Sermon Tone Analysis
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Introduction
For our Bible reading this year, we are going to be reading through the book of Psalms, and I’m excited.
Someone may ask, “why the psalms?”
Here’s why: The psalms are timeless.
No matter where you are in life, there is something in the psalms for you.
If you are seeking wisdom and answers from God, there are psalms for you.
If you want to express your deep affection for God, there are psalms for you.
If you are in awe of his attributes and works, there are psalms for you.
If you are lamenting loss or abandonment, there are psalms for you.
If you are suffering injustice or the betrayal of a friend, there are psalms for you.
The Psalms are timeless.
They take us on a journey, and as they guide us, we experience all of the emotions that God has blessed us with.
As we go through this journey, we are going to learn more about our God and more about ourselves.
I’m excited that we can take this journey together, and it all begins in Psalm 1-2.
We are trees.
Psalm 1.
If we want to understand this psalm better, then we need to understand that we are trees.
This is made explicit when the psalmist (likely David) writes about the righteous.
Psalm 1:1-3.
The wicked are like trees
The righteous are like trees, but did you notice that the unrighteous are described as trees as well?
Psalm 1:1.
Did you notice the progression?
The unrighteous person walks, then stops and stands, and then finally sits.
The psalmist is describing the person who sinks deeper and deeper into wickedness.
In other words, this is a person who becomes rooted in unrighteousness.
The psalmist is trying to teach that if we stay with the world long enough, then we become rooted in the world.
So, the unrighteous person is like a tree who becomes rooted in wickedness.
Rooted in Wickedness - Judges
This is something that we see in the Bible story.
We see it especially in the book of Judges.
Compare the beginning of Judges with what we see later on in the book.
Judges 1:1.
The book of Judges opens with so much promise.
At the start of the book, the Israelites go to the Lord to ask about taking the land, and they listen to the Lord.
They do what the Lord wants them to do.
But later on in the book, we see a completely different Israel.
Judges 2:1-5.
The people described in this verse don’t look like the people that we saw at the beginning of the book.
God complains that these people aren’t obeying him, but it get’s worse
Judges 2:6-10.
It doesn’t take very long.
How long did it take for the Israelites to go from a God-fearing nation to faithless nation?
It took one generation
So, as we read through the book of judges, we are forced to ask, “what happened?”
The answer is they got rooted.
They were rooted in Canaanite culture, and started living just like them.
Deuteronomy 7:1-5.
What did God want the Israelites to do? God wanted the Israelites to destroy the Canaanites and drive them all away from the land.
Did the Israelites do this?
Judges 1:17-19.
In verse 17, we see that the people of Judah are doing exactly what God wanted them to do, but verses 18-19 are confusing.
The text says that God was with them, but if God was with them, why couldn’t they drive out the people.
We know that it’s not because of God… It’s because of their own fear.
So, they fail to do what God wants them to do.
Judges 1:27-33.
Do you see a recurring phrase?
“They did not drive out…” Instead of driving out the Canaanites, they choose to live with them.
What’s the result of this?
They become rooted.
Judges 1:27-33.
Notice the change in language.
The language changes from “the Canaanites lived among them” to “they lived among the Canaanites.”
Why does the language change?
The author wants us to see that the Israelites have become Canaanites.
They are rooted.
So, the psalmist wants us to see that the wicked are like trees.
They walk, then they stand, and then they sit… They become rooted in their wicked lifestyle.
Application
How can I apply this?
The best time to repent is today.
Tomorrow may come, but I might be so rooted in my wicked lifestyle that I won’t see the way out anymore.
The Righteous Are Like Trees
On the other hand, the righteous are like trees as well.
They become rooted in something as well.
The righteous are rooted in God’s word, and ultimately in God himself.
Psalm 1:1-2.
They meditate day and night on God’s word, but why? It’s because that is where their delight is found.
Side note: Psalm 1:4.
The wicked are not like this.
Do the wicked delight in God’s word?
Do the wicked meditate on God’s word day and night?
So, I need to ask myself.
Am I meditating on God’s word day and night?
If not, then what camp do I belong to?
What is the result of the righteous man being rooted in God’s word?
Psalm 1:3.
Where is the only place where trees grew and never withered?
The Garden of Eden.
In the garden, there was no death, because God was there.
God is life.
So, the righteous man is not only rooted in the word.
The righteous man is rooted in God.
Through God’s life-giving presence, this man will have life.
So, the first psalm presents two different men.
One man is rooted in God and his word and receives life.
The other man is rooted with the wicked and withers away.
We must be rooted in Christ.
As we finish the first psalm, we ask ourselves… who is the righteous man?
The first psalm describes the righteous man as the one who shapes his life according to God’s word.
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