THE MAN THAT MUST PROSPER

Who is the man who will prosper? According to the Psalmist, he is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, who does not stand in the way of sinners, who does not sit in the seat of the scornful, whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates in his law day and night. The Bible says that prosperity comes to those who do not walk in the counsel of the wicked. The word, wicked means literally “loose from God”. He does not walk in the counsel of those who are loose from God. A man may be ungodly and be true to his wife, pay his taxes, and be a good neighbor. He may not be immoral; he may not drink. He just lives his life without God, the Bible or thinking about eternity. He is a godless person. This verse is just saying that we must not get our counsel from the wicked. In a moment of crisis there is a temptation to look for counsel from the man across the road.

Prosperity comes to the one who does not stand in the presence of sinners. There is something charming and fascinating about standing in the presence of sinners. The man who has done it all, the sophisticated, knowledgeable, widely traveled sinner can sometimes be an interesting person, but the man who prospers does not stand in the presence of sinners (Proverbs 4:14,15). Young (wo)man, if you would prosper, do not stand intentionally in the presence of sinners.

Prosperity comes to the man who does not sit in the seat of the scornful. The word scornful is defined by Keil and Delitzsch: “Those who mock that which is divine and holy and find it to be a subject of frivolous jesting.” There are always people in the world who delight in mocking God and His word. Beware of those who scoff at the Word of God, sneer at the Son of God, and despise the church of God.

Prosperity comes to the man whose delight is in the law of the Lord. There is no instant success program for spiritual growth. There are no gimmicks and gadgets that somebody can give you. But the man who delights in the law of the Lord, who as a newborn baby desires the milk of the Word, who grows in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, who above everything in the world is hungry and thirsty for righteousness, shall prosper.

The prosperous man meditates day and night upon God’s law. Does that mean that he is some kind of a spiritual guru who sits with his legs crossed and never thinks of anything but religion? It does not. What the verse means is this: he meditates regularly, consistently, and constantly on the Word of God. He does not just meditate now and then, but every day of his life. He is regular, consistent, and constant. Constancy is the real secret of being a strong, prosperous person. When a man begins to lose his regularity and consistency, he already has begun to slip away from God. When one begins to say, “I don’t have time for church work, prayer meeting, and Bible reading,” the disintegration of his heart is already under way. Are you meditating day and night, week after week, month after month, year after year?

Word Affirmation: “And I (he) shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper." – Psalm 1:3 (Don't just say it, mean it!)

“ A man can be so far up the ladder spiritually and can fall so far down when he ceases to be consistent and regular in his appointments with God. "

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