Rooted or Restless
Notes
Transcript
Over the next couple of months, we’ll begin a pattern of walking through the Psalms in the summer - hence the name “Summer Psalter.” Between now and Labor Day, we’ll examine one Psalm each week (we should finish around Psalm 16 this year). Next year, Lord willing, we’ll pick up where we will leave off.
Before diving into the first Psalm, I want to give us a very brief overview of the Psalms.
there are 150 Psalms.
They range in length from just a few verses to hundreds of verses.
The collection of Psalms is divided into 5 books. Wiersbe postulates that these five divisions are to mirror or imitate the five books of Moses - the Pentateuch.
Book 1: 1-41
Book 2: 42-72
Book 3: 73-89
Book 4: 90-106
Book 5: 107-150
There are a variety of different types of Psalms - laments, messianic psalms, praise psalms, royal psalms, penitential psalms, psalms of affirmation and trust, imprecatory psalms and, as we’ll see today, wisdom psalms (Wiersbe, 9).
While these psalms are poems and were often sung in either individual or corporate worship settings, they do not rhyme like many of our English poems do. They often use a variety of parallelisms in order to contrast, complement, extend or reiterate an idea.
In many ways, the Psalms are both an example of and a means by which God’s people can interact with God.
In addition to the dividing the psalter into five books, there are certain segments of the psalms that make up their own sub-units - sometimes clustered by author or liturgical use.
This week and next week, we are looking at Psalm 1-2. In some of the Hebrew manuscripts, these were combined into one Psalm. There is a sense in which Psalm 1 provides general wisdom by contrasting two ways of life and Psalm 2 applies that to nations and rulers, contrasting their way with the way of God’s anointed one.
If you have your Bibles, open them to Psalm 1 (p. 420 in the pew bibles).
Rooted or Restless
Rooted or Restless
Robert Frost famously wrote a poem about choices that face all of us.
Psalms, Volume 1: (Psalms 1–41): An Expositional Commentary Divergent Ways
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference
James Montgomery Boice notes that the first psalm appropriately introduces us to the “doctrine of two ways.” As we’ll see here, there is essentially the way of the rooted and the way of the restless (Boyce, 14). We continue to see that all around us. From school, to society, to social media influencers, to scholars, to scripture - all are vying for our attention, our focus, our volition in order to draw us into their way of life, their source of fulfillment. The question is, what is the outcome? What is the result of a life that is lived according to one set of rules or another?
This Psalm argues that those who are blessed are rooted in God’s instruction.
Let’s consider this psalm.
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.
In verses 1-3, we notice first of all that…
The blessed one is rooted in God’s instruction (1-3)
The blessed one is rooted in God’s instruction (1-3)
This psalm begins with a word that we see throughout Scripture - “Blessed”
What does it mean to be blessed?
What does it mean to be blessed?
In Hebrew, there are two primary words that are used for blessed. The most common is the word baruk which when it is pointed toward God refers to praise or worship, but when describing humans marks a state of happiness. The other word is the word that is used here in this Psalm, that is ashre. This word is only used of humans denotes a state of “happiness or well-being” (NBD).
Here in this Psalm, the Hebrew word is actually plural, indicating not just a single reason for this well-being, but an abundance. Charles Swindoll has described this as “oh the happiness many times over.”
This is not a temporary or momentary blessedness, but something that has staying power and joy.
So the psalmist here begins by noting that a person is blessed when he or she understands…
Associations to avoid
Associations to avoid
Arguing from the negative, again he says - Psalm 1:1
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;
There is a progression here from bad to worse - walking, standing, sitting. In walking, we end up going near people or places where we might be influenced and guided by their counsel. It seems like this can be in some very subtle and subversive ways.
By standing in the way, we are stopped, planting ourselves in the path of sinners - waiting to be swept up into their activities.
By sitting in the seat of scoffers or mockers, we’ve joined in the revelry - wooing others to sin and making fun of those who don’t join in.
There is a sense in which this advice is quite practical and even moralistic. The old adage “I don’t drink or smoke or cuss or chew or hang around with those who do” might touch on part of what this avoidance gets to, but I think it also misses the mark. Blessedness is not found in behavior modification, but in transformation - from the inside out.
Romans 12:2 talks a bit about the difference between the outward influence that associations bring and the internal transformation that is indicative of the blessed one…
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
As the Psalmist is providing this wisdom, he could have simply said walk in the counsel of the godly, stand in the way of saints, and sit in the seat of worshippers - but that wouldn’t necessarily get to the crux of the matter. Which is why the psalmist urges some…
Affections to adopt
Affections to adopt
but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.
What are these affections? Delight and meditation on the law or the instruction of Yahweh.
Boice notes, “That is a powerful expression to ‘delight’ in the law of the Lord. But it is somewhat puzzling, at least at first glance” (16). When we think of the law of God, we often refer to the ceremonial rules and moral codes of the Pentateuch - which was likely all that the psalmist had at his disposal at the point in time. CS Lewis initially found this encouragement to delight in Yahweh’s law to be “utterly bewildering” and “mysterious” (ibid). We can see how we might find delight in the good attributes of God - his mercy, grace, his Spirit’s presence in our lives, the cross - but the law?
