The Psalm Harold in Death

Intro

Good morning,

Please turn with me to . The title I am giving this message is The Psalm Harold in Death. Now I know you all are familiar with this Psalm and may be wondering why I titled the message in this manner, after all, isn’t this Psalm about blessedness and how to have life abundantly?

Why yes it is such a Psalm, and since it such a Psalm of blessedness and abundance in life, I would put to your attention that this must draw our eyes to death.

Let me tell you how this message came about. It came about in December 2019. My spirit was feeling down, and I tend to go the Psalm’s in those darkened times. How great the Psalm’s are in this regard and I pray we all seek the wisdom that the Psalm’s have to offer us, especially on hard times.

When depression tries to get a foothold on me, one of two things tend to happen. Either it grasps a hold of my mind and a negative downward spiral begins to happen and I tend to be consumed with death, or, more better, I can be proactive and I can choose to meditate on death on my own terms.

We all should choose to meditate on death. However, let me explain what I mean. There is not a day that goes by that I pray about my death. In fact, I pray not only about my own death, but also of those that are close to me. I pray about my wife Fernanda and my son Daniel’s death. I pray about Pastor Steve and El’s death. This is what I mean.

When I say I pray for death, what I am praying for is not for death to come now, but rather for dying grace. I pray for the manner in which I hope to die. I pray that I may have confidence and peace in my death. That I would die with the utmost confidence in God, His promises and the work of the Lord. That I would die trusting in the truth of the Scripture.

I pray for Fernanda in my death, that He would give her comfort and strength. I pray and ask that when I die, I would like to die worshiping the Lord. That I would be reading the Scriptures, fellowshipping with believers, praying and singing hymns. That at the moment of my death, I would be proclaiming to those around me the Glory of our awesome and Holy God. I likewise pray for the same things for my loved ones as well.

So I turned to on this day in December and began to read. And it had a profound impact on me, so much so, that I have been meditating on this Psalm ever since. Let us read it together:

The New King James Version Psalm 1

1 Blessed ais the man

Who walks not in the counsel of the 1ungodly,

Nor stands in the path of sinners,

bNor sits in the seat of the scornful;

2 But chis delight is in the law of the LORD,

dAnd in His law he 2meditates day and night.

3 He shall be like a tree

ePlanted by the 3rivers of water,

That brings forth its fruit in its season,

Whose leaf also shall not wither;

And whatever he does shall fprosper.

4 The ungodly are not so,

But are glike the chaff which the wind drives away.

5 Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment,

Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.

6 For hthe LORD knows the way of the righteous,

But the way of the ungodly shall perish.

Psalm 1:1–6 NKJV

Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful; But his delight is in the law of the Lord, And in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper. The ungodly are not so, But are like the chaff which the wind drives away. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, But the way of the ungodly shall perish.

The Way of the Righteous and the End of the Ungodly

1 Blessed is the man

Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,

Nor stands in the path of sinners,

Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;

2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD,

And in His law he meditates day and night.

3 He shall be like a tree

Planted by the rivers of water,

That brings forth its fruit in its season,

Whose leaf also shall not wither;

And whatever he does shall prosper.

4 The ungodly are not so,

4 The ungodly are not so,

But are like the chaff which the wind drives away.

5 Therefore the ungodly shall 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 ungodly shall perish.

Overview:

What do we see right off the bat when we read this Psalm? We see that this is a Psalm of instruction. Instruction of a life of blessedness. It is concerning good and evil. It is talking of two kinds of people: The godly and the wicked, those that fear God and serve Him and those that do not. When one reads this, if they are honest, they see themselves. Are you the godly or are you the wicked?

We also see blessedness and life abundant, the tree; and we see the curse and death, the chaff.

This Psalm hits all the divisions of mankind: The high and low, the rich and poor, the servant and the free.

The New King James Version. (1982). (). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

Matthew Henry says:

Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible: Complete and Unabridged in One Volume Psalm 1

Whoever collected the psalms of David (probably it was Ezra) with good reason put this psalm first, as a preface to the rest, because it is absolutely necessary to the acceptance of our devotions that we be righteous before God (for it is only the prayer of the upright that is his delight), and therefore that we be right in our notions of blessedness and in our choice of the way that leads to it. Those are not fit to put up good prayers who do not walk in good ways.

