Psalm 1 - The Way of Benediction

Introduction

For a long time in our culture, “ordinary” has gotten a bad rap.

We don’t want ordinary… We want exciting… We want revolutionary… We want extra-ordinary.

Ordinary jobs or careers, ordinary meals, ordinary marriages, ordinary homes, ordinary routines, ordinary churches, ordinary life… all of this seems so boring… so mundane… and… well… ordinary.

I read an article this week by a pastor who compared “the ordinary Christian life” with the “radical Christian life.” He said stuff like:

“The [ordinary] Christian life… seemed like [it made] no difference.”

Christians “are called to live a radical life.”

Christians must “abandon their dreams, possessions, [and] treasures.”

“The time has come for a new kind of conversation [about Christian living], a new kind of reformation, a new kind of discipleship.”

You can hear the repeated refrain opposing anything ordinary… He’s calling for a “new” kind of Christianity that is “radical” (not routine), where Christians “abandon” everything and embrace something new.

This is the vocabulary of American Evangelicalism today, and it has been for (at least) the last few decades. Many churches advertise themselves to the masses by inviting them into something elevating, exciting, and excellent.

And this desire for the new, the epic, and the revolutionary is not just among Christians. This is the sort of marketing we get from every direction – retail stores, weight loss supplements, political campaigns, and investment opportunities… they all promise unprecedented value/success with minimal cost.

Even parenting invites moms and dads into competition and boasting about being better than average. No one puts a bumper sticker on their minivan – “My kid is an ordinary student at Mediocre Elementary.” No, we want everyone to know that our kids are the exceptional students at the best school in town… or (for those of us who are homeschoolers) we want our kids to be able to advance past their grade-level with the best curriculum known to western man.

…Who wants to be an ordinary person, with an ordinary family, in an ordinary house, living in an ordinary town, gathering with an ordinary church, and working an ordinary job…?

And yet, I wonder if all this ordinary might actually sound pretty appealing and refreshing to some of us. Haven’t we come to realize that normal or mundane or routine is (in many cases) better than radical?

In fact, I want to argue this morning that God’s blessing (or His benediction) is upon the ordinary – ordinary believers diligently giving themselves to the ordinary means of grace – these are the folks who experience worthwhile and stable results as they await an unimaginably extra-ordinary destination.

It is true that God sometimes uses unusually gifted or resourced or determined people during exceptional moments of history to forward His plans in the world… but God’s normal practice (the way He usually operates in the world) is to bless ordinary people through ordinary means.

What does it look like to enjoy God’s benediction or His blessing?

How might we think and act so as to live a “blessed” life in this world?

What should we expect in our ordinary lives if we are the kind of people who enjoy God’s blessing and display it in our everyday practices and relationships and experiences?

Today we are beginning a short series through the first five Psalms, and we will see, here in Psalm 1, a divine invitation into the blessed way of life.

May God help us to understand what it means to be “blessed,” and may He help us to commit (everyday) to walk along the way of benediction.

Scripture Reading

Psalm 1:1–6 (ESV)

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.

Main Idea:

The people of God are those who enjoy God’s benediction, and it shows in every area of their ordinary lives.

Sermon

1. God’s Benediction (v1)

God’s benediction (or “blessing”) is upon the “righteous” (v5-6) and not “sinners” or “the wicked” (v1, 4-5), but God’s blessing is only by grace.

Our passage today describes the “blessed…man” (v1).

His actions – he “walks” and “stands” and “sits” this way and not that.

His thoughts – he “delights” and “meditates” on God’s “law.”

His results – he’s a “prosperous” tree, well-supplied, and bearing “fruit.”

His destination – he will not “perish” on the last day, but rather he will “stand” in “the congregation of the righteous.”

Not all the Psalms fit this category, but Ps. 1 is wisdom literature.

The way OT wisdom literature works is by describing the “wise” or “blessed” way or path in contrast to the “foolish” or “condemned” or “cursed” way or path.

The promise and warning are either explicit or implied – “If you think and act wisely or righteously, then you will be blessed, but if you think and act foolishly or wickedly, then you are condemned.”

This sort of offer (i.e., two ways to live) should not be understood as identical to the gospel of Jesus Christ.

And I don’t want to assume that this is obvious to all of us…

There’s a sense in which God’s “blessing” must always be gracious.

Since Genesis 3, no child of Adam has been worthy of God’s blessing.

