Stay Out of the Hot Seat
1 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;
2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord,
And in His law he meditates day and night.
3 He shall be like a tree
Planted by the rivers of water,
That brings forth its fruit in its season,
Whose leaf also shall not wither;
And whatever he does shall prosper. Psalm 1:1-3 (NKJV)
As Christians we all like to claim the promises of verse 3. We relish the idea of being strong, fruitful, and flourishing as trees of righteousness, and we desire to prosper in everything we do. However, to gain what is noted in verse 3, we must be diligent to follow the instructions of verses 1 and 2. And to be honest, many of us are on our guard to avoid following the counsel of the ungodly or living the lifestyle of sinners. However, the third one may be an issue for many believers: sitting in the seat of the scornful.
When someone is scornful, obviously they scorn, meaning they treat or regard something or someone with contempt or disdain. Scornful people engage in scoffing and mocking. They have little regard or respect for certain people or things. The most obvious case that applies to this passage of Scripture is a scorn for the things of God. We must look at the Bible, prayer, holiness, and other tenents of the faith with respect and honor because they come forth from a holy God. We see many people in society today who mock and ridcule the Bible and the Christian faith, but I am not going to focus on that today. Instead, I want to look at something a bit more subtle.
On a less noticeable note, a scornful person looks down on others or considers certain people as less than themselves. A scornful person also engages in criticism of others because they don’t value them. When we begin to demean other people, even if we don’t actually speak the thoughts out loud, we are scornful. When we look at someone and judge them negatively- maybe for their style of dress or how they talk- that is a form of scorn. When we routinely look at how others do things and we think sarcastically to ourselves, “Well that is definitely NOT how I would do it,” we are being scornful. Scornful people have a critical spirit, and they don’t hesitate to note the flaws of others.
If we are not prospering in everything we do, there is a reason. It may be that scorn has found its way in. We should all do a heart check occasionally and repent of any scornful attitudes that the Holy Spirit points out to us. As we take measures to stay out of the seat of the scornful, we will experience a more prosperous and successful life in Christ.
