How does this verse connect with Psalm 1's depiction of the wicked? 2 Samuel 23:6 in Focus “But the worthless are all like thorns raked aside, for they can never be picked up by hand.” A Snapshot of Psalm 1’s Wicked “Not so the wicked! For they are like chaff driven off by the wind. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment… for the LORD guards the path of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.” (Psalm 1:4-6) Thorns and Chaff—Same People, Different Pictures • Both images come from the farm: thorns in the hedgerow, chaff on the threshing floor. • Neither has lasting value. Thorns are useless for building or food; chaff is the husk left after the grain is removed. • Both are separated from what is profitable. Thorns are “raked aside”; chaff is “driven off by the wind.” • Both end in destruction—thorns burned (2 Samuel 23:7; Isaiah 33:12; Hebrews 6:8), chaff burned (Matthew 3:12; Malachi 4:1). Shared Traits of the Wicked 1. Worthlessness • Hebrew beliyyaʿal in 2 Samuel 23:6 points to moral ruin—people who have set themselves against God. • Psalm 1 highlights their emptiness: no root, no fruit, no standing in judgment. 2. Harmfulness • Thorns wound anyone who handles them (2 Samuel 23:6-7). • Chaff spreads and contaminates the air, irritating eyes and lungs; wicked counsel likewise corrupts (Psalm 1:1). 3. Rootlessness • Thorns can spring up quickly in shallow soil; chaff is already detached from the kernel. • By contrast, the righteous are “like a tree planted by streams of water” (Psalm 1:3). 4. Inevitable Separation • Thorns are gathered apart with iron tools; chaff is separated by the winnowing wind. • “Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment” (Psalm 1:5). God Himself oversees the great sorting. The Final Outcome—Fire and Wind • 2 Samuel 23:7 predicts total burning “on the spot.” • Psalm 1:6 declares “the way of the wicked will perish.” • Consistent echoes: Isaiah 5:24; Obadiah 1:18; Revelation 20:15—all affirm literal judgment. Living Lessons for Today • God sees moral worthlessness as real and dangerous—more than mere social misfits. • Rooted delight in God’s law (Psalm 1:2-3) is the only remedy; otherwise a life ends as thorn or chaff. • The same Lord who guards the righteous (Psalm 1:6) also consigns the wicked to removal and fire (2 Samuel 23:6-7). Summary Thorns in 2 Samuel 23 and chaff in Psalm 1 portray the same people: the unrepentant wicked. Both images emphasize uselessness, harm, rootlessness, sure separation, and final destruction. The righteous, anchored in God’s Word, are spared that fate and flourish forever. |
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