The Scripture teaches us (in Rom. 5) that “sin came into the world through one man” (i.e., Adam), and “death spread to all men because all sinned” (Rom. 5:12).

Then God’s “judgment followed” Adam’s sin, and God’s “condemnation” was declared over everyone (Rom. 5:16).

Thus, “one trespass led to condemnation for all men” and “by one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners” (Rom. 5:18-19).

We are not only guilty of Adam’s sin (in Adam, we all sinned), but we are also inclined toward sin – we have lived our whole lives with a desire and affection for sin.

Therefore, if anyone is under God’s blessing (and not His curse), then it must be according to God’s grace.

Praise God! In Christ, God does graciously bless sinners.

The Bible teaches us that “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8).

It is not the “righteous” that Christ came to save, but the “ungodly,” the “wicked,” and the “enemies” of God (Rom. 5:6-10).

This is what the Bible means when it tells us that sinners are “saved” by “grace” (Eph. 2:4-8)…

God is “rich in mercy,” and He is the one who graciously initiated the blessing or benediction that sinners don’t deserve (Eph. 2:4).

God lovingly proclaimed a good word of blessing or favor upon sinners “even when [they] were dead in… trespasses” (Eph. 2:5).

It was to show the “immeasurable riches of [God’s] grace in kindness toward us in Christ” that He blessed guilty sinners (instead of cursing them) and “seated” them with Christ (Eph. 2:6-7).

Friends, if we want to enjoy God’s blessing or benediction, then we must first receive it, not by our efforts, but by passively trusting in the efforts or work of God on our behalf – namely through the person and work of Jesus Christ.

Now, from our vantage point (living after Christ has come to graciously reconcile and save sinners), we are able to read this Psalm as an invitation (1) to enjoy God’s blessing (or benediction) through Jesus Christ and (2) also to live as blessed ones – not only resting in God’s gracious blessing (through Christ), but also thinking and acting according to God’s instructions and enjoying the blessing that comes as a result.

As I said, this Psalm acts as a description with an implied invitation – “Choose the blessed path” or “Be the blessed man.”

2. Blessed Actions (v1)

Having received God’s benediction (or blessing) through Christ, what sort of lives ought we to live… how should we act… so that we display God’s blessing?

In short, God pronounces His blessing on His people, and He invites them into the blessed life… the ordinary way of acting (v1) that both displays and results in God’s blessing.

The “blessed…man” is visibly distinct from “the wicked” and “sinners” and “scoffers” by his actions (v1). The psalmist tells us that the “blessed…man” does not “walk” in “the counsel of the wicked,” he does not “stand in the way of sinners,” and he does not “sit in the seat of scoffers” (v1).

Let’s notice the progression of negatives here, and let’s consider how we might (positively) act like “blessed” men and women… enjoying the results of the blessed way of life.

Charles Spurgeon, commenting on this verse, said, “When men are living in sin they go from bad to worse. (1) At first they merely walk in the counsel of the careless and ungodly, who forget God—the evil is rather practical than habitual—(2) but after that, they become habituated to evil, and they stand in the way of open sinners who willfully violate God’s commandments; (3) and if let alone, they go one step further, and become themselves pestilent teachers and tempters of others, and thus they sit in the seat of the scornful. They have taken their degree in vice, and as true Doctors of Damnation they are installed, and are looked up to by others… But the blessed man, the man to whom all the blessings of God belong, can hold no communion with such characters as these.”

The “blessed…man” does not “walk” in “the counsel of the wicked” (v1).

In other words, the one who has received God’s blessing by grace, the one who now lives according to God’s “counsel” or “plan” or “advice” does not “walk” in “the counsel of the wicked” (v1).

Friends, how often do we give our ears to the counsel of the wicked?

When we are tempted to sin, isn’t it because of some false word we’ve heard or some false word we’ve taken to heart?

How easy it is to forget God, to forget His judgment, and to forget His good counsel and instructions for us!

Brothers and sisters, we must remember that the “works of the flesh” are at war with the “fruit of the Spirit”… so we must not “gratify” our sinful desires, but “crucify” them (Gal. 5:18-24).

The “blessed…man” does not “stand in the way of sinners” (v1).

Over time, if we regularly give ourselves over to sinful desires, then we will find ourselves in familiar company, not with saints, but with sinners.

