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Where we Sit

 Where we sit says a lot about us. Or I should say, who we sit with says a lot about us. Do you prefer the company of the wicked or the righteous? 

In Psalm 26 David prayed for God to vindicate him because he was being falsely accused of something. To David, the problem wasn’t just that he was accused of something he didn’t do, but that he was accused of something he wouldn’t do because he hated it. 

(Although we don’t know for sure, this psalm may be in reference to the assassination of Ishbosheth, the son of Saul who installed himself as king even though David had been anointed as successor. People likely accused David of ordering the hit, and he didn’t want people think he condoned the murder.)

In v.4-5 of the psalm the king said, “I do not sit with men of falsehood, nor do I consort with hypocrites. I hate the assembly of evildoers, and I will not sit with the wicked.”

If hate seems like a strong word, to David it wasn’t strong enough. What else could he say? He loathed it, detested it, extremely disliked it. Hate was the strongest word at his disposal. 

Things might not have been going David’s way, but he preferred the company at the Lord’s table than that of the wicked. To the Christian, being with fellow believers who are committed to righteous living should always be preferable to association with evildoers, even if they are successful by the world’s standards. 

As Charles Spurgeon put it so eloquently, “Saints have a seat at another table, and will never leave the King's dainties for the husks of the swine trough. Better to sit with the blind and the halt and the lame at the table of mercy than with the wicked at their feasts of ungodliness, yea, better to sit on Job’s dunghill than on Pharaoh's throne.”

Better to sit on Job’s dunghill than on Pharaoh's throne. In the moment Job was miserable and Pharoah was the most pampered man in the world, but we know how things turned out for both men. This is like the Proverb that says, “Better is a little with the fear of the LORD than great treasure and trouble with it.”(15:16) 

So where do you sit? Do you pull up a chair with the righteous, or are you found sitting with the wicked? 

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