Our Aim:

We will be focusing on what exactly is the blessed? What exactly is the tree? What does it mean and what does it look like? However we will first need to make a few definitions before we begin.

Our Definitions:

First

The New King James Version Psalm 1

1 Blessed ais the man

Who walks not in the counsel of the 1ungodly,

Nor stands in the path of sinners,

bNor sits in the seat of the scornful;

First we must note some definitions in verse 1. Let’s read it again:

Psalm 1:1 NKJV

Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;

The New King James Version Psalm 1

1 Blessed ais the man

Who walks not in the counsel of the 1ungodly,

Nor stands in the path of sinners,

bNor sits in the seat of the scornful;

Psalm 1:1 NKJV

Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;

We see blessed is the man:

who walks not, nor stands, nor sits.

We also see ungodly, sinners and scornful.

We know from what we see that the blessed man that this Psalm talks of does not partake in these things. But you should know that some notable scholars differ on whether there is a progression of sin seen in these verses.

Matthew Henry and John Calvin seem to be on different sides to this issue. Personally, I see a progression but that is not one of our main points.

But what is certain, that all agree on, is that we see here a set of guidelines that the godly man does not partake in. The things that the godly do not partake in is the casting off of the fear of God. They do not partake in the neglect of there duty to God. There is no rebellion against God and His word. They are not like scoffers who openly defy God’s Word and make a jest of sin.

Second:

Second we must note a definition in verse 2. Let’s read it again:

Psalm 1:2 NKJV

But his delight is in the law of the Lord, And in His law he meditates day and night.

The of Psalms is not meant to be read hastily. If we are to get the fullness of the Psalm we are reading, we must slow down and see the beauty in the words, see the connection and correlation of words and see the beautiful painting that the author is depicting for us.

so far we have seen what the blessed man does not partake in,

Now let us see what he does do:

He DELIGHTS and he Meditates. What do you see here? Do you see two things that he does or do you see one? It is not two things he does but one. There is a connection between delight and meditate. One who delights in God’s Law will surely meditate on such a delight. And of course what we meditate on should bring us delight.

Psalm 119:97 ESV

Oh how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day.

The two are clearly connected, and what are they connected on? They are connected on God’s Law. Or another way to put it, is the blessed man delights and meditates on the fullness of God’s Holy Word. The delight and meditation, then, is on God. His Holiness, His Character, His steadfast Love and Faithfulness. His plan of redemption.

We other examples of this in other passages such as:

English Standard Version Psalm 119

14  In the way of your testimonies I bdelight

as much as in all criches.

15  I will dmeditate on your precepts

and fix my eyes on your eways.

16  I will fdelight in your statutes;

I will not forget your word.

Psalm 119:14–16 ESV

In the way of your testimonies I delight as much as in all riches. I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways. I will delight in your statutes; I will not forget your word.

Psalm 119:35–37 ESV

Lead me in the path of your commandments, for I delight in it. Incline my heart to your testimonies, and not to selfish gain! Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things; and give me life in your ways.

Romans 7:22 ESV

For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being,

To Meditate:

Now the next question that arises is, what does it mean to meditate? The Hebrew word here means to mutter, to growl, to ponder by talking to ones self. It means to converse with and go over again and again what the verse is saying. What does it mean? How can I live according to this and by this? What does the application of this look like?

It is important to note what this is not. It is not a simple 30 minutes of reading the Word in the morning and maybe 15 minutes at night. Do not get me wrong. It is extremely valuable to have the discipline of reading the Word every day. But that is not meditation. And meditation that is talked about here is not a set duration in the morning and a set duration in the evening, but all the in between time is my own to do with what I please.

Matthew Henry puts meditation in this way that I believe hits the nail on the head. He says:

Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible: Complete and Unabridged in One Volume Psalm 1:1–3

To meditate in God’s word is to discourse with ourselves concerning the great things contained in it, with a close application of mind, a fixedness of thought, till we be suitably affected with those things and experience the savour and power of them in our hearts. This we must do day and night; we must have a constant habitual regard to the word of God as the rule of our actions and the spring of our comforts, and we must have it in our thoughts, accordingly, upon every occasion that occurs, whether night or day. No time is amiss for meditating on the word of God, nor is any time unseasonable for those visits. We must not only set ourselves to meditate on God’s word morning and evening, at the entrance of the day and of the night, but these thought should be interwoven with the business and converse of every day and with the repose and slumbers of every night. When I awake I am still with thee.

