The Contrast of the Righteous and the Wicked
It has been said somewhere that “Desire is how bad you want something; while discipline is how far you’ll go to get it.” What do you desire most? What do you sacrifice for in your life? What are you working hard to achieve? The psalmist says that the Word of God is his delight (2). It is the thing that brings joy and satisfaction to him the most. The faithful believer in God desires to know God, His ways, and His will most of all. He disciplines his mind by reading the Scriptures and thinking on them constantly (day and night) (2). This is the foundation of all his life and all of his choices. It firmly roots him to the life giving wisdom of God (3). The man that yields to the commands of God shall live a blessed life of fruitfulness and joy. He shall flourish and live a satisfied life.
In contrast to the blessed life of the believer, the ungodly will not prosper! They do not know God by faith and their lives are like the chaff of grain, worthless (4). To be of any value, all things must be done to the glory of God, otherwise they are truly worthless to the Lord (Ps 127:1-2). The ungodly will face eternal judgment separated from the righteous (5).
The psalmist sums up this contrast with two important truths. One, the LORD knows the righteous. The word “know” here is used to describe the intimate love of a husband and wife. God loves His people and they respond by living a life of faithfulness to His word (righteousness) (6). Two, those that live according to the ungodly of this world will perish utterly.