The Blessed Life

The Blessed & Prosperous Path

8.22.21[Psalm 1] River of Life (13th Sunday after Pentecost)

Successful people are just wired different. Successful people get up early. They work out and eat right. Successful people think outside the box. They ask good questions. They read voraciously. They meditate each morning. They go on long walks. Successful people dream big. Successful people inspire others. Successful people accomplish things most others consider impossible.

There is no shortage of research and opinions about successful people. In many ways, mankind has always been fascinated by successful people. They are the heroes in our shared stories—whether factual or fictional. They are the men and women who make history and shape our world.

But over the past thirty or so years, we have moved beyond a mere fascination with successful people to borderline obsession. Thirty some years ago, Stephen Covey published The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. It was a smash hit, selling millions of copies over the next decades. It has been translated into more than 30 languages and influenced all kinds of people all over the world. Why?

Because modern people want to know what successful people do. We assume that their obvious success is evidence of some secret wisdom. How else could they be so successful when so many others are not? As experts study these successful people, they catalogue their habits and compare them to other successful people, so that the common traits and practices can be imitated by the rest of us. Then, it stands to reason, their success, their effectiveness, can be yours if you follow their path. And buy my book.

There may be some value to studying the habits of highly effective people. There are some wise practices and thoughtful approaches that can be gleaned. But if we read the Holy Scriptures through that lens—trying to uncover secret wisdom for a successful life—we sell God short and will miss the blessed life that the Lord desires.

It’s easy for us to hear the word blessed in the Scriptures and think God just is using a different word, a more spiritual term, for success. But that is not what God’s Word is saying to us in (Ps. 1:1-2) 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, 2 but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. We get a glimpse of this reality when Jesus uses this blessed formula in his sermon on the Mount. In the Beatitudes Jesus says these groups are blessed (Mt. 5:3-9) 1) the poor in spirit, 2) those who mourn, 3) the meek, 4) Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, 5) the merciful, 6) the pure in heart, and finally 7) the peacemakers. There are not those we see being successful in this world. So clearly God has a different concept of what it means to be blessed.

That’s what we will learn as we dig into this Psalm today. This Psalm has much to teach us, but today we are going to focus on three things. Psalm 1 reveals 1) something about how we tend to act in this world, 2) something about how the blessed one approaches things, and finally 3) the considerable difference between success and prosperity.

Right in the first two verses of this first Psalm, we learn something about how we tend to act in this world. God gives us a clear warning. (Ps. 1:1) 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. And we might summarize these words with a shorter, more pithy proverb. (1 Cor. 15:33) Bad company corrupts good character. That is true. But that undersells what is being said here. God’s warning is about a progression. An intensification. We go from walking in step with the wicked, to standing in the way of sinners, to finally sitting in the company of mockers. The commitment escalates.

The Lord who sees and knows all things is blessing us with tremendous insight into the natural pattern of mankind. We are thoughtful people. We contemplate and we plan; we respond and we react. We aren’t always as thoughtful as we can and should be, but we are rarely thoughtless.

But we are also social people. What people around us think impacts us. What people around us think about us, shapes us. Some of us are more influenced by other people; others are more maverick-y. Now we might think that the warning God provides for us here is just for those who are more susceptible to peer pressure or more socially sensitive. If you’re someone who gives into peer pressure, don’t walk in step with the wicked or stand amongst sinners, or take a seat alongside the mockers. But that’s not what it says, does it? Yes, the person who is content to go with the flow is in grave danger when they put themselves in this position. But God doesn’t say, Some of you are going to be able to handle this stuff fine. You can walk alongside wicked people and not be influenced. You can sit down with mockers and not get drawn into the quicksand of their iniquities.

Because here’s what happens. And this is just another instance of the wisdom of God’s eternal word. This is just another example of God’s Word being (Heb. 4:12) living and active and sharper than any two edged sword. The easily-influenced person is more likely to walk like the wicked walk when they’re around the wicked, and talk like the sinners do when they’re standing next to them, and imitate the mockers when they find themselves sitting next to them. You can hear and see this individual falling into temptation in such clear ways.

But the maverick isn’t safe either. Because the maverick looks at the wicked and says to himself: At least I’m not doing that! He stands next to the sinners and he sees all the ways they fall short of God’s standard and comforts himself by thinking I’m a lot closer to doing right than they are. He sits down with the mockers and listens to the scornfulness and concludes I would never say anything like that! You can’t miss the haughtiness in this foolish boast.

