Psalm 1

Psalm 1:1 Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. 
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, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers. 
4 Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away. 
5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. 
6 For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.



Overview:

Here at the beginning of the Psalter, God sets the major themes for the rest of the book, indeed for all the Bible.

I.  There are two groups of people--1) those who are blessed, verses 1-3; and 2) those who are not blessed--verses 4-5. Verse 6 contrasts the two together.

II. There is a supreme being, the Lord, who is above both groups, to whom both groups must give account, to whom both groups must appeal for benefits, and who will judge both groups.

III. The one group God's word calls "the righteous"; the other group God labels "the wicked".

Implied, but not spoken in the text, is the necessity of choice. Each human falls into one of these two categories--which category will it be for my own life?

Verse 1: Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers.

At the beginning of the Psalter, in the very first verse, is the idea of separation, a calling out. The man (woman) of God is to be separated, distinct, different, identifiable from the rest.  The child of God is to behave differently from others. He (she) hears a different song, has a different fountain, goes by a different set of principles than the others, than the former friends. A newborn babe in Christ will not progress far at all until separation occurs, a tearing of the placenta from the womb of the world. It is the first great test of the Christian walk--whom will I follow? With whom will I associate myself? Do I dare leave the crowd and stand alone? Do I trust my God this much?

Verse 2: But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.

In verse 2, the child of God wants to leave behind his association with the people of the world. He has a new delight, a new love. God's child delights in learning more and more and more about God. He wants to hear the Lord's voice; he no longer finds satisfaction in "hanging out" with the world. It is God's word he loves; he cannot get enough of it. God's word is such a delight to him that he turns to it day and night. He camps out upon it, reading and re-reading, thinking about, meditating upon, experiencing, living the word of God.

Verse 3: He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.

Verse 3 implicitly tells what God does. God is the planter of the tree. God is the gardener, the husbandman, the caretaker. Trees, unlike other plants, are permanent, long lasting, durable, fixed, unmoving, solid. This tree God plants by a stream of water, His word, on which the young believer meditates day and night.

Verse 3 does not promise fair skies, nor easy going, nor a problem free life. But it does promise endurance and stability. The same skies are above the tree planted by the streams of water as the tree planted in a rocky, dry place. The same storms and winds assail the tree planted by the water as the other trees not planted there. But while the other trees wither and die from lack of water in times of drought, while the attacks of insects and disease may kill them, while harsh winds may stunt their growth, the tree planted by the water survives. It does more than survive. God's planting grows continually, always fed by waters of abundance, until a time of ripe maturity, fruit, that feeds others and proves to be a great blessing. There is no old age of uselessness for this tree; this tree always is in the green; its leaves never wither; it always prospers. There is no specific occupation that a child of God must pursue--whatever the child of God does, he prospers in it. Why? Because the child of God is always walking in the will of God, being fed night and day by the law of God, His word. God is free to bless abundantly such a one, because this person wants for himself (herself) whatever it is that God wants. Night will not fall upon  this tree. It will always be day in the believer's heart, no matter what the weather.

Verse 4: Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away.

Not so the wicked. The wicked, in contrast, are temporary. They have no permanent place either in God's kingdom or in the world, or in the age to come. Even housewives and little children come out with their brooms to sweep away the chaff. Sweep the chaff away from the doorstep and let the wind do its job of blowing it away, only to be scattered, never to be seen nor heard of nor thought of ever again.

Verse 5: Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. 

Sinners will be crushed by God in the judgment. He will blow them away, just like chaff is driven before the wind, dry, crusty, empty, hollow. No-counts. God's judgment will be harsh and the wicked will not survive it.

The righteous will survive the judgment of God. God's wrath and fury will pass by, and there the righteous are, still standing in His presence; still assembled as a joyous, glad throng before him. Not one single wicked person will be among them. They have all perished and been removed by the condemnation of God.

Verse 6: For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.

God is the Lord; He is the caretaker, the caregiver, the gardener, the watchman, the protector, the savior of the righteous. They are His, and He protects them. The righteous will never perish from before the Lord. He Himself will see to that. But the wicked and their way will perish. They will be gone. 

Conclusion: What am I going to do in response to this Psalm? Am I going to mock, scorn, and ignore it like the wicked in verse 1? Or am I going to humble my heart before the Lord, confess my faults to Him, tell Him of my need and my utter inability to either read and study His word faithfully, profitably, or walk according to it? Am I going to play the part of the fool and sing a drunken ditty alone in the solitude of my own destitute heart as I pursue the path that leads to death? Oh, Lord, help me please by Your mercy and grace to choose rightly this day.

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Thank-You, Lord, for the words of this Psalm, Your word. I marvel, Lord, at Your justice. You do not hide Your way. You do not write requirements for us to follow but then keep them hidden. You have written the game and you have given us the rules of the game. You want men and women to be saved. You place warning signs directly in front of our feet and shine your beacon square upon the letters telling of the danger before us. Such is this Psalm, Lord. Help me, O Lord, my God, to use Your word as my compass, my map, to lead and guide me through this dark, quiet night. I love You, Lord. Thanking You, in Jesus' name, Christina, amen.