Psalm 1:1-2
Blessed is the man
who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
2 but his delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law he meditates day and night.
Movement is often the enemy of intimacy. When attempting to carry on a deep, meaningful relationship with someone, moving your eye sight from their face to a device can be disengaging and dismantling of the relationship that is building. When passing by a friend in a lobby full of people, it’s easy to say “hello” and to keep it moving, for if you were to stop, it would force you to carry on a conversation, but the movement makes it so that your salutation is momentary.
The psalmist points out the levels of intimacy not with a human relationship, but with our relationship to sin. It is a gradual one–one where less movement means more intimacy. He begins with walking then standing and then sitting. Walk, stand, sit–this is an intimate progression. Our fallen nature as humans makes it easy for this intimate sequence to occur–we are that prone to wonder. A thought could lead to a site, which could then lead to lust, which could lead to long-term martial problems. An unhealthy snack could lead to an addiction, which could lead to an unhealthy stewardship of our bodies. An online bet could lead to more bets, which could lead to greed and a ruined soul. You get the picture. Sin is not just a moment, but a movement. This movement has a goal to paralyze you, where you are no longer walking with sin, but sitting with it.
Thankfully, this does not need to be our story. The psalmist makes it clear that we have a choice–a choice to walk, stand, and sit with sin, or a choice to anchor ourselves in the Word of God. May the latter be our rhythm. May we place our eyes on Jesus and not on the sin that so easily tangles us in the ways of this world. May we choose to grow intimate with Jesus, who we see now through a glass darkly, but soon face to face. May the progression of your life be the nearness to the Son.
With Jesus,
Anthony.