And we ought to recognize that we aren’t just one type or the other. Not all the time. Because for most of us, there are settings and situations where we act like the maverick—and we fall prey to our sinful pride. And there are times and places that we let our guard down, too. There are some individuals that when we’re around them we’re more likely to feel like we can let our hair down—spiritually speaking. That person is likely a Christian you have known for a long time. Someone who knows you well and has seen you fall into temptation before and you know them well and you have seen them fall into temptation, too. It could be your spouse or a long-time friend or someone you have worked alongside. Instead of holding each other accountable, instead of rebuking sin and speaking the truth in love, you assume they already know better. You let things slide. You accept what God calls unacceptable. And you wink and nod that this will be our little secret.

So let’s take both of God’s warnings seriously. If you surround yourself with sinful people and fill your mind with sinful thoughts, don’t be surprised when the thoughts and attitudes of this wicked world begin to shape your actions to conform more and more to the Devil’s desires. When you allow your children to be raised by social media and unbelieving strangers on a screen, don’t be surprised when their attitudes toward the Bible—God’s law and his Gospel—are filled with suspicion and scorn. When you allow the goals and purpose of your life to be shaped by those who don’t share your faith in Jesus, don’t be surprised when you are spiteful, envious, and discontent. When we our minds gobble up the glittering garbage of this world, we will not live the God-pleasing lives we are called to lead. Evil erodes our consciences slowly. Guard your hearts and minds is God’s first warning.

But there is a second warning. If all we were called to do was to guard our hearts and minds, we should get thee to a nunnery, right? Just remove ourselves from society the best we can so that we can insulate ourselves from the sinful world around us. In our day and age, we ought to take that view far more seriously than we might like. But, we also must temper that path. Because even if we could get away from it all, we still could not out run the sin that dwells within all mankind. The reason the world is so sinful is because people are so sinful. And we are no different. (Jer. 17:9) Our hearts are deceitful beyond all measure and beyond our ability to cure them. It’s not enough just to not fall in line with the sinful habits of the world around us. And even running away from it all, can’t keep us away from all that’s wrong and wicked.

The fate that we deserve is described in verses four and five. All those who are wicked (Ps. 1:4) are like chaff that the wind blows away. We can’t stand before God’s righteous judgment and claim we weren’t as bad as the rest. We can’t justify ourselves by pointing to everyone else’s sinfulness. God is holy. He demands holiness. He demands that we hate sin as he hates sin and that we love righteousness as he loves righteousness. And none of us can do that.

But there is one who can and who has. The Psalmist, whether it’s David or someone else, is not writing about himself—but rather the Blessed Lord Jesus. Though he walked this earth and alongside wicked people, he never walked in step with them for even a moment. Though Jesus was accused of being (Lk 7:34) a glutton and a drunkard by his enemies, they only said that because Jesus ate with tax collectors and sinners. Jesus never ate to excess or drank to intoxication. He never had anything (Eph. 5:11) to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness. Instead he was (Eph. 5:18) filled with the Spirit and (Lk. 7:35) his wisdom was evident by his deeds. He did not come to seek the counsel of the wicked on how to have a good time, but he came to rebuke their sinfulness, warn them of the coming wrath, and show them the goodness of God. Anyone who has spent any social time with those who would call themselves wicked knows how difficult this is to do. But Jesus did it again and again—perfectly. Not only did he never give into temptation—regardless of what was happening around him—he never even desired it a little bit! Sin had nothing that appealed to him. His delight was in the Law of the Lord. He spent his days and his nights contemplating the deep things of God. His righteousness. His plan of salvation. His love for the world. The Blessed one approaches life differently than you and I do, doesn’t he?

This same Righteous One did not take the path of the sinners of his day—those who fall short of God’s standard. As the time for Jesus’ public preaching ministry drew to a close, he knew what lay before him. The pain and suffering and shame of the cross. He did not have to be dragged kicking and screaming to make that sacrifice. Instead he (Lk. 9:52) resolutely set out for Jerusalem. To prepare the people for what he was going to do for them, he sent out his disciples to get things ready so that he could speak to the people of each village he passed through on his way to Jerusalem. One Samaritan city refused to welcome him. James and John were ready to call down fire from heaven and destroy those people. But instead of getting frustrated with them and being insulted by their rejection, he rebuked his disciples for being so cold and merciless. God did send his Blessed One into the world to destroy the world, but to sacrifice himself for recalcitrant sinners such as these. The Blessed one approaches life differently than you and I do, doesn’t he?

