"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 scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. He will be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season; its leaf will not wither, and whatever he does will prosper." – Psalm 1:1-3 (MEV)
The Bible tells us that when we are surrounded by the right kind of people, the benefits we receive are astounding. Psalm 1:1-3 clearly tells us the kind of blessings being surrounded by the Godly brings.
However, the opposite is also true if we are surrounded by the wrong people. While we can be blessed in following the counsel of people who fear the Lord, we can also be put to harm's way if we follow the counsel given by the ungodly around us. Because of this, it would be a wise choice to surround ourselves with the right kinds of people.
You wouldn't want this
From the same passage, we note that there are three kinds of people we really wouldn't want to be surrounded with: the ungodly, the sinners, and the scoffers. Why wouldn't you want to be friends with and become surrounded by such people? Let's look and find out.
As a general rule, we must keep in mind that the people we go with often influence what we do. While the world says "tell me who your friends are and I'll tell you who you are," the Bible has an even better counsel for us to remember:
"Do not be deceived: "Bad company corrupts good morals."" (1 Corinthians 15:33)
Now let's take a short look at the three.
The Ungodly
Ungodly people are those who have no fear of God, or those who are immoral. Other translations call them "wicked," which means "evil or morally wrong." Isaiah 48:22 says they will see no peace. On the other hand, Psalm 1:6 says their ways will perish, and so if we join forces with them to do what they do we will soon perish as well.
The sinners
We are told not to "stand on the path of sinners." Simply put, we are not to follow sinful lifestyles and sinful thinking of sinful. You wouldn't want to be joining hands with people who can't say "no" to sin because they will drag you into sinning. Remember, "the wages of sin is death" (see Romans 6:23).
Thankfully, while we are all sinners, our salvation and forgiveness is made available through Christ Jesus. He received the punishment that was due to our sins and died in our place. His death and resurrection frees us from sin and death, and allows us to live for God. (see 1 John 2:2; Isaiah 53:5; 2 Corinthians 5:15)
The Scoffers
Scoffers, also called mockers, are very proud. They don't receive rebuke or correction (Proverbs 13:1), they act with arrogant pride (Proverbs 21:24), and they are considered an "abomination to men" (Proverbs 24:9). When scoffers are punished the simple are made wise (Proverbs 21:11), and when they are cast out, peace comes (Proverbs 22:10).
You don't want to surround yourself with scoffers, period.
Make the Right Choices
Friends, I urge you to be discerning in making associations and wise in choosing who to surround yourself with. Always remember that your friends will influence you, and so choose those that will influence you towards loving and fearing the Lord.
