Watched over

DEVOTION

PSALMS

WATCHED OVER

Ps 1:4-6

4 Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away. 5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. 6 For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.

NIV

They have a choice. It is not as though they have been assigned to be wicked in order they will perish. Everyone has the choice, God has given man a free will to choose their own path in life. That was clear from the very beginning. Adam was free to choice and he choose wrongly. We were once among the wicked and we were not going to be able to stand in the judgment nor were we in the assembly of the righteous. Once we were going to be blown away like the chaff is by the wind. But now we are among the assembly of the righteous and we will be able to stand in the judgment. Why anyone would choose to perish seems bizarre. Maybe they have not chosen, maybe they just don’t know any better. But that cannot be for God has said that everyone can know him by what he has made, so that no man is without excuse.

Rom 1:18-20

18 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20 For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities — his eternal power and divine nature — have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse .

NIV

So then, they have made a choice, they decided to be counted as the wicked and to pay the penalty for their way of life. So why then do we bother with evangelism? Let everyone make up their mind based on the information God gave them. But that simply isn’t what God desires either for he commissioned people to go out into the world and preach the good news. It is sad to think that people we know are going to perish rather than have the Lord watching over their way. It is comforting to know the Lord watches over our way. We think of how he watched over Noah, how he watched over Abraham, how he watched over Moses, David, Solomon, Daniel, Jeremiah, Isaiah and even all the Israelites. He watched over John the Baptist and certainly over Jesus. Then we saw how he watched over the disciples and we know he watches over us. It is not as though we have not had some difficult times, surely all those in the past that he watched over went through some tough times. But our way is set, he has set our feet upon a path which leads to heaven because we chose him. We made the choice to follow Jesus. So God watches us and guides us, counsels and keeps us. But those who have either never heard about Jesus or refused to listen to the truth will perish. We can rejoice because he keeps watch over us. Yet we still have to let our light shine in hopes some who are among those who perish will come to God, so he can watch over them.