Psalm 1
Notes
Transcript
Psalm 1
Psalm 1
English Standard Version 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;
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.
Pray
Pray
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; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. 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. The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. Therefore the wicked will 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 wicked will perish.”
The psalms are 150 songs, poems, and prayers throughout Israel’s history.
Many written for choirs but was organized into the book of Psalms after Israel’s exile
Psalm 1 is anonymously written as an introduction for worship.
Combined with Psalm 2, which is a poetic reflection on 2 Samuel 7 and points to the future Messianic king, the Psalms can be defined as
The prayerbook of God’s people who are striving to be faithful to the Torah and awaiting for the Messianic kingdom
Today Christ has established an already-but-not-yet kingdom, and the psalms can/should continue to be our prayer book as we await the kingdom of God in fulness when Christ returns
Pericopal Theology: True happiness and real “prosperity” comes from the law of the Lord, not the destructive ways of man
Verse 1:
Blessed refers to deep happiness. Blessedness of life of a man who is straight with God.
Righteous man will be a happy man; don’t mean a temporary happiness, but deep joy.
Not blessed is the wealthy business man; governor; or well-educated. It’s attainable for any person. Poor, forgotten and obscure.
The blessed man stands in contrast to the world. Doesn’t do certain things that are normal to the world.
The three actions (walk not in counsel of ungodly, stand in way of sinners, sit in seat of scornful) can be summarized as thinking, behaving, belonging
Can also be a progression of sin—walking, standing, sitting. Become closer and closer to sin.
e.g. car dealership
Walks not in the counsel of the ungodly
taking wisdom/counsel/advice from the world and unrighteous
Practically- do you only listen to believers? Ignore my boss?
Discerning what’s said vs. God’s law
Counsel of the ungodly can be internal. come from the flesh not the Spirit
Righteous person finds counsel in God’s law and the people of God
Stands in the way of sinners
Lifestyle of sinners—the lifestyle of the righteous looks different
Matthew 7:13—enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it
The righteous are not afraid to look different from the world. Their behavior and choices in how they engage the world and what is in it will look different
Sits in the seat of the scornful
Contempt or derision for the righteous and the things of God
The righteous won’t join in that. They won’t tolerate sitting down to join the scorners. They won’t allow the righteous to be scorned by being in the presence of the scorners
The righteous man from the start does things differently from the world. But what does he do?
but his delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law he meditates day and night.
He delights on God’s word.
The law of the Lord —refers to Torah, but has double meaning. Placement as the first book of Psalms invites the reader into the Psalms as well as the Torah.
Finds comfort and life in God’s word. It’s his solace and joy.
Assess: what do you delight in?
What makes you happy? What makes you excited. You are and become what you love.
Meditate- filled with the word of God. Meditation brings about delight in the law of the Lord and produces righteousness
memorization
Meditation carries the connotation of quick verbalization.
Orthodox- Maykel; see what words stand out
Reading is good. Meditation is better. “It chews the cud” and get the most sweetness and nutrition out of the word.
Think deeply and ponder. Come back to a passage multiple times a day. Focus on the psalms especially. Psalm 1
Psalm 1:3 “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.”
What does the righteous, meditative, Bible-delighting man look like?
A tree!
needs stable water source for deep roots
Trees expend tremendous effort getting to water source e.g. sycamore tree at home
The life of the righteous man is marked by strength and stability. Despite storms and maybe a temporary drought (uncertainty in life) the man will remain strong
Fruit bearing is in it’s season. Might not have the instantaneous fruit. It takes fruit trees years until they bear fruit and years after that until they peak in output
Think of the fruit of the Spirit. Fruit bearing becomes natural as its connected to a power source. As a righteous man is walking in the Spirit (the waters) he’ll bear fruit.
We bear fruit as we abide in Christ (John 15)
The leaves don’t wither. The righteous man doesn’t have teh signs of death and dryness.
Everything he does shall prosper
Not just in a material sense. It’s not a King Midas thing where everything turns to gold. Not about wealth and comfort.
God brings something good and wonderful out of everything. Even the tough life circumstances God can use to bear fruit and bring glory to Him
Psalm 1:4 “The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away.”
The life and output of the wicked stands radically in contrast to the righteous.
Chaff is the shell around a kernel of grain. Must be stripped away before the kernel of grain can be turned into flour. Usually separated by throwing into the breeze.
Chaff is on a grain, something that appears full of value.
The life of the wicked appears to be something meaningful. There seems to be value in how they live. Grain has value. But their lives are the chaff, not the wheat.
At some point the facade of a wicked lifestyle comes out, showing it to amount to nothing
Hebrews 11:25-26 “choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward.”
Picture a big oak tree that has roots out 200’ and has been around for 300 years and compare it to basically dust
Intrisically worthless, dead, unserviceable, without substance, and easily carried away.
Big difference ultimately between the life of the righteous and wicked
Psalm 1:5 “Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;”
The wicked have no weight to stand before the righteous judge on judgment day
In the congregation of the righteous—there’s a mismatch when sinners are in the congregation of the righteous. The two opposite lifestyles don’t align.
This is a warning to the wicked. Change your lifestyle. Follow the narrow way and become like a tree bearing fruits of righteousness.
Psalm 1:6 “for the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.”
The righteous can rest in Christ. They can have peace because they are rooted and grounded in righteousness and
God knows the end of all things for both believers and unbelievers. Life with Christ or destruction.
This should serve as a reminder to remain on the path of righteousness.
Paul in Philippians 3:17-21
Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us. For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.
Psalm 1: True happiness and real “prosperity” comes from the law of the Lord, not the destructive ways of man
Application: Take time meditating on the law of the Lord by using the Psalms as your prayerbook
Read Psalm 1 together in closing