But the Bible teaches us that Christians are not to live this way.

The Scripture says, “What partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? …Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever?” (2 Cor. 6:14-15).

Brothers and sisters, we ought not cut ourselves off completely from sinners around us… indeed we cannot do such a thing.

But so too, if we find that we are sharing more in common with sinners than we have with the Christians in our lives, then we ought to take note… and make a plan to get things in order.

How might we act as “blessed” men and women?

How might we encourage our own growth in righteousness rather than sin?

If we are believing and following Jesus, then our goal is Christ-likeness and genuine fellowship with Christians, not familiarity and fellowship with sinners.

The “blessed…man” does not “sit in the seat of scoffers” (v1).

See now where the cursed path leads – the “wicked” and the “sinner” go from (1) “walking” to (2) “standing” and then to (3) “sitting” in a place of absurd or farcical or ridiculous honor.

“scoffers” are those who mock or ridicule others, and in the context here they are targeting the “blessed…man” who walks in the counsel of the Lord and stands in the way of righteousness.

His seat (the “blessed…man”) is in the congregation of the blessed or the righteous, but theirs (the “scoffers”) is in the assembly of the cursed or the wicked.

And yet, the “scoffers” arrogantly (and ironically) mock those who are living according to the blessed path or way.

C. S. Lewis spoke of what he called “The Inner Ring.”

Every group or family or institution or society has one.

It is that ring of people who are “in the know” or those who “matter” or those who are not ordinary and insignificant.

To be numbered among “The Inner Ring” is not usually an official position, but it comes by way of saying the right words, doing the right things, and playing the right parts.

And acting in all the right ways does not ensure that you will be able to enter “The Inner Ring,” but missteps will definitely ensure that you are “out” and not “in.”

Friends, in this world (corrupt and sinful as it is) Christians must become unmoved or impervious or unconcerned with the temptation to be numbered among the inner ring of sinners.

Commenting on this passage, John Calvin said, “the first step to living well is to renounce the company of the ungodly, [else] it is sure to infect us with its own pollution.”

A political science professor and academic (John G. West) has recently published a book called “Stockholm Syndrome Christianity,” wherein he describes the tendency many modern Christians have to assume the values, opinions, and priorities of the non-Christians around them.

Brothers and sisters, do not “walk” in “the counsel of the wicked,” or “stand in the way of sinners,” or “sit in the seat of scoffers.” If you are believing Christ, then you are already blessed… God’s benediction has been pronounced over you.

So, go and act like “blessed” ones – walking according to God’s counsel or instruction, standing in the way of the righteous, and sitting in the congregation of holiness (even now, “seated with Christ” [Eph. 2:6]). And if you do, then your actions will themselves be a blessing to you and to others around you.

3. Blessed Thoughts (v2)

Again, the question answered by these first two verses (with the whole Bible’s story in view) is “Having received God’s benediction (or blessing) through Christ, what sort of lives ought we to live… or What is the blessed life like?”

v1 is all about action.

The blessed man is one who does not walk or stand or sit in this way or this place, but (by implication) he does walk and stand and sit in another way and place – that of Christ and His people.

But v2 focuses on thoughts and affections.

Where does the “blessed…man” find his “delight” or “joy,” and on what does he set his mind or thought?

In short, the affections or “delight” of the blessed man are upon the Lord and His “law” or “instruction,” and the blessed man “meditates” on or “ponders” God’s “law” or “instruction” regularly.

In other words, the “blessed…man” is distinct from “the wicked” and “sinners” and “scoffers” by his affections and thoughts (v1).

Now (as I’ve already said), this Psalm is describing the “blessed…man” (v1)… It is not explicitly calling the reader to action. This Psalm describes the actions and thoughts and results and destination of the “blessed…man.”

However, the call to act is implied; this is the way wisdom literature works.

So, we are right to look for ways to apply this to our lives by asking, “What should I do?” And I’m arguing here that we (if we are believing and following Christ) ought to (1) stir our affections for God’s word and (2) meditate on it.

We ought to stir our affections for God’s word.

Friends, it matters how we approach the reading/hearing of God’s word.

We want to remember that God’s word is a gift to us.

He didn’t have to give it to us.

What we read here is a blessing to us.

We want to remember that God’s word is true and good.

Of all the other words we might read or hear in a day, these words are truly true and genuinely good.

And we want to remember that God’s word is both authoritative and beneficial.

