Psalm 1
A psalm of contrasts
"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 the scornful;” (verse
1)
To be“blessed”
is to be appointed to happiness. This psalm essentially begins,
“Happy is he who...” This and the following verses then proceed
to contrast those who take two very different paths, one leading to
“blessedness” and the other to judgment.
The psalmist first
declares that true happiness cannot be found by heeding the wisdom of
this world, the “counsel of the ungodly.” The word
“counsel” refers to the wisdom or advice that may be
offered to those who are seeking direction for the course of their
life; books, magazines, television, internet, psychologists, and talk shows are just a few of these 'ungodly counselors'. But contrary to common assumption, “ungodliness” is
not related necessarily to a person's sinful actions or lifestyle. I
have known quite a few very good, kind, and generous ungodly people
in my life. Rather, ungodliness is a state of the mind. The ungodly
are those who live as though there is no God. They make their
decisions and choose their life path as though God did not exist,
care about mankind, or require an account at the final Judgment. David
writes about the ungodly in Psalm 94, describing them in great
detail. In verse four he says this, “The wicked in his proud
countenance does not seek God; God is is none of his thoughts.”
These are those who say in their hearts to God, “You will not
require an account,” and “God has forgotten; He hides His
face; He will never see.” (Psalm 94:11,13)
Ungodliness is living as though there is no God.
Ungodliness is living as though there is no God.
To “stand in the
path” implies a fixed position on a determined course of action. A
“sinner” is one who practices sin intentionally (see I John 3,
5). If practice makes perfect, these are those who have made sinning
their most cherished pursuit. They love their sin and will not be
deterred from it. Godless thinking leads to godless living, and this
is evidenced by the sin that permeates every culture, people group,
and nation on earth. Romans 1:28-31 says, “And even as they
did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave
them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not
fitting, being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality,
wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder,
strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, backbiters,
haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things,
disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving,
unforgiving, unmerciful...” Ungodliness is a godless mindset
that results in a godless lifestyle.
The
“seat of the scornful” refers to the settled position of a
mocker, someone who not only lives godlessly and blatantly practices sin, but
also despises all those who are godly and practice righteousness.
This is the secular man. Dr. Parenteau, in describing the life and
beliefs of one of the nineteenth century's foremost atheists,
Frederick Nietzsche, writes that this infamous man, who coined the
phrase, “God is dead,” also believed, (interestingly enough), that “in
the absence of God, men and women would have to discipline themselves
to “determined joy” and find purpose in their lives. It is
curious to note that nearly all nihilist and existentialist
philosophers agree that purpose and joy receive a deadly blow by the
notion of life without God. And they then attempt to create purpose
and joy outside of God or they commit suicide.” (“Frederick
Nietzsche,” October 8, 2011, http://intersectionvictoria.com/)
Unhappy is he who sits in the seat of the scornful!
“The fool has said in his heart,
'There is no God,'” (Psalm
14:1) but ungodly men are not all atheists, either. There are quite
a few religious ungodly as well. Many even in the church, although
professing Christ, live self-centered lives, practically carrying out
their life choices as though God had no say in them. These are those
Christians who claim the saving grace of Jesus, but would prefer to
do without His lordship over their lives. Jesus is both our Saviour
and Lord if we have truly trusted in Him for salvation, but we will
not practically experience the “blessedness” of this reality in
our daily life until we surrender to His Lordship. There is a sign on
a lawn on Craigflower Road that says, “Elect Jesus Lord”, which although well intentioned, is not quite right. He is not elected;
He already is Lord, and furthermore, He is your
Lord if you are a Christian. Its a package deal, whether you were
aware of it or not! Jesus' lordship is not a matter of salvation, but
surrender. If Jesus is your Lord and Saviour, allow Him to be the
Lord of your life in practice, leading and guiding you in all you do.
Blessed, or “Happy are the people who are in such a
state; happy are the people whose God is the Lord.”
