Psalms: The Tree, Root, Food, and Fruit

1 Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; 2 but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. 3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. 4 The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. 5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; 6 for the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.

May God Bless the Reading of His Holy, Infallible, and sufficient Word

Let’s Pray

Transition

The Bible uses the metaphor of trees often

Body

He is like a tree

Psalm 1:3 ESV

3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.

“The Psalmist here illustrates, and, at the same time, confirms by a metaphor, the statement made in the preceding verse; for he shows in what respect those who fear God are to be accounted happy, namely, not because they enjoy an evanescent and empty gladness, but because they are in a desirable condition. There is in the words an implied contrast between the vigour of a tree planted in a situation well watered, and the decayed appearance of one which, although it may flourish beautifully for a time, yet soon withers on account of the barrenness of the soil in which it is placed. With respect to the ungodly, as we shall afterwards see, (Ps. 37:35,) they are sometimes like “the cedars of Lebanon.” They have such an overflowing abundance of wealth and honours, that nothing seems wanting to their present happiness. But however high they may be raised, and however far and wide they may spread their branches, yet having no root in the ground, nor even a sufficiency of moisture from which they may derive nourishment, the whole of their beauty by and by disappears, and withers away.” [1]

Calvin hits at the heart of the mater, in this image we are to understand that though for a time, a season, the righteous may seem fruitless and the wicked seem prosperous, the end of the later always will be that the wicked parish and the righteous prosper.

More on what it means to prosper at the end of the verse. Right now we need to focus in on the use of this imagery of a tree.

Turn to Matthew 3, Matthew 3 4 -10 Matthew 3 4 -10 .

There are a lot of places in scripture the picture of a tree is used, In Psalm 1 we are show an picture of a tree contrasted with the chaff.

In Matthew the John the Baptizer use the imagery of trees again but this time he compares trees to trees.

Matthew 3:4–10 ESV

4 Now John wore a garment of camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. 5 Then Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region about the Jordan were going out to him, 6 and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. 7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Bear fruit in keeping with repentance. 9 And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. 10 Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

It does not mater your station, the Pharisees and Sadducees where the ruling class of one of the richest nations in the world at the time.

We have covered this before, “Josephus describes the Temple façade as covered with ‘massive plates of gold’ and writes that a large golden vine hung with golden fruit above the large door leading to the inner sanctum.” [2]

Some have estimate like 90.000 tons of Gold was in the temple.

The point is not the number the point is there was a lot of it.

your lineage does not count, these “Pharisees and Sadducees” prided themselves on being children of Abraham.

What should have humbled them, The Almighty God was a Friend to their for father Abraham, instead became an idol to them.

Well John Calvin said, “From this we may gather that man’s nature, so to speak, is a perpetual factory of idols.” [3]

The things that should make us humble puff us up.

That is why the Psalmist said, don't sit with the scorner, run from pride!

“Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”

You can bare fruit all day long but if it is not good fruit, fruit in keeping with repentance the Axe and the fire wait.

I heard is said well this week, “We are saved by grace, through faith, and a faith without works in dead.”

RC Sproul said in his book, Grace Unknown: The Heart of Reformed Theology “At issue here is the question of genuine faith. The Reformers taught that “justification is by faith alone, but not by a faith that is alone.” True faith is never alone. It always manifests itself in works. Works that flow out of faith, however, are in no way the ground of our justification. They contribute nothing of merit before God. The only ground or basis of our justification is the merit of Christ.” [4]

A faith God give always, always, always produce fruit in keeping with repentance, so much so that the Baptizer named John said, I am not going to baptize you, I am not going to acknowledge your repentance unless the works of repentance are there.

Those that do poses this faith do so because they have a tree keeper, who will feed, and prune, and tend and grow that tree.

Transition

So what are these good fruits in keeping with repentance? That what is says there in Psalm 1:3, He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season

Fruit Season

Psalm 1:3 ESV

3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.

These fruits are listed and we had already talked of them, not walking in the counsel of the Wicked, not standing in the way of sinner, not sitting with the scornful, but rather delighting in the law of the lord every day and night.

The “in its season” part of that statement I take to mean that the Christians actions when guided by the word of God will be seasonable. They will actions appropriate to the circumstances.

