The Ways and Ends of the Wicked by Charles Spurgeon

Psalm Chapter 1, Verses 4-6

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

Not so the wicked. With these solemn words, the psalmist draws a sharp contrast between the godly and the ungodly. The righteous are like fruitful trees, rooted, nourished, and prosperous. But the wicked are like chaff that the wind blows away. Chaff is the worthless husk separated from grain, light, dry, and empty. It is easily scattered and quickly forgotten. Such is every life lived apart from God, rootless, fruitless, and ultimately futile.

However impressive the wicked may appear for a season, their prosperity is short-lived, and their end is destruction. The wicked will not stand in the judgment. They will have no defense, no covering, no hope. When they stand before the judge of all the earth, their works will be burned up as stubble. All their excuses will be silenced. The day of judgment will reveal what they are, rebels against the Most High God, having rejected His Son and despised His Word. They will not be counted in the assembly of the righteous. They may have mingled with the godly on earth, but in the last day, the shepherd will infallibly separate the sheep from the goats. Their exclusion will be eternal.

For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish. Here is the final contrast. The Lord lovingly and attentively watches over the path of His redeemed people. He guards their steps, directs their course, and brings them safely home. But the way of the wicked, though it may seem smooth for a time, leads only to ruin. Their end is not annihilation, but everlasting punishment. The broad road may appear pleasant, but it descends into outer darkness with weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth.

Reader, Psalm 1 presents only two ways, the way of life and the way of death. One is watched over by God, ending in glory. The other is forsaken by God, ending in judgment. Which way are you walking? The only escape from the perishing path is found in Jesus. He bore the wrath for sinners, that all who turn from their wicked ways and trust in Him may be counted among the righteous. The Lord knows those who are His. Let every soul flee to Him and find life.