(Psalm 144:15)
"But his delight is in the law of
the LORD, and in His law he meditates day and night.”
(verse 2)
This is the crux
of the whole psalm. Beginning in verse one with, “Blessed is the
man who...” does NOT, it is then followed in verse two by what he
does DO. He delights in God's written Word, the Bible. It is called
the “law” here, because at the time this was written, around 1000
BC, the Scriptures were largely and most prominently comprised of
Moses' edited works, known as the Pentateuch, Torah, or Law. Today,
our Scriptures include much more inspired writings, including this
very psalm! Not only does this man, here described, love God's Word,
but he immerses himself in it constantly. Day and night, he reads it
and thinks on it at every opportunity. It is his delight, his
greatest pleasure and happiness.
Contrast this blessed man with the unhappy godless, sinner, or atheist. Where, by implication, does this happy man walk? In the counsel of the Word of God. And where does he stand? In the path of righteousness. (Psalm 23:3) And too, where does he sit? In the seat of the wise. (Prov. 9:14) All these are found in God's Word. To “meditate” means to literally, “chew the cud”, like a cow who chews and swallows a mouthful of grass, only to later regurgitate and chew it again. Meditation on God's Word happens when we read and take to heart a verse or portion of scripture, and continually think on it through the day, applying it to our lives personally. James 1:22 says, “But be doers of the Word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.”
To read God's Word, agree with its value, but to neglect to apply it to in our own lives is to miss the heart and power of the Scriptures. To dwell on God's Word is what is the defining factor in the life of a godly man; he lives in light of God's existence and involvement in his life, and as such, spends much of his time seeking God in His Word. Hebrews 11:6 describes such a man, “[he] must believe that God is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” The blessed man lives in light of the existence of a loving, powerful God, and delights to seek Him daily in His Word.
Contrast this blessed man with the unhappy godless, sinner, or atheist. Where, by implication, does this happy man walk? In the counsel of the Word of God. And where does he stand? In the path of righteousness. (Psalm 23:3) And too, where does he sit? In the seat of the wise. (Prov. 9:14) All these are found in God's Word. To “meditate” means to literally, “chew the cud”, like a cow who chews and swallows a mouthful of grass, only to later regurgitate and chew it again. Meditation on God's Word happens when we read and take to heart a verse or portion of scripture, and continually think on it through the day, applying it to our lives personally. James 1:22 says, “But be doers of the Word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.”
To read God's Word, agree with its value, but to neglect to apply it to in our own lives is to miss the heart and power of the Scriptures. To dwell on God's Word is what is the defining factor in the life of a godly man; he lives in light of God's existence and involvement in his life, and as such, spends much of his time seeking God in His Word. Hebrews 11:6 describes such a man, “[he] must believe that God is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” The blessed man lives in light of the existence of a loving, powerful God, and delights to seek Him daily in His Word.
"He shall be like a tree planted
by the rivers of water, that brings forth it's fruit in it's season,
whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall
prosper.” (verse 3)
The
man who is immersed daily in the Word of God is here likened to a
river-side tree. The picture is of a strong tree, full of vitality,
because of the constant supply of water to its underground root
system. This tree will survive all manner of weather and hardship due
to it's ideal location near an ever fresh living water source. The
typology is clear; God's Word is like the life giving waters that
will give constant strength to the one who dwells in them. The tree
is described as a seasonal fruit tree that produces fruit at the
proper time. Ecclesiastes 3:1 says, “To everything there
is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven.”
Many have begun a course of regular Bible study only to give up after
while, claiming that they weren't “getting anything out of it.”
If that is your story, you simply gave up too soon! The Word of God
is like a seed that takes time to germinate, sprout, and take root
before you even see it above the surface. Then it may take anywhere
from months to years before you will see it's first fruits. (See
Matthew 13) A coffee plant, for instance, will not produce it's unique fruit until
the little tree is four years old! God in Isaiah 55:11 declared, “So
shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return
to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall
prosper in the thing for which I sent it.”
