Psalm 1: Unhappy Are the Scornful

“Happy are they who have not walked in the counsel of the wicked, nor lingered in the way of sinners, nor sat in the seats of the scornful! (Psalm 1:1)

Here we go again.  Many centuries ago, Christians developed the discipline of praying all the Psalms within a one month period.  That tradition continues in our Book of Common Prayer.  And today, we begin that monthly cycle with Psalms 1, 2 and 3.

I don’t think it’s an accident that the Book of Psalms begins with, “Happy are they who have not…sat in the seats of the scornful.”  It matters that one of the very first things we are told to avoid, in order to be happy and free of sin’s power, is scorn.  There is so much scorn around us today.  It’s all over the media, with Democrats and Republicans slamming each other with ads that make it sound like the other guy will be the death of the Republic. 

It’s even in too many of our churches, which too often speak and act as though what they’re against is more important than what they’re for.  A political mentor of mine, many years ago, once said that “Moral outrage is the most powerful motivating force in politics.”  That may be true as far as it goes.  But how can people be healthy in heart and soul when they are consumed by outrage?

What are the sources of outrage?  Anger at change, or righteous indignation?  Sometimes, we have every right to be angry about something.  And we are counseled by Saint Paul not to let the sun go down on our anger (Ephesians 4:26).  But what we must avoid is the scorn that gives us a the illusion of control (If I mock my enemy, then they have no power over me, even though I’m spending every waking moment thinking how terrible they are).  We must avoid the scorn that would allow us to forget that our enemy is also human, and carrying their own burdens.

And we must avoid the scorn that keeps us from the peace that comes when we let go of our argument, and trust God to win it.  Then, when God wins, we all win.