As he suffered and died for the sins of the world, Jesus found himself in the company of mockers. Over and over again they (Mt. 27:43) challenged his claim to be the Son of God. If you really are the Messiah, they said, prove it. (Mt. 27:40) Come down from the cross! (Mt. 27:42) You saved all those other people, but you cannot save yourself! You’re supposed to be the King of Israel! What kind of king dies like a criminal? Come down from the cross and we will believe in you! Think about that pressure. Coming off the cross would have meant an end to the physical, mental, and spiritual anguish he was enduring. And he could have showed up his mockers. Really put them in their place. But instead he took our place. He stood in the judgment for wicked people like you and me! He could not bear to see you and I go (Ps. 1:6) down the way that leads to destruction, so he allowed the temple of his body to be destroyed, so that we might be spared and saved and (Ps. 1:3) planted by streams of water.

By grace, through faith, you have been blessed. The blessed Jesus has walked the path you have not. He has stood out for your. He has made his dwelling here on earth so that you could have an eternal dwelling in heaven. And you are blessed because of this. But you have not been lifted to the heavens, yet. No, you are the blessed person who is like a tree planted by streams of water. Do you understand what the Psalmist is saying in this picture? He is showing us the critical and considerable difference between being successful and being prosperous. Success is an achievement. Prosperity is an attribute. Success fades and spoils. Prosperity endures and persists.

They say, even a blind squirrel can find a nut once in a while—that’s success. A prosperous squirrel has a bountiful midden, which is apparently the terminology for their stash of nuts for the winter. Success can be streaky. But prosperity is the result of sticking to a proven process. That’s the picture God gives us here. The blessed child of God (Ps. 1:3) is like a tree planted by a stream of water. (Jer. 17:8) It does not fear when the heat comes. It has no worries in a year of drought. Because it knows where to find what it needs. It lives alongside living water. That is exactly what God has done for you. He has planted you and he will make you prosperous. No tree plants itself. Rather, through natural forces like wind or fire or gravity or animal or man, things that God has designed and made, that tree is planted and provided for so that it might prosper. That is exactly what God has done for you. He has planted you here, in this fertile field so that you might grow and mature and produce fruit in season. God wants you to prosper. Not necessarily successful as the world sees things. But prosperous according to his plan. Producing fruit in season, a harvest of righteousness and peace.

How does that happen? Of course we go back to what the Psalm says. It is important that we seriously scrutinize the habits and patterns of the world around us. But we do not stop there. We dig in deeply to the Word of God. We delight in how his Law reveals what true righteousness looks like and does. To do this we must give God the space to grow us. Here’s what I mean. If this hour is the only time you spend in the Word of God, it is not going to be your delight. It might feel like a drudgery! If you are filling your mind, your heart, your life with the way the wicked walk, or the stances that sinful people take, or the scornful criticisms of mockers, you are not growing. So choose carefully what you are feeding on. (Rom. 12:2) Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. Be transformed by the powerful Word of God. Spending time in worship, spending time in Bible Study with your brothers and sisters, spending time in personal devotions, spending time in prayer—these are the habits of highly blessed people. The Lord watches over these habits and blesses them and grows us. When we do these things we are like that tree. Healthy even when we cannot see the fruitfulness we’d like to see. Fruitful in season. Never scorched because our leaves do not wither, even when so many others are being dried up by the droughts of difficult days.

The blessed child of God meditates on his Word day and night, in good times and in bad, in the house of God and in our own homes. What does it mean to meditate? So often we think of some person sitting there cross-legged with their eyes closed and maybe they’re humming or repeating some phrase or word over and over again. Physical discipline is often helpful when we are focusing on something. When we pray, we often close our eyes, so that we can concentrate. But maybe you’ll get meditation better if you think back a little ways. Meditation is the deep affection of the heart. Do you remember when you were really young and you had your first crush. You couldn’t stop thinking about them. Songs came on the radio and you thought of them. When you were around them, your eyes were locked on them. When you weren’t around them, you were still thinking about them. You wanted to call them and talk to them. You were in love. Meditating on God’s Word is a little like an adolescent crush—and the best part is, this one will never let you down, because God is more deeply in love with you than you ever could be with him. The more we meditate on his Word, the more and more we see this to be true.

May the Lord who loves us, who lived and died for us, continue to bless and prosper us, as we grow in all grace and knowledge. Amen.