God's Word will always bear fruit, but it is fruit that is born in season; do not become discouraged in your faith if your progress seems slow! God is doing the work underground, and in His perfect timing, He will cause your fruit to be seen. Fruit is not laboured for; it grows by the simple reason of it being part of a healthy tree. If you are in the Word of God regularly, you will bear fruit in season. The tree also is an evergreen, by the way! How many fruit trees do you know of that are not deciduous, (“whose leaf shall not wither”)? After contemplating this, I recalled Psalm 92:12, “The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree.” Perhaps this is the fruitful riverside tree the psalmist was envisioning! Whatever the case, the man who delights in the Word of God and meditates in it day and night will be as healthy and prosperous as this riverside fruit tree.
God's Word will always bear fruit, but it is fruit that is born in season; do not become discouraged in your faith if your progress seems slow! God is doing the work underground, and in His perfect timing, He will cause your fruit to be seen. Fruit is not laboured for; it grows by the simple reason of it being part of a healthy tree. If you are in the Word of God regularly, you will bear fruit in season. The tree also is an evergreen, by the way! How many fruit trees do you know of that are not deciduous, (“whose leaf shall not wither”)? After contemplating this, I recalled Psalm 92:12, “The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree.” Perhaps this is the fruitful riverside tree the psalmist was envisioning! Whatever the case, the man who delights in the Word of God and meditates in it day and night will be as healthy and prosperous as this riverside fruit tree.
"The ungodly are not so, but are
like the chaff which the wind drives away. Therefore the ungodly
shall not stand in the Judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of
the righteous.” (verses 4,5)
An interesting
comparison between the ungodly and godly is made here in these
verses. While the righteous are depicted as an evergreen tree,
perhaps a palm tree, the wicked are depicted as the waste roughage
that once encased the grain. When threshing wheat, barley, or flax,
they would seek to separate the nutritious grain berry from the
fibrous stalk and head that covered it. Once successfully threshed,
the grains would be saved and stored away for cooking and the
remaining “chaff” would be blown away by the breeze and it's large
stalks carried off in great piles to be burned. The implication is
that the ungodly, no matter how tall they grew in this life, would still be cut
down and cast away in the end.
The final Judgment, at which point all the dead will be raised in new bodies to stand before God, is the time frame of which the psalmist speaks. The ungodly, the sinners, and the scorners all will stand before the God they refused to think about, know, or worship, and sadly, they will not be able to stand. Jesus died for the sins of all mankind, and offers a free pardon to anyone who would simply trust in His sacrifice. The tragedy of Psalm 1:4-6 is that, because of Jesus Christ, not even one need perish at the Judgment! Yet, many will, simply because they would rather live as though God did not exist.
The final Judgment, at which point all the dead will be raised in new bodies to stand before God, is the time frame of which the psalmist speaks. The ungodly, the sinners, and the scorners all will stand before the God they refused to think about, know, or worship, and sadly, they will not be able to stand. Jesus died for the sins of all mankind, and offers a free pardon to anyone who would simply trust in His sacrifice. The tragedy of Psalm 1:4-6 is that, because of Jesus Christ, not even one need perish at the Judgment! Yet, many will, simply because they would rather live as though God did not exist.
"For the LORD knows the way of the
righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall perish.”
(verse 6)
God
is intimately involved in the lives of all who would but trust in
Him, and desires that none should perish, but have eternal life.
“The Lord ... is long suffering toward us, not willing that any
should perish but that all should come to repentance.”
(2 Peter 3:9) God cares so much that He came to earth as a man to
provide a way for all to be saved in the Judgment. He Himself bore our
sins and died in our place, justifying the wrath of God. Now, anyone
who simply receives His pardon in faith is spared His Judgment. God
never punishes twice. "For God so loved the world that
He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should
not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)
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