I have found two things extremely helpful for this in mind. Yes I have a daily reading plan that I follow that I may be able to read the Bible through and through each year. This is good for the wholeness of Scripture. But that does not make it meditation. This is called reading.

But I do two things. One comes from the mind of MacArthur. MacArthur suggests that one should read a portion of Scripture everyday for a whole month. By the end of the month you will have a good remembrance of that portion of Scripture. I am currently reading the whole book of Romans every day for a month. As each day goes by my mind is more drawn into what I am reading. (This is not studying but reading). But as I read the large chunks, portions stand out. For instance . During the day I am drawn more and more to dwelling on the magnificence of that chapter. How it applies and what it means to me and how I can live by it.

The second is Scripture memorization. Again very valuable to every believer. I have gone about memorizing Scripture in three ways. First is from the Topical Memory System by Navigators. I highly recommend this for everyone. Second is from the catechism we do every Sunday morning. It is great to memorize what we profess every Lord’s day. And a third and helpful way is by the first method I mentioned. As I read the book of Romans every day, I select a portion to memorize each week. It could be one verse, or a series of verses that are connected.

The point of memorization is not merely to be able to recite the verse. But it is to be able to converse with the verse. To know it, its meaning, and apply it to your life. If you have certain struggles or temptations, I recommend that you find specific verses that will help you over come those difficulties. You will find that memorizing and meditating on them is extremely helpful.

Our Main Point: What Exactly Is the Blessedness?

3 He shall be like a tree

Planted by the rivers of water,

That brings forth its fruit in its season,

Whose leaf also shall not wither;

And whatever he does shall fprosper.

I must admit, this verse we have here is so full and abundant with beauty, that I feel an utter awareness of my lack of ability to the task at hand. We have several amazing things going here put in an amazing word picture. As you read this verse, I am sure many of you have a certain picture in your head of what this looks like.

So let us try to dissect this verse a little bit. This right here is the blessing we see. The blessed man, here, avoids the way of the wicked and meditates with delight on God’s Word, which is always on his mind. This Word, the Scriptures, guide his every thought and action, and this verse tells us what that results in.

It results in or is compared to a tree, but not just any tree, but a tree that has an abundant source which feeds it. This source does not run dry but is flowing and is itself alive. This tree is planted by rivers of water. This source of food, this source of nutrients does not stop there, but it produces in the tree fruit. So this tree bears forth fruit in its season. So we see, also, that there are seasons as well. Because of this source, the leaf on the tree does not wither, or does not die. There is here, a sense of preservation or perseverance. And the tree prospers.

Rivers of Water Defined:

Before we define what a tree is, let us first define what the Rivers of Water is.

The Rivers of Water is the source of life for the tree. It is essential for the growth, stability, beauty and prosperity of the tree. This water, this river, is not idle, it is not stagnant. The Christian Standard Bible says it is a flowing stream. There is life to be found in the stream itself.

So what is this stream?

It is none other than the Word of God that this blessed man delights to meditate in. It is the Word of God that feeds him, gives him strength, grows him and produces fruit in him. The Word of God is what causes his leaf to never wither, and causes him to prosper in his ways.

We read in Matthew 7:24-25:

English Standard Version Chapter 7

24 z“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like aa wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.

This here is foundational language. When Christ says, “everyone who hears these words of mine”, he is not only referring to the words Christ Himself spoke, but also to all of Scripture; for we hold to that all of the Word is the Word of God.

So we know that the foundation that the tree is founded on is all the words of the prophets and apostles, with Christ as the cornerstone.

Jesus Himself talks about the never ending flow and abundance that this water produces for the believer and the cornerstone upon which we must believe in.

Jesus, talking to the Samaritan woman by the well says this:

Matthew 7:24–25 ESV

“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.

