Blessed is the Man: Psalm 1:1-6

Intro:

Thank you for your prayers and concerns as I was away last weekend at the Funeral for my Nana (Dad’s mom) in Maine.

The saga continued, with the trailer

Growth Group opportunities

Background to Psalms

“Psalms”- Book of praises

All the Psalms progress beyond petition and lament into Praise of God.

Different Genres: Religious lyric poetry, evocative language, meter, parallelism, style, music and melody, etc

“Hymnal of the Temple”- celebrate the ordinances of the sanctuary and the priviledge of drawing near to God. “Soundtrack of Redemption”

Psalm 1 is a wisdom Psalm, it is the “gate-keeper” to the rest of the Psalms

Proverbs 9 goes along well with this intoroduction to the way of righteousness

Read it on the power point

Outline:

Delight: “Blessed is the man” (vs. 1-3)

Destruction: “The Wicked are Not So” (vs. 4-6)

Summary:

Prayer:

Delight: “Blessed is the Man” (vs. 1-3)

Position of the Heart (v. 1): Verb, Noun, Adjective

Blessed (“as-re”, noun) is the man (sg)- “Happy”, wow, the first word of this book has a direct connection to human emotions! Not only that, but it sounds like the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount by Jesus

who walks (verb) not- behaviour, to live or behave in a specific manner

in the counsel (noun)- advice

of the wicked “rsa-im” (adjective)- those who do not acknowledge God or His authority in their lives.

Nor stands (verb) - respectfully before, to hold one’s ground; maintain a position

in the way (noun)- road, journey, conduct

of sinners (adjective)- a person who has disobeyed any divine command or neglected any duty (intnentionally or unintentionally).

Nor sits (verb)

in the seat (Noun)- period of residence, dwelling place, a space reserved for sitting

of scoffers (Adjective)- mocker, someone who jeers, or treates something with contempt, calls out in derision.

Did you see the progression from a casual walk by, to all in collusion?

Also, God’s Word describes happiness more in light of what company is not kept, not the possessions acquired.

Passion of the Heart (v. 2)

But- Contrast, the Psalms are going to do this over and over, it is called parallelism.

His delight- “hep-so”, noun, joy, wish, a feeling of extreme pleasure or satisfaction

is in…what does the text say... the law (“to-rah”) of the Lord- the direction and instructions, a collection, a whole collected body of law; sometimes one or more of the five books of Moses and other times simply an unspecified set of laws.

and on his law (“to-rah”) he meditates- “yeh-geh” imperfect, verb, coo, growl, mutter, to reflect deeply on a subject

day- the time after sunrise and before sunset, while it is light outside.

and night- the time after sunset and before sunrise, while it is dark outside.

He has a desire to do this in order to find direction

No matter what shift you work, or when you are awake.

“Delight”- yet another description of the emotions

Planted Prosperity (v. 3)

He is like a tree- trees don’t move, they have no mobility (Jer. 17:6, Luke 6:43-45)

planted by streams of water- put into the ground

that yields (imperfect) its fruit in its season

and its leaf does not wither (imperfect)- I learned the other day that the leaves turn because of the amount of exposure to the Sun. When the days get shorter, that is their sign to get ready for winter. Same is true with the “S-O-N”.

in all that he does (imperfect), he prospers (imperfect)- to make steady favourable progress or success,

Psalm 37:7 “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices!”

Wow, this is quite the claim!

Application/Implications:

Renew the Mind (the Scriptures):

What caught your attention in this section?

Which verses or words would you like to study a little more this week?

Engage the Heart (humility vs. pride):

Some form of visual with walking, standing, sitting. The idea of walking by a tv screen, something in the mall, or an action taking place, then being captivated by it, then staying and supporting. Can any of us say that we are wise by these standards? Can any of us say we have never walked this path, taken this counsel, or vocally spoken against God and His wisdom? The reality is that this is where we all start! From the beginning Satan has been putting together a counterfit for ever

Where do you go to find feelings of extreme pleasure and satisfaction, or to confirm that you are on the right path making the right decisions?

