Untitled Sermon (2)

Blessings and Cursings

The word “Psalms” is also called “the Psalter.” It comes from the word psallo which means “to play an instrument.” They are intended to be accompanied by musical instruments. The book of Psalms is the largest book in the Scriptures with 150 chapters. The key phrase that runs through it like a cool creek in a mountain valley is “Praise the Lord.” The word “praise” is used over 150 times.

The book of Psalms begins with blessings, “Blessed is the man …” In the Hebrew text this word is a plural noun, ashrey, that reads “Blessings.” A more accurate reading would say, “Blessings are to the man.…” This word shows the intensity of God’s blessings and their abundance. The truth is “God pours His blessings out upon us in the plural, not the singular. Amen! His blessings are many. There are so many that we need to count them. Have you taken time to count your blessings of health, shelter, food, electricity, water, air, strength, seeing, hearing, walking, smelling, touching, talking, your Bible, friends, family, a good church, your pastor? Beloved, we have so much to be thankful for.

Ps 1 This psalm, which introduces the entire collection in the book of Ps by describing the type of person who reads and uses them, belongs more to the category of “wisdom” than to that of the hymns and prayers that make up most of the book. Wisdom literature is concerned with the conflicting lifestyles of believers and unbelievers, emphasizing that only divine judgment will end the inequity of life and bring reward to the righteous.

There is a lot of emphasis on the positive these days. God begins the book of Psalms emphasizing the negative or the power of negative thinking. The “blessed” man does NOT do certain things and go to certain places. He is careful of the direction he goes, how he spends his leisure time, and of the company he keeps, for a man is known by the company he keeps many times. We will note his stride, stand, and seat. As we look at these three areas, we will note several triplets which actually show man’s downward slide or progression into sin. We will see how he goes from the shallow depths of sin to drowning in addiction and adamant hate toward God. The triplets are: * walketh, standeth, sitteth * counsel, way, seat * the ungodly, sinners, scornful These are three levels of “departure” from God by conforming to this world. They are levels which a godly man avoids. The Bible makes it clear that we are to shun evil in our lives. * 1 John 2:15–17.… Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. [16] For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. [17] And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever. These three levels draw attention to the realms of thinking, behaving, belonging and of attitudes, actions, and abiding allegiance. Let’s look at them in detail.

Everyone wants to be blessed, but we should define what that means. For many people, being blessed refers to stuff acquired. Yet, one can have an abundance of stuff and be miserable. So, put simply, blessing is the God-given capacity to experience, enjoy, and extend the goodness and favor of God in your life—whatever form God’s goodness and favor takes. Paul confesses, “I know both how to make do with little, and I know how to make do with a lot. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being content—whether well fed or hungry, whether in abundance or in need. I am able to do all things through him who strengthens me” (Phil 4:12–13). In other words, he had learned to enjoy God’s heavenly goodness regardless of his earthly circumstances.

Interestingly, the psalmist explains what the blessed / happy person does not do. First, he does not walk in the advice of the wicked. The biblical metaphor of “walking” refers to how one lives. The fastest way to miss your blessing is to take counsel from those who have no regard for God’s view on life. Second, he does not stand in the pathway with sinners. The blessed person does not hang out with people who will influence him toward sin and away from God. Third, he does not sit in the company of mockers. Mockers make light of serious things, sitting in judgment of everyone and everything. Yet, they fail to allow their critical gaze to turn back to themselves. Notice the progression: walking, standing, sitting. The one who is regularly influenced by people with little regard for God finds himself more and more at home with human viewpoints and misses God’s blessings.

1:2 What does the blessed person do? He delights in the Lord’s instruction. To delight in something is to find your joy and pleasure in it. The blessed man or woman finds this in God’s Word, meditating on it day and night. To this, someone may object, “I have a job and a family. I don’t have time to read the Bible day and night!” But, the psalmist doesn’t say the blessed person reads God’s instruction day and night; he says he meditates on it. To meditate on something is to recall, ponder, and interact with it in the mind. When we meditate on God’s Word, we mentally chew on it until it becomes a part of us. This, in fact, is why consuming God’s Word is often spoken of in terms of eating:

1:2 What does the blessed person do? He delights in the Lord’s instruction. To delight in something is to find your joy and pleasure in it. The blessed man or woman finds this in God’s Word, meditating on it day and night. To this, someone may object, “I have a job and a family. I don’t have time to read the Bible day and night!” But, the psalmist doesn’t say the blessed person reads God’s instruction day and night; he says he meditates on it. To meditate on something is to recall, ponder, and interact with it in the mind. When we meditate on God’s Word, we mentally chew on it until it becomes a part of us. This, in fact, is why consuming God’s Word is often spoken of in terms of eating:

When we meditate on the Word of God, we think about how it connects to life. We ask ourselves, “How does the Word speak to the circumstances I am currently facing?” The gap between hearing the Word and being blessed is closed with meditation. Considering life from the divine viewpoint

1:3 The blessed person is like a tree planted beside flowing streams. Such trees are not easily swayed; they hold their ground. The “flowing streams” in view are irrigation channels, so regardless of how barren the weather, such a tree is positioned to drink from a continuous source of life. That the tree bears its fruit in its season indicates that the blessed person is productive, maximizing his potential. Importantly, fruit reveals something about the quality of the tree that bears it. If you’re not bearing worthwhile fruit, then, it’s because there’s nothing worthwhile inside of you. Moreover, trees don’t eat their own fruit; the fruit exists for the benefit of others. Thus, you know that you’re blessed when you are being a blessing.

That the leaf does not wither doesn’t mean that a blessed person never has negative experiences. Rather, the negative things don’t cause him to wither and die. You know you’re blessed when you bounce back from life’s trials more quickly than you once did.

1:4 The psalmist contrasted the fruitful life of the righteous one who is blessed by God with the worthless life of the wicked. Instead of being like mighty and stable trees, the wicked are like chaff that the wind blows away.