John 4:13–14 ESV

Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

English Standard Version Chapter 4

13 Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, 14 but kwhoever drinks of the water that I will give him lwill never be thirsty again.2 The water that I will give him will become min him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

John 6:53–58 ESV

So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like the bread the fathers ate, and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.”

John 7:37–39 ESV

On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’ ” Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

Let us pause for a moment and make a very important point. If you are not trusting in Christ, if you are not trusting upon Christ’s perfect obedience and His sacrificial death and resurrection that Christ obtained for us, you then, are not this blessed tree that this Psalm is talking about.

You are the chaff which the wind blows away. You are the wicked man that will not be able to stand in the judgment. For the Lord will not acknowledge your ways and you will perish.

So right now I ask you to consider, which are you?

A Tree Defined:

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

A Tree Defined:

Let’s try to define this tree. Well we know from what we have read, that this tree represents the blessed man. But what is a tree?

1st. We note that a tree is a living and growing thing:

Living and growing are interconnected. We are not instantly a giant immovable tree. This conditional blessing is a process. A life long process. It is a part of our sanctification. As we study, as we meditate and feed off the Rivers of Water, which is the Living Word of God, we grow more and more. We grow stronger in the Lord and on His Word. but check this out:

In verse 12 we read:

Philippians 2:12 ESV

Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling,

but let us finish this passage:

Philippians 2:13 ESV

for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

We read here, that we are responsible to work out our salvation with fear and trembling, we are to be meditating on God’s Word. But how amazing it is that in verse 13 we see that is God who is at work in us. We are not left to ourselves but it is God who is working it out for His good pleasure.

And we know from Romans, Acts, and the Gospels that we have a Helper through all this, the Holy Spirit.

2nd. We note that a tree is a fixed thing:

A tree is not easily uprooted. We are fixed, we have a firm foundation that we are fixed upon which aids in our growth. We are fixed upon the Word of God. And we will note that this is important for the seasons we will face.

3rd. We note that a tree is a beautiful thing:

Oh what a beauty the tree is. Because we are fixed, because we are growing and firmly planted by the Rivers of Water, we produce beautiful fruit. And the world will know us, and know our Saviour, from our fruit. It is a stable tree, not tossed too and fro from the wind, and provides shade for those around us in times of need.

The Full Picture:

It is extremely important that we see here in this passage the full picture that is on display. I mentioned earlier, that you may have an image in your head of what this tree looks like. But I ask you the question: Do you see the full picture here?

Doubtless, many of us here, when picturing this tree see it in this light: That the tree is in a beautiful meadow, with a beautiful sun shinning down upon it. Rays of light touching its branches. A nice slow, sparkling bubbly brook right beside it. Temperature set at an amazing 77 degrees. An awe inspiring baby blue sky in the background with a few beautiful cotton like clouds in the background.

Is that something of what you are picturing? Yes you would be right, but that is only half of the picture that you see. It is not the full picture. You see, there is a sequel picture that is painted right next to this one. One that many of us go out of our way to avoid seeing.

Our passage here mentions seasons. We often neglect this word. You see, there are different seasons in our life. Times of flourishing and prosperity, however there are many more seasons of distress. Times that we face when the wind will howl and do all it can to uproot us. Times of dark clouds and rain.

True Blessing:

This here, is where the true beauty lies. This here is the truthfulness of what the blessing truly is meant to mean. Have you stopped and pondered why this tree must be planted by the Rivers of Water? Have you stopped and considered why the blessed man is compared to a tree and the wicked to chaff?

It is for times like this. We mentioned it in passing earlier, when we read Christ’s words in Matthew. In we read about the wise man who built his house on the rock. But in verse 25, we see why that was important. It was so, that when the rain fell, and the floods came, and the wind beat against it, it did not fall but stood.

This is the blessing. When you are a tree planted by Rivers of Water, when you are grounded on the Word of God, you will be able to withstand the trial and temptations that are sure to come. The tree planted by Rivers of water perseveres through the trials and temptations that the world will throw at us. Then, after we have withstood the trials, then we can say confidently, “I have walked in a manner worthy of my calling. I have run the race and I have finished the race, because I stood and was firmly planted on the word of God. And it was not I who did it, but God who did it for His good pleasure.”

Christ’s Example: