Who is the blessed man? ¿Quién es el hombre bendito?
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
The book of Psalms is a collection of 150 chapters. These are divinely inspired poetry.
In the book of Psalms we find expressions of:
Praise
Prayer
Anguish
Joy
Despair
The great reformer John Calvin called the book of Psalms “an anatomy of all parts of the soul”.
There are wonderful Psalms that have spoken to the saints of God throughout the ages. Psalms such as:
: A psalm about two people, two ways, two destinations.
: A prophecy regarding the sufferings of the Lord Jesus Christ.
: A shepherd’s psalm.
: A psalm of praise.
Our prayer today, is that would see what God has to say to our congregation through . We will consider this Palm under three headings:
Two men: The blessed man and all others.
Two ways
Two ways
Two destinations
Two destinations
I. Two men: The blessed man and all others
I. Two men: The blessed man and all others
I. Dos hombres: El hombre bendito y todos los demás
I. Dos hombres: El hombre bendito y todos los demás
Normally, when we think of the book of Psalms we think of poetry that expresses praise to God. We think of songs, prayers, worship directed to God.
It is interesting to read because we can immediately recognize that it is not a Psalm that’s dedicated to expressing worship to God.
It is a Psalm that wants its reader to understand that in this world there are two kinds of men.
Certainly, there are men of many different races, ethnicities, cultural background.
There are men who have different values.
There are men who have different aspirations, different socioeconomic status.
Nevertheless, the Bible recognizes that there are really only two kinds of men.
There is the blessed man. The blessed man is the principle point of focus in this Psalm. For this reason we read:
Blessed is the one
who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
or sit in the company of mockers,
Dichoso el hombre
que no sigue el consejo de los malvados,
ni se detiene en la senda de los pecadores
ni cultiva la amistad de los blasfemos,
We are quickly introduced to the blessed man. It is almost as if God, uses to help the readers of the book of Psalms to understand who is the man who will truly benefit from reading this book. Who is the man who will find themselves spiritually nourished from reading its content? - the blessed man!
The word “blessed” is one of those words that many of us have read many times in church but it many of us would find it somewhat difficult to define/describe its meaning.
Even in the New Testament we find a list of nine “beatitudes” (). They are essentially a list of characteristics that we find in a “blessed man”. But what does it mean?
1 and 2 Kings: An Introduction and Commentary ii. The Queen of Sheba’s Visit (10:1–13)
How happy
Derek Kidner, commentator of the book of Psalms, says that the Hebrew word (ashrei) could also be translated as “how happy”.
So, we are not only talking about a man that is spiritually strong, a man who has a close relationship with God.
When we speak about a blessed man, in terms of , we are speaking of a truly happy, joyful, rejoicing man.
This man is not only spiritually strong but he is also emotionally fulfilled. He is a whole man. He is complete.
If you recall, we spoke about two kinds of men. There is the blessed man and then there is everyone else. For this reason, the psalmist contrasts the blessed man with the wicked, sinners, and with the scoffers.
One thing that we will notice in Hebrew poetry is the use of repetition to get a point across. In this case, there are slight difference between a wicked person, a sinner, and a scoffer - but all three share the idea of being people that are against God.
These are men who rather than seeking God and doing his will prefer to rebel against God’s holy law.
There are all others.
From God’s perspective there are only these two kinds of men: there are those who are blessed and those who rebel against him.
II. Two ways
II. Two ways
II. Dos caminos
II. Dos caminos
The blessed man is a complete opposite of all others. The blessed man is described as:
Delighting in the law of the Lord.
but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
and who meditates on his law day and night.
sino que en la ley del Señor se deleita,
y día y noche medita en ella.
He delights, he takes great pleasure in the law given by God to his people. It is not an occasional delight. It is continuous for he delights in the law of God day and night.
It is almost as if the center of the universe for the blessed man is the law of God. He does not see the law of God of rules and regulations but rather a means that bring true fulfillment and joy to all men.
How very different are all others. All others are described as those who:
Walk in the counsel of the wicked (1:2)
These men enjoy each others company for they encourage each other to rebel against God.
They encourage each other in offending God. Together they seek out opportunities to sin.
Stands in the way of sinners (1:2)
He is willing to follow the way of those who have identified themselves as being willing transgress against God’s word.
Sit in the set of the scoffers (1:2)
A scoffer is an even stronger word that describes those who mock God, his word, and his people.
The scoffer enjoys taking pleasure in mocking what is good, what is pure, what is holy.
The scoffer takes great pride in elevating human reason and science over God’s revelation - the Bible.
III. Two destinations
III. Two destinations
III. Dos destinos
III. Dos destinos
We have two men who live in two very different ways.
It would be natural to expect two very different lifestyles. We should certainly expect two very different lives and consequences.