How often do we in the normal course of reading scripture read quickly through Leviticus and Numbers and parts of Exodus because these laws seem antiquated and even outdated. Some of them even seem rather confusing. But if we think of the law as being all of Scripture, then as Boice says…
Psalms, Volume 1: (Psalms 1–41): An Expositional Commentary The Two Ways Described
we are really learning, not about human beings or nature primarily (which is what the other disciplines teach us), but about God. And, as Lewis says, “The Order of the Divine mind, embodied in the Divine Law, is beautiful.” The language of the [psalmist] is “not priggery nor even scrupulosity; it is the language of a man ravished by a moral beauty.”
When we take time to slow down in our reading of God’s Word - to enjoy it for what it is as God’s revelation, His instruction, His guidance to us, then we truly see the beauty of God and the manifold blessedness of a life rightly lived God’s ways.
What does it mean to delight in God’s instruction? What does it mean to delight in anything? It’s a matter of finding pleasure it. I think this is a bit of the reason why John Piper coined the phrase “Christian Hedonism” in his book Desiring God. The premise behind Christian Hedonism is that “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him” (Piper, xv). God’s Word is one way in which we get to know God. Delighting in His Word helps us in the process of enjoying Him.
Meditating or muttering on God’s word throughout the day, keeps the things of God on the forefront of our minds. Meditating on God’s word is like a cow chewing the cud. As cows graze, they rip off grass and leaves with their tongue and the front teeth that they have on the bottom jaw. They then chew it a bit and then swallow the grass.
Rumen: The food descends to the first of four stomach chambers - the rumen where the food goes through a sort of fermentation as bacteria and microbes cause some of the nutrients to be absorbed into the blood stream. Interesting, when we ruminate on something, we think about it in such a way as to absorb that knowledge. After the fermentation is complete, the food is regurgitated and the cow begins to chew the cud - mixing the fermented food with saliva.
Reticulum: The food is then stored for a time in the reticulum while awaiting for capacity in the lower chambers.
Omasum: Once there is space available, the food passes to the third chamber, the Omasum, where the excess liquid is absorbed into the body.
Abomasum: Finally, the food goes to the abomasum, where the food is broken down more into “amino acids, essential nutrients, and minerals” and absorbed into the body.
I would guess that you weren’t planning on a lesson in bovine digestion this morning when you woke up. I certainly wasn’t planning on discussing this when I first started looking at Psalm 1. But this process of meditation connects to the idea of cud chewing - going over God’s word again and again until we’ve gleaned all that we can out of it.
I do wonder if this is partly why God told the people of Israel to only eat animals that chewed the cud- so they could have a practical and visual reminder of how they should meditate on God’s word.
So, the Psalmist, as he is teaching that the blessed one avoids certain associations and adopts Godly affections, he next turns to an…
Analogy of blessedness
Analogy of blessedness
in order to help us grasp the benefit of living this way. He says…
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.
Like a tree - This is not hard for us to understand. Living in this area we are blessed with the daily sights of large and small trees all around us. But then notice the next word…
Planted - this tree is not an invasive species or a wild tree. This is a tree that was intentionally placed in a position for optimal growth.
By streams of water - this is not stagnate or stale water, but fresh streams. One commentator speculated that these might be riverlets that farmers would dig to divert water from the river so that it would pass near the trees.
Yields its fruit in its season - Trees bear fruit at various times. With most trees, we can expect their fruit at certain times of the year, but the rest of the year, we expect or hope for growth, health. We have three flowering cherry trees in our yard. Interestingly, they are slightly different varieties. So while they all flower in the spring, one of them flowers at a different time than the other two. In a similar way, the blessed one whose delight and meditation is in God as His Word, will yield fruit at the proper time. This may show up in changed attitudes or outlooks, redirected affections, godly influence in the lives of others. Like any tree, I think we can expect seasons where the growth or the fruit is not seen as readily - because it’s being developed deep within.
Its leaf does not wither - There are some places in the world where deciduous trees do not lose their leaves. Other places, like ours, get to enjoy the beauty of fall colors and the visual barrenness of winter. It seems, however, that this withering leaf is not the seasonal change but rather withering from disease.
In all the he does, he prospers - This word prospers has to do with breaking through. In other words, as the roots of this tree grow deep and wide breaking through the soil, the branches of the tree are able to spread wide and high.
I think part of what we need to see is that when our enjoyment and pondering is in God and His Word, then we are allowing Him to plant us firmly in places for optimal growth. But, when our delight is in other things - things that fade or can be taken or destroyed, then the root system of our lives lacks the environment in which to flourish.
Jesus reflected on this a bit in the sermon on the mount, when He said…
“Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.
Beloved, if you were to paint a picture of your life as a tree, what would it look like? Vibrant, strong, flourishing, prosperous? OR feeble, frail, diseased, decaying?
(Struggle with sickness and still be spiritual vibrant; fit and outwardly successful, bit frail)
One of the things in which we get to delight in God’s word is the depth of His love for us. He loves you! Have you basked in that? Have you relished His love? Have you rested in it? As we often sing:
How deep the Father's love for us, how vast beyond all measure, that he should give his only Son to make a wretch his treasure. How great the pain of searing loss— the Father turns his face away as wounds which mar the Chosen One bring many sons to glory.
Oh friend, allow yourself to be planted by God near His stream of living water. Let His life, death, and resurrection bring you abundant life now and eternal life.
So, the Psalmist’s aim is for people to be righteous, vibrant trees that are rooted in God’s Word.
He contrasts this with the person he calls “wicked.” Essentially, he says that…
The wicked one is restless (4-5)
The wicked one is restless (4-5)
We don’t like to use the term wicked - unless you’re from New England and you want to say that something is cool - “wicked.” But here, the psalmist uses this word to describe the person who avoids the things of God.
Notice the contrasts of words - where the righteous one is like a tree that prospers or breaks through adversity, the wicked person is un-rooted, driven away, blown away.
Now, from one perspective, we can see how this is true. People who do evil things, criminals - often end up getting caught and sentenced to years in prison and then Ned and the guys from Kairos go and minister to them, leading many to faith in Christ.
But there is another perspective that observes how the wicked seem to prosper. Deal makers make shady deals that hurt one party and benefit themselves. Grift and corruption seems rampant in certain sectors of our society. And yet the psalmist says that they are like “dust in the wind.” (Peterson, Message translation).
Verse 5 seems to give us some context and perspective:
Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
One of the devices that is commonly used in Hebrew poetry is parallelism, where two lines complement, contrast, extend, or explain the other.
Here, the first line seems to talk about THE judgment, a time of judgment at the end. A time when all people will stand and give an account before God. In the book of Revelation, we see this as the great white throne judgment.
And I saw a great white throne and the one sitting on it. The earth and sky fled from his presence, but they found no place to hide. I saw the dead, both great and small, standing before God’s throne. And the books were opened, including the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to what they had done, as recorded in the books. The sea gave up its dead, and death and the grave gave up their dead. And all were judged according to their deeds. Then death and the grave were thrown into the lake of fire. This lake of fire is the second death. And anyone whose name was not found recorded in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire.
The second line of the parallelism seems to talk about the here and now - the congregation of the righteous.
While all humans are made in God’s image, Scripture clearly communicates an “us” and “them.” As Christians, the “us”-ness is not based on our own merit or abilities or righteousness, but rather on Jesus’. Because Jesus stood condemned in our place, we get to have a place “in the congregation of the righteous.” It is through Jesus Christ alone that we get our names written in the Book of Life.
While there is an us and a them, it is God’s desire that none should perish, that there should be no them.
The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.
And yet, we have to recognize that there will be a judgment. I guess the question is, will you and I try to stand in the judgment on our own merit, or on Jesus’ all-sufficient merit?
This Psalm closes with two results:
Results: protection or perishing (6)
Results: protection or perishing (6)
Certainly the Lord guards the way of the godly, but the way of the wicked ends in destruction.
God doesn’t promise an easy life. When we trust Him, there will be storms that we will face. Yet, when we are rooted in Him, through Jesus Christ, when the affections of our hearts and the attention of our minds are focused on Him - he knows/guards our way now and for eternity.
When we ignore the wisdom that God puts forth and the redemption that He offers, we risk perishing.
Are you rooted or restless?
Let’s pray.
Benediction:
‘May the Lord bless you and protect you. May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord show you his favor and give you his peace.’
Questions for reflection and discussion
Questions for reflection and discussion
Read: Psalm 1
1. What is the theme of this psalm? (1:1–6)
2. What activities does the righteous person avoid? (1:1–3)
3. How are the righteous and the wicked different? (1:1–6)
4. How does the psalm writer connect delight and meditation? (1:2)
5. What does it mean to meditate on God’s law day and night?
6. What does the image of the tree tell us about the righteous person? (1:3)
7. In what way is a righteous person rewarded for being righteous? (1:3)
8. How do the futures of the righteous and the wicked differ? (1:6)
Sources:
Boice, James Montgomery. Psalms 1–41: An Expositional Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2005.
Crossway Bibles. The ESV Study Bible. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008.
Piper, John. Desiring God: Meditations of a Christian Hedonist. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2025.
Ross, Allen P. “Psalms.” In The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, edited by J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985.
Townend, Stuart. “How Deep the Father’s Love for Us” © 1995 Thankyou Music Ltd (Capitol CMG Publishing / www.capitolcmgpublishing.com)
Wessel, W. W. “Blessed.” In New Bible Dictionary, edited by D. R. W. Wood, I. H. Marshall, A. R. Millard, J. I. Packer, and D. J. Wiseman. Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1996.
Wiersbe, Warren W. Be Worshipful. 1st ed. “Be” Commentary Series. Colorado Springs, CO: Cook Communications Ministries, 2004.
https://www.clovermeadowsbeef.com/what-is-cud-why-do-cows-chew-cud/
