Embracing the Psalms: The Way of the Righteous and the Way of the Wicked

 

One of the major themes throughout the Psalms is "the righteous versus the wicked".  The terms "righteous, upright, and righteousness" appear nearly 170 times, more than in any other book of the Bible!  By contrast, "wicked" appears in 53 chapters out of the 150 Psalms.  That's one-third of the Psalms!  

The righteous versus the wicked theme contrasts those who follow God's ways and those who oppose Him. The first Psalm sets the tone, contrasting the "righteous" man who is like a tree planted by streams of water with the "wicked" who are like chaff blown away by the wind. 

The Righteous and Wicked Mentioned Throughout the Psalms

The following two charts list the righteous and wicked occurrences throughout the Psalms.  An excellent Bible study would be to look up each of the verses and create a chart that lists all the characteristics, actions, and descriptions the Psalms teach us about the righteous and wicked.

The Righteous

Psalms 1:5-6 Psalms 5:12 Psalms 7:9, 11, 17 Psalms 9:4, 8 Psalms 11:3, 7 Psalms 15:2 Psalms 17:1, 15 Psalms 18:20-24, 25 Psalms 19:8 Psalms 23:3 Psalms 24:5 Psalms 31:1, 18 Psalms 32:11 Psalms 33:1, 5 Psalms 34:15, 17, 19, 21 Psalms 36:6, 10 Psalms 37:6, 12, 16-18, 21, 25, 29-32, 39 Psalms 40:9-10 Psalms 45:4, 7 Psalms 50:6 Psalms 51:14, 19 Psalms 52:6 Psalms 55:22 Psalms 58:10-11 Psalms 64:10 Psalms 65:5 Psalms 66:18 Psalms 68:3

Psalms 69:28 Psalms 71:2, 15, 16, 19, 24 Psalms 72:1-2, 7 Psalms 75:2, 10 Psalms 82:1-3 Psalms 85:10-13 Psalms 88:12 Psalms 89:14, 16 Psalms 92:12-15 Psalms 94:15, 21 Psalms 96:10, 13 Psalms 97:2, 6, 11-12 Psalms 98:2, 9 Psalms 99:4 Psalms 103:6, 17 Psalms 106:3, 31 Psalms 107:42 Psalms 111:3, 8 Psalms 112:3, 4, 6, 9 Psalms 116:5 Psalms 118:15, 19-20 Psalms 119:7, 37, 40, 62, 75, 106, 121, 123, 138, 142, 144, 160, 164, 172 Psalms 132:9, 16 Psalms 143:1, 11 Psalms 145:7, 17 Psalms 146:8

Mentions of "Upright" Psalms 7:10 Psalms 11:2 Psalms 25:8 Psalms 32:11 Psalms 33:1, 4, 5, 13 Psalms 36:10 Psalms 37:14, 18, 37 Psalms 49:14 Psalms 64:10 Psalms 84:11 Psalms 92:15 Psalms 94:15 Psalms 97:11 Psalms 111:1 Psalms 112:2, 4 Psalms 140:13 Mentions of "Godly" Psalms 4:3 Psalms 12:1 Psalms 32:6 Psalms 50:5 Psalms 52:9 Psalms 86:2

The Wicked

Mentions of "Wicked" Psalms 1:1, 4-6 Psalms 3:7 Psalms 5:4-6, 9-10 Psalms 7:9-10, 14-16 Psalms 9:5, 16-17, 19-20 Psalms 10:2-4, 13, 15 Psalms 11:2, 5-6 Psalms 12:8 Psalms 17:9, 13-14 Psalms 18:3, 21, 48-49 Psalms 21:8-12 Psalms 26:5, 9-10 Psalms 28:3 Psalms 31:17-18 Psalms 32:10 Psalms 34:16, 21 Psalms 36:1-4, 11-12 Psalms 37:1, 7-10, 12, 14-17, 20-21, 28, 32-34, 38

Psalms 50:16-22 Psalms 52:1-5 Psalms 55:3, 9-15, 23 Psalms 58:3, 6-10 Psalms 59:2, 5-8, 12 Psalms 68:2 Psalms 73:3-12, 18-19, 27 Psalms 75:4-10 Psalms 82:2-4 Psalms 91:8 Psalms 92:7, 9, 11 Psalms 94:3-7, 13, 21-23 Psalms 101:3-8 Psalms 104:35 Psalms 106:6-7, 18-19, 34-39 Psalms 107:33-34 Psalms 119:53, 61, 69, 95, 110, 119, 126, 155

Psalms 129:4 Psalms 139:19-22 Psalms 140:1, 4, 8-11 Psalms 141:4-6, 10 Mentions of "Ungodly" Psalms 18:48 Psalms 43:1 Mentions of "Unrighteous" or Similar Words Psalms 5:5-6 Psalms 14:1-4 Psalms 53:1-3 Psalms 58:1-2 Psalms 71:4 Psalms 82:2-5 Psalms 92:7 Psalms 94:4, 6

Psalm 37 and Psalm 73

If you haven't the time to study all the Psalms then focus your study on Psalm 37 and Psalm 73.  These two psalms' major themes are the righteous and the wicked.  

Other Places in the Bible

Psalms is not the only place in the Bible that gives clear and distinct differences between the godly and ungodly.  Take the time to study the following chart that lists and compares some of the Bible's different metaphors to describe the righteous and the wicked.  

Metaphors of the Righteous and the Wicked Throughout the Bible

Righteous	Wicked
Trees planted by water (Psalm 1:3)	Chaff blown by the wind (Psalm 1:4)
Light (Prov 4:18; Matt 5:14)	Darkness (Prov 4:19)
Children of God (Jon 1:12; 1 Jon 3:1)	Children of Satan (Jon 8:44; 1 Jn 3:10)
Wheat (Matt 13:24-30)	Weeds (Matt 13:24-30)
Sheep (Jon 10:27-28)	Goats (Matt 25:31-33)
House built on a rock (Matt 7:24-25)	House built on sand (Matt 7:26-27)
Vessels for honor (2 Tim 2:21)	Broken cisterns (Jer 2:13)
Fruitful vine branch (Jon 15:5)	Fruitless trees (Jude 1:12)