The life of blessed man is described using a simile. A simile is when a comparison between two things. Usually, a simile will use the word “like”.
The blessed man is described as being “like a tree”
That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
whatever they do prospers.
Es como el árbol
plantado a la orilla de un río
que, cuando llega su tiempo, da fruto
y sus hojas jamás se marchitan.
¡Todo cuanto hace prospera!
Salmo 1:3
Es como el árbol
plantado a la orilla de un río
que, cuando llega su tiempo, da fruto
y sus hojas jamás se marchitan.
¡Todo cuanto hace prospera!
The blessed man is like a tree that’s planted by streams of water. Remember, that the author of this Psalm most likely lived in Israel. Israel is known for its many arid deserts.
The Hebrew autor would certainly understand the need for a tree to be planted near a living stream of water for optimal growth.
A tree depends upon a constant source of hydration in order to remain alive.
Because this tree has been planted near a stream of water it gives fruit in its season and its leaf does not shrivel up.
The blessed man is described as being full of vitality, of producing fruit, of being vibrant, full of life and joy.
And after the simile, the author summarizes the way of the blessed man: “In all that he does, he prospers”.
This does not mean a life of luxury and riches.
This in no way gives license to those who preach the prosperity gospel thinking that if you name it and claim it you will have abundance health, riches and fame.
This man is the blessed man. This is the man that delights in the law of the Lord.
The blessed man meditates on the word of God. The blessed man fills his soul with the God’s revelation.
This person’s desires are molded/formed by the word of God.
A person who truly meditates on the word of God would certainly not be looking for luxury, riches, and fame. His desire is to serve the Lord, his desire is to be closer to God - it is no wonder that God will allow this man to prosper!
The wicked man on the other hand is given one line - he is like chaff that the wind drives away.
Not so the wicked!
They are like chaff
that the wind blows away.
En cambio, los malvados
son como paja arrastrada por el viento.
Once again, a Hebrew would recognize the practice of throwing the wheat into the wind. The grains of wheat would fall to the floor and later be gathered up. But the chaff, would be blown away by the wind.
In other words, the wicked man’s life is futile, it is hear today and gone tomorrow. His life is fleeting. His life will eventually come to and end and be forever forgotten.
It is true that the wicked man had many acquaintances. He would walk with the wicked, he would stand with the sinners, he would have a seat with the scoffers; but at the end of his life he will look at his past and see a life full of emptiness, a life full of vanity, a life that was wasted!
In the end both men will come before God’s judgement seat. I pray that all who hear me today understand that God will judge all men.
Men can pretend that God does not exist. Men can pretend that the Bible is is full of myths. But, there will come a day of reckoning when all men shall stand before God.
The wicked man shall come before God and will not even be able to stand before his presence. He will utterly collapse under God’s judgement and condemnation. The weight of his sin, his folly, his stubbornness, his rebellion against God will utterly crush him.
Ultimately, this man will perish! He will be lost forever
However, the blessed man - oh what a blessing! - “the Lord watches over the way of the righteous”.
For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.
Porque el Señor cuida el camino de los justos,
mas la senda de los malos lleva a la perdición.
This does not mean that the Lord knows about the daily experience of the blessed man.
It does not only mean that God is aware of the blessed man’s life.
The Lord is in fact watching over the blessed man. He is protecting him, the Lord is guarding him. The Lord is the protector of the blessed man.
The blessed man, will enjoy a close relationship with the God of the universe.
Conclusion
Conclusion
Who are you? Who are we?
You are either the wicked man or the blessed man?
Can we diagnose ourselves to identify who we are?
If truth be told, none of us who are here were born being the blessed man.
We all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.
We have all rebelled against God’s law.
We all deserve God’s wrath and his just punishment.
We have all delighted in sin.
We all deserve to perish. That should’ve been our fate.
There has only been one truly blessed man. There has been only one truly blessed man who has been the blessed man since birth: our Lord Jesus Christ.
The Lord Jesus is the truly blessed man.
He never sinned. He always lived in obedience the Father.
But, the glory of the gospel is that God came to save sinners. Jesus Christ, the blessed man, died on the cross for our sin so that we too could become the blessed man.
The Lord Jesus Christ died a sinner’s death so that we could be forgiven and justified before the presence of almighty God.
We were a sinful and rebellious people. We were as it were a tree planted in the middle of a dessert. Our lives were shriveling up. The Bible describes the sinful man’s state as being dead in trespasses in sin. We were not sick in sin. We were dead in sin. We loved our sin more than we loved God.
But God, in his mercy took that awful, shriveled up, dead tree and planted it by streams of water.
V. 3 gives us hope. A tree cannot get up and plant itself near a stream of water. That is God’s doing. Glory be to God for the gospel. Glory be to God for the God’s redemption of sinners.