God’s word is our ultimate authority – it stands over and above us, instructing and commanding us.

And God’s instructions are for our own benefit – we will do best when we know and believe and obey God’s word.

How are we regularly approaching God’s word?

Do you give the Bible your left-over time and attention?

When someone points you to the Bible, are you eager to know what it says and how it applies?

Since we gather weekly here, to read and consider God’s word together, how are you preparing yourself to approach God’s word each Sunday with care, thoughtfulness, and humility?

Brothers and sisters, the counsel of Scripture is better than “the counsel of the wicked,” and the way of Scripture is better than “the way of sinners.”

May God help us to believe this and to delight in His word.

We ought to meditate on God’s word regularly.

When we think of what it means to “meditate,” we probably have in mind thoughts or mental activity.

This is certainly a major aspect of it, and that’s why I’ve emphasized “thoughts” here in this point.

To “meditate” on God’s word is to set one’s mind upon it.

After having read a verse or passage, we would do well to think on it a while – What does this mean? How does it apply? What must I do or believe?

But once we have set our minds to thinking on something, it will inevitably come out of our mouths… and some of us think out loud.

Brothers and sisters, how often do we bring the Bible into our regular conversation?

I was recently talking with a few guys about their conversion to Christ and their discipleship and growth since then (they had become Christians within the last few years), and the conversation easily turned toward what they were learning from Scripture.

One was trying to understand where he landed on the Spiritual gifts.

Another was thinking through how he should deal with his own ambitions and his sense of responsibility to be content with the Lord’s provision.

Another was trying to figure out how he might approach his boss, who claims to be a Christian but often speaks with crude and scandalous language.

In all of these conversations, we were thinking about how the Bible applies… And it does!

The “blessed” man or woman “delights” in “the law of the LORD,” and on God’s law or word, he or she “meditates day and night” (v2).

May God help us to set our affections and our thoughts on His word, and may our ordinary lives show God’s blessing as a result.

4. Blessed Results (v3-4)

Our first two verses describe the “blessed…man,” telling us about his way of life (i.e., his actions and thoughts), but v3-4 begin to tell us about the results of living this way. What does it mean to be “blessed”?

We learn here that God’s blessing shows up in at least three distinct ways: (1) the “blessed…man” is well-sourced, (2) he bears fruit, and (3) he perseveres and prospers. And each of these are directly contrasted with “the wicked” (v4).

The “blessed…man” is well-sourced.

The psalmist says, “He is like a tree planted by streams of water” (v3).

Both the “blessed…man” and “the wicked” experience “the wind” of circumstance (v4), but the “blessed…man” shows God’s blessing by being rooted in a source greater than circumstance.

Brothers and sisters, how often have we seen loved ones and friends overcome by sorrow, by loss, by hardship, or by suffering?

The Bible never promises Christians that they will not endure the harsh elements of bad circumstances, but mature believers will discover that God’s presence, God’s word, and God’s people are sustaining resources during those times.

Walking, standing, and sitting among the congregation of the righteous… and delighting in and meditating on God’s word… this blessed way of life will show itself to be blessed, not by avoiding hardship, but by tapping into the well-sourced stores of God’s peace, God’s power, and God’s providence.

Friends, the “blessed…man” is well-sourced (no matter the circumstances), but the wicked, the sinner, the scoffer is not so.

The “blessed…man” bears fruit.

Verse 3 says, “He is like a tree… that yields its fruit in its season” (v3).

Again, there is a contrast in v4 with “the wicked” – he is “like chaff” (v4).

Chaff is that part of the plant that covers the seed or flower but is itself worthless and useless.

Note two things about this result of “yielding” or “bearing” “fruit.”

First, it will happen.

Jesus said, “I am the true vine… whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit… By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples” (John 15:1-8).

The fruit of righteousness, the fruit of godly living, the fruit of spiritual growth and maturity… all of these are certain to bud in the life of a Christian.

Second, the “blessed…man” bears “fruit in its season” (v3).

Life in this world has its various seasons – childhood, youth, early marriage, child-rearing, peak knowledge and ability… then declining health, mentoring the next generation, passing the baton, depending more upon others…

Brothers and sisters, let’s remember that the “fruit” of our “blessed” lives will look different in each season.

And let’s also remember that some of the “fruit” that God produces through us will not be seen by us – either because we cannot see it or because it will not be visible until after our earthly lives are done.

Charles Bridges (a 19th-century Anglican pastor) said, "The seed may lie under the clods till we lie there, and then spring up" (Christian Ministry, p. 75).

Friends, the “blessed…man” bears fruit in its season.

The “blessed…man” perseveres and prospers.

The psalmist says, “He is like a tree… [whose] leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers” (v3).

And yet again, there is a contrast in v4 with “the wicked” – he is “like chaff that the wind drives away” (v4).

This, again, is tapping into the imagery of two kinds of “trees,” both experiencing the “wind” of circumstance, but the “blessed…man” persevering (i.e., “not withering”) and succeeding (i.e., “prospering”).

Note here the kind of “prosperity” the Bible emphasizes in contrast with the kind of prosperity of a false gospel.

The prosperity gospel tells people that if you will obey God, give sacrificially, and say the right prayers, then God will bless you with a better job, a bigger bank account, a nicer house, better health… all the sorts of things that sinners want.

But our Psalm today is describing God’s blessing as stability, perseverance, and fruit-bearing.

It is natural for us to want worldly blessings, but those things that are truly displaying God’s blessing in our ordinary lives are the kinds of things God says are most valuable.

Friends, the “blessed…man” is well-sourced, he bears fruit in its season, and he perseveres and prospers… all the way to the end.

5. Blessed Destination (v5-6)

The final two verses of our passage this morning point to the destination of the “blessed…man” (v1). Those who enjoy God’s blessing or benediction are distinct from “the wicked” or the “sinners” in their actions and their thoughts, the “blessed” ones bear out or show God’s blessing in their stability, their fruit, and their perseverance. Now, the “blessed” ones are distinguished from “the wicked” by their position before God on the last day.

The wicked “will not stand” (v5), and they “will perish” (v6).

As I’ve been saying this whole time, this Psalm is explicitly describing two ways to live – blessed or cursed, righteous or wicked – and it is implicitly inviting the reader to choose the blessed and righteous path.

This final piece of the description (here in v5-6) forces the reader to face the end results of his or her walking, standing, and sitting.

v5 says, “the wicked will not stand in the judgment” (v5).

Some of us may remember when we studied through the book of Revelation a while back… the ringing question (as the Lamb opens the seals of the scroll) is “who can stand?” on “the great day” of the “wrath” of the “Lamb” (Rev. 6:17).

So too, “sinners [will not stand] in the congregation of the righteous” (v5).

In other words, they will not be numbered among the great assembly of the saints on the last day.

Finally, “the way of the wicked will perish” (v6).

That is, they will die the ultimate death – they will be finally and ultimately cut off from God’s blessings or favor, and they will be totally exposed to God’s curse or judgment.

Friends, the wicked may sometimes seem to prosper in this life, but their end will prove they were under God’s curse all along.

The offer for us today (if we will hear it) is to leave the wicked path… do not walk in the counsel of the wicked, do not stand in the way of sinners, do not sit in the seat of scoffers… this will turn out to be useless and futile in this life… and it will ultimately lead to judgment and death.

The “blessed” ones will not “perish,” but rather they will “stand” in “the congregation of the righteous” for “the LORD knows [their] way” (v6).

For those who are walking according to the counsel of God’s word… those standing in the way of the righteous… those sitting with Christ and His people… theirs will be a life of stability, of fruitfulness, and of perseverance in what is true and good… and theirs will be the reward of God’s ultimate blessing or benediction on the last day.

And we can be assured of this because “the LORD knows the way of the righteous” (v6).

This is the chief comfort and rationale for keeping on the way of benediction, even if all the circumstances of this life would tempt us toward another way.

The Lord knows where we are at all times, He has placed us exactly where He intends us to be, and His design is for our good.

Charles Spurgeon said it like this, “The Lord is constantly looking on the way of the righteous, and though it may be often in mist and darkness, yet the Lord knows it. If it be in the clouds and tempest of affliction, he understands it. He numbered the hairs of our head; He will not suffer any overwhelming evil to befall us.”

Brothers and sisters, the world, our own sinful desires, and the devil himself mean to pull us away from the blessed path. And even among Christians, sometimes we will be tempted to think that what we need is something extraordinary. But God invites us today to enjoy His blessing and to walk the way of benediction, so that we might experience true blessing in every area of our ordinary lives.