “Don’t walk.” “Don’t stand.” “Don’t sit.” Everyday actions that add up to habits, to a lifestyle. The tense of the verbs in the original Hebrew isn’t talking about a one-time instruction, but would be more properly read as “never”. Never listen to advice of those with questionable motives. Never imitate rebels. Never hang out with those who ridicule God. The Lord doesn’t have anything against following; he just wants us to know who we shouldn’t follow...and who we should. And not because if we do he’ll have to hate, crush, annihilate, or destroy us. But because he wants us to experience joy – his blessings. He wants us to be happy. Following, by definition, implies we’ll end up at the same destination as the person we’re following. God simply wants to make sure we end up with him.