What is your go to song these days? On the news in the morning they sometimes share the top #3 songs that Canada is listening to.

Enlist the Body (Words, actions, emotions):

What has you walking, standing, and sitting these days? What has caputred you imagination, stroked your affections, or peeked your interest?

As you and I go through life, we are looking for something worth stopping for. Think of a Toddler, he will go and go until something big enough, loud enough, shinny enough, catches his attention. Then he sits for 5 min before moving on to the next thing. We may have grown physically from being a toddler, but our hearts still function the same way.

Where in God’s word do you go in order to plant yourself so that you yeild fruit (continually) and prosper (continually) in the areas of: goal in life, finances, marriage, parenting, sex, the mood swings of our culture, etc? Not being planted in the Word of God means that you will continually be walking, standing, and sitting in the suggestions of something or someone else. What will it look like to delight in the Law of the LORD this week?

Transitional phrase: What songs in you live invoke a desire to be happy, or talk about a road that doesn’t lead to where you thought? What about songs that promise prosperity or success? What are you listening to these days that catching your eyes, informing the rehearsal of your mind, and conforming the desires of your heart? The one who is blessed finds these things in the Word of God.

Destruction: “The Wicked are Not So” (vs. 4-6)

Chaff (v. 4)

The wicked (“rsa-im”)- same word as before, someone who is characterized by wickeness and godlessness

are not so- not like the tree that doesn’t move, but continually yeilds, and does not wither.

but are like

chaff- worthless husk material that surrounds the ripe seed of a plant, corn husks, cut grass,

that the wind drives away- air moving sends them away causing them to go in different directions.

Blow into your hand. Pretend that you have crumpled something and then blow.

Congregate (v. 5)

Therefore- in light of the difference between the two

the wicked (“rsa-im”), adjective- same word as before

will not stand (verb)- imperfect, be upright

in the judgment (noun)-the act of judging or assessing a person, situation, or event

Nor sinners (adjective) in the congregation (noun) of the righteous (adjective)

Condemned (v. 6)

for the LORD knows- Stop right there, say, “The LORD knows”... The author is going to point out the only two ways of life...

the way-road, journey course of conduct

of the righteous (adjective)- road, journey course of conduct

But

the way

of the wicked (adjective)

will perish- imperfect, will continually get lost, go astray, destroy

Application/Implications:

Renew the Mind (the Scriptures):

What caught your attention in this section?

Which verses or words would you like to study a little more this week?

Engage the Heart (humility vs. pride):

Now, lest we all hear this, me included and think, “I can do that! I can plant myself by the rivers, I can walk the path of righteousness, I can avoid the counsel of the wicked, etc.” The reality is that we all walk in the counsel of the wicked, we all stand in the way of sinners, we all sit and scoff at God and His instruction!

Everything in this life will crumble and decay. Even our bodies. I was at my Nana’s funeral last week. She was cremated. If we were to take her ashes and throw them to the wind, what would happen? Blown away.

How are you known to the Lord today? You see that is what the judgment seat is all about, not what did you do, but how were you known.

Enlist the Body (Words, actions, emotions):

We are in September, a month of course corrections, routines, and priorities. How is what you have heard challenging you to Delight in the Law of God this Fall? Well, what about consistency to our services, dedication to our growth groups, and seeking to serve?

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Transitional phrase:

Discussion Questions

Summary

Song: Living hope

Benediction/Looking ahead: INVITE PEOPLE TO THE CAFE

PRAY FOR THE FOOD- pizza to follow

Discussion questions

Worship- Renew the Mind (Scripture)

What passage of Scripture did we look at? Summarize it in your own words.

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Grow- Engage the Heart (Conversation)

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Serve- Enlist the Body (Action)

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