Abiding: The Word of Life

Introduction

What gives you life?

By that I suppose I mean what makes you happy, but even more so what brings fulfillment and satisfaction to your life?

Do you feel fulfilled?

These are questions I wonder if we ever think about?

We are an activity based culture, being busy and productive is what we value.

But does that actually bring life?

I think it’s important for us to take time to think about these things?

Because we aren’t always aware of our what or why.

To discover whether the things we pursue actually bring fulfillment.

Psalm 1 challenges us to consider these things

Psalms - Hebrew Poetry - Part of the writings including Proverbs

Hebrew poetry often uses parallelism (contrast)

Psalm 1 is a wisdom psalm

And so it contrasts two ways of living and or ways to seek being human

I. The Principle of Life

Contrast: wicked and Righteous, counsel, way, seat of the wicked vs law of the Lord, life that prospers vs life that is lost(perishes), tree and chaff

And so here is the principle of life that the psalm sets out:

A life centered around God’s wisdom and instruction leads to life (blessed), a life centered around wickedness will lead to death.

Psalm one defines this as counsel of the wicked (those who have good and evil mixed up), way of the sinner (behaviour contrary to God’s mark), seat of the scoffer (stuck in negativity and being jaded).

These are also a progression that we can walk through - counsel (listening and considering), way (following their practices), seat (stuck in their patterns)

and the contrast is a person who delights in God’s wisdom and instruction

We see this in the first 3 chapters of Genesis

Image: Tree of life vs the tree of the knowledge

We do have to acknowledge, as with the rest of the wisdom principles in Scripture, that in a fallen world we don’t always see it work out this way

The rest of the psalms I believe are the reponses of the authors and songs and prayers of Israel as they grapple with that reality

Vs 5-6 give us the basic promise that we need to hold on to

Trust God

II. The Promise of Life

Or put another way leave it up to God he will work it out in the end.

read vs 5-6

Paul says it this way

Romans 12:19 ESV

Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”

But rather

Romans 12:20–21 ESV

To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

We can only follow this if we believe the first part and therefore trust God

Maybe we won’t see it now but in the end

So we don’t seek our counsel and ways from those contrary to God, and we don’t become consumed with their wickedness, even when it affects us because these do not bring life, blessedness.

Rather, we are to “delight in the law of the Lord”

delight - feeling of extreme pleasure or satisfaction

Psalm 119:97–104 ESV

Oh how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day. Your commandment makes me wiser than my enemies, for it is ever with me. I have more understanding than all my teachers, for your testimonies are my meditation. I understand more than the aged, for I keep your precepts. I hold back my feet from every evil way, in order to keep your word. I do not turn aside from your rules, for you have taught me. How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! Through your precepts I get understanding; therefore I hate every false way.

And so the Lord invites us to “taste and see”

Psalm 34:8 ESV

Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!

III. The Way to Life

Here’s the thing, until we’ve tasted it we don’t really know

Kid’s and food - “You don’t know until you’ve tried it”

But we can become determined to not even try

But the Psalm challenges with to become filled with true life and bear fruit

We abide then by meditating on God’s wisdom and instructions

meditates, ruminates - (think deeply, chew the cud)

meditate - Tim Mackie “haga - to quietly recite the words of Scripture aloud or in your mind as a way to focus your attention so that these words become a part of you.”

Day and night - haga is in the imperfect aspect - habitual action, actions in progress or a completed action with on going results.

Here’s how I have seen play out in my life -

Begins I shouldn’t do that

I don’t want to do that

I can’t do that - this doesn’t mean we don’t fall into it but we move from guilt to grace and desperation for God that turns us back.

So let’s talk practically on how we can read and meditate on God’s word

We have to realize that having been written at different times, cultures and languages brings a challenge to us.

Modern english translations are seeking to give the best translation for us but can’t always convey exactly.

Therefore we need to to a bit of work

Ask questions

Look for repetition

Helps

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Conclusion