Simal Justes Et Pecator, acting as those we are justified and sinners at all time.

Transition

The last part of the sentence “its leaf does not wither.” There is no winter for this tree.

Leaf Does Not Wither

Psalm 1:3 ESV

3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.

In Iowa we have very good a 5 to 7 month growing season. I have maple trees on my property that are 5 foot think, but their leave defiantly wither.

There is no winter for the one that is daily and nightly delighting in the word.

Mater of fact when it feels like winter brothers and sisters, when it feels like struggle, where there is pain, thats probably the time you are growing the most.

Transition

How could the saint fail to prosper with a growing season like that?

In All That He Does, He Prospers (succeeds)

Psalm 1:3 ESV

3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.

The Hebrew word here means to succeed. [5] We thing or prosper in terms of money,

What did the Psalmist think there.

Temporal blessings, the lesser covenant

Jesus is the greater covenant

Hebrews 8:6–13 ESV

6 But as it is, Christ has obtained a ministry that is as much more excellent than the old as the covenant he mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises. 7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion to look for a second. 8 For he finds fault with them when he says: “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will establish a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, 9 not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt. For they did not continue in my covenant, and so I showed no concern for them, declares the Lord. 10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 11 And they shall not teach, each one his neighbor and each one his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest. 12 For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.” 13 In speaking of a new covenant, he makes the first one obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.

We shouldn’t be surprised that we find our fulfillment in a better way.

The old was come stay, the new is go tell.

The old was do this sacrifice every day every week every year, the new is telitesti it is finished.

A lot more could be and certifiably has been said about this however, I want you to see that we now have the final revelation in Christ and that lets us see more.

What does Prosper look like then?

Every blessing in heavenly places in Christ Jesus

All things work together for God for those…

Jesus the great example said, “ “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” (Mt 8:20, ESV)

“Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities.” (Is 53:10–11, ESV)

In the middle of Grief, in the middle of indescribable anguish it is said of the Lord “Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied” (Is 53:11, ESV)

Conclusion

Oh I wish that my frail tongue had better was of interpreting this beauty to you.

Were you lied to, betrayed, hurt, abused, assaulted.

In Christ you are more then a conqueror

In Christ you you judge Angels,

In Christ you will be seat in heavenly places and enjoy the pleasure of his divine presence forever.

In Christ, the pain, the struggle, even unto death is designed by God for your good.

The good is not an after thought, God is not setting up in heaven saying, oh dear this bad thing happen so now I got to figure out how to make it good.

God, son, daughter, you will go through this, it might seem terrible now, it might hurt a lot, I decreed this for your God, so that you will truly live to each the Chief End for which you were made. To glory God and enjoy him forever.

Everything done by the saint in Christ Jesus succeeds.

Benediction

Numbers 6:24–26 ESV

24 The Lord bless you and keep you; 25 the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; 26 the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.

References

[1] John Calvin and James Anderson, Commentary on the Book of Psalms, vol. 1 (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2010), 5.

[2] https://www.ritmeyer.com/2015/12/14/the-gold-of-the-jerusalem-temple/

[3] John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion & 2, ed. John T. McNeill, trans. Ford Lewis Battles, vol. 1, The Library of Christian Classics (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2011), 108.

[4] R.C. Sproul, Grace Unknown: The Heart of Reformed Theology, electronic ed. (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2000), 70–71.

[5] “The Hebrew word is broader in scope than English “prospers,” which tends to be restricted to finances. The Hebrew word means “succeeds” (Is. 55:11), which fits well with “in all that he does.” (R. C. Sproul, ed., The Reformation Study Bible: English Standard Version (2015 Edition) (Orlando, FL: Reformation Trust, 2015), 832.)

Bibliography

Calvin, John, and James Anderson. Commentary on the Book of Psalms. Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2010.

Calvin, John. Institutes of the Christian Religion & 2. Edited by John T. McNeill. Translated by Ford Lewis Battles. Vol. 1. The Library of Christian Classics. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2011.

Sproul, R. C., ed. The Reformation Study Bible: English Standard Version (2015 Edition). Orlando, FL: Reformation Trust, 2015.

Sproul, R.C. Grace Unknown: The Heart of Reformed Theology. Electronic ed. Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2000.

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