Who Are You Listening To

Psalm 1

Verse 1

Blessed

Is the word that not only begins this psalm, but in it lies the essence of what is promised to those who read and meditate on all the psalms. In the Hebrew it is plural (blessings) and is equivalent to the Greek word for “blessed” or “happy” (Matt. 5:3).

Walks-Stands-Sits

The influence one allows others to have determines to a large extent one’s spiritual destiny. The

walks-stands-sits seems to suggest a progression of influence that results from initially turning one’s attention in this wrong direction.

Verse 2

Engage in the Word of God Constantly

If the child of God can “pray without ceasing” (1 Thess. 5:17) and “thank God without ceasing” (1 Thess. 2:13), then it is also possible to meditate day and night on God’s truths. This suggests a constant state of communion and fellowship with God.

Study and think deeply about the Bible regu- larly. Delight in Scripture; it will teach you who

God is and guide you in the decisions of life.

Verse 3

Fruitfulness and prosperity are the resulting blessing of the Lord upon the person described in the first three verses.

Verse 4-5

The Ungodly

Unstable - Chaff, the empty husks of grain, has no weighty substance to stabilize it, but is easily blown by winds of adversity.

Found guilty in the judgment. Shall not stand, will be forced to kneel to receive the verdict of their judgment. In ancient times not even allowed to look upon the King as judgment is rendered.

Not able to associate or be included with those who are found right before God.

(Quote the lyrics to “When the Saints go marching in”)

Verse 6

SITUATION

Life offers two roads to travel—the way of the righteous or the way of the wicked. God provides, protects, and nourishes the righteous.

OBSERVATION

Follow the faithful road. God’s rewards supersede the benefits of the wicked. He can give you peace so that you can lay down and sleep and awake refreshed and sustained.

INSPIRATION

In August of 1930, forty-five-year-old Joseph Crater waved good-bye to friends after an evening meal in a New York restaurant, flagged down a taxi, and rode off. He was never seen or heard from again. . . .

A search of his apartment revealed one clue. It was a note attached to a check, and both were left for his wife. The check was for a sizable amount and the note simply read, “I am very weary. Love, Joe.”

The note could have been nothing more than a thought at the end of a hard day. Or it could have meant a great deal more—the epitaph of a despairing man.

Weariness is tough. I don’t mean the physical weariness that comes with mowing the lawn, or the mental weariness that follows a hard day of decisions and thinking. No, the weariness that attacked Judge Crater is much worse. It’s the weariness that comes just before you give up. That feeling of honest desperation. It’s the dispirited father, the abandoned child, or the retiree with time on his hands. It’s that stage in life when motivation disappears; the children grow up, a job is lost, a wife dies. The result is weariness—deep, lonely, frustrated weariness.

Only one man in history has claimed to have an answer for it. He stands before all the Joseph Craters of the world with the same promise: “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). (From On the Anvil by Max Lucado)

APPLICATION

God has set before you two choices. If you want the Lord to protect you, provide for you, and nourish you, why pursue the path that leads to judgment? Consider the path you now are on. Are you weary, despairing? God wants to give you His peace. What changes, if any, do you need to make in order to get back on the right track?

Psalm 1 Capsulized

Do not take ungodly advice, stay away from activities that lead to sin and do not become cynical. Instead, enjoy God’s ways, and set your heart on God’s Word.