Sit, Walk, Stand

Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful;

Psalm 1:1

Often in the Psalms a concept, lesson, or word is defined by the principle of opposites and highlighted by the use of contrast. In Psalm 1, we learn what a person who is blessed does not do, behaviors he does not engage in, and people he does not associate with. There are three actions pictured in this verse: sitting, walking, and standing.

A simple outline of the book of Ephesians is similar to this progressive pattern of action: sit (Ephesians 1-3), walk (Ephesians 4-6:9), and stand (Ephesians 6:10-end). Here we have our comparison of what a man should not do to be blessed (Psalm 1:1) and what he does instead by contrast.

• Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the ungodly, but walks worthy of the calling with which he was called (Ephesians 4:1).
• Blessed is the man who does not stand in the path of sinners, but puts on the full armor of God so that he can take a stand against the enemy (Ephesians 6:11).
• Blessed is the man who does not sit in the seat of the scornful but knows that God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the Heavenly realms (Ephesians 2:7).

We are seated with Christ (at rest) because the work is finished. We walk in Him because our new life is that of an ambassador—in our relationships (work, marriage, family, friends) we represent Him to the world. We stand equipped by Him to fight against the enemy: the world, the flesh, and the devil.

Prayer: