Psalm 1

Many commentators the first two Psalms to be introductions to the primary themes developed in the Psalms.

• Psalm 1 deals with choices, free will, and the law.
• Psalm 2 deals with prophecy and eternity.

The problems surrounding the suffering of the righteous and the prosperity of the wicked are ones that have been around in every age.

• In the Psalms this problem occupies a prominent place.
• It is one thing to, like the Hebrews, understand intellectually in YHWH's righteous government of the world, despite many of the superficial appearances to the contrary.
• However, it is quite another to believe with your heart that the righteous are blessed and the wicked are cursed, which is the theme of this first Psalm.
• This is especially true in today's western culture given the fact that many of our most successful churches preach a gospel of health and prosperity for the righteous.
• The reality is that these things couldn't be further from the truth of the Bible. Health and prosperity will certainly be the eternal result but this temporary life, in a broken world with broken people full of broken motives who possess broken minds and bodies, will be a life that demands perseverance and hardship.

We should long for a life that is difficult. Without difficulty we naturally slip into a lethargic state. Without difficulty we will not grow stronger and more deeply in our love and understanding of the Lord.

• There is no greater and richer blessing than having to pursue a disciplined life.
• Any other pursuit will leave an individual with a feeling of emptiness, sadness, and purposeless existence.

Psalm 1 shows the reality of living the life of a Godly person (vs.1-3) and living the life of an ungodly person (vs.4-6).

• vs.1
• "Blessed" - The word that's used here is ash'rei- and it has two basic interpretations.
• 1. Happiness
• 2. Blessedness
• I believe that both interpretations are valid here. Happiness is primarily emotional and based on circumstances. Blessedness is not based in time but rather in a relationship with the Divine God.
• Happiness depends on the individual.
• Blessedness depends on God.
• You cannot divorce one idea from the other. In a world that is in constant pursuit of an emotional high the child of God has the potential to obtain emotional stability from a relationship with and a knowledge of the promises of an unchanging God.
• This verse tells a story of a persons journey into the way of the ungodly.
• Walking -> Standing -> Sitting
• You cannot avoid hearing and receiving the counsel of the ungodly. You will encounter worldly philosophy as you walk through this life.
• The danger comes when you stop to listen and think through worldly counsel. This puts the individual directly in the path of sinners.
• If you are not diligent to spend time in the Word daily, it does not take long before you are beginning to adopt thinking and living based off of counsel from the world rather than the Word of God.
• Worldly philosophy makes sense. It is based in this world, it answers many of the questions of the temporal world, and it is often based in the wisdom of temporal things.
• Because of this, even the most seasoned believer can be enticed by ungodly counsel.
• Counsel -> Path -> Seat
• Counsel assumes hearing, Path assumes stopping and listening, Seat assumes agreeing and taking the counsel of someone other than God. What begins as a casual visit ends as a permanent residence.
• If you are not diligent to spend time in the Word daily, it does not take long before you are beginning to adopt thinking and living based off of counsel from the world rather than the Word of God.
• The change does not happen drastically, but rather happens slowly as you begin to slide down a slippery slope.
• Your focus and goals change. Happiness becomes more important than holiness.
• Your kingdom becomes more important than God’s kingdom. Your thoughts seem higher than God’s thoughts.
• It is not until you get back into God’s Word that you realize how far you have strayed in your thinking and your lifestyle.
• Ungodly -> Sinners -> Scornful
• Psalm 1:1 reminds us that we need to maintain balance in our relationships with unbelievers.
• The Bible does not forbid association with unbelievers. We need to know lost people so we can love them and win them to Christ.
• The problem comes when those who don't know Christ are able to lead us away from Him.
• vs.2
• It's important to notice that the only Godly counsel that one can receive comes from God.
• It does not come from other believers, Godly counsel comes from God alone.
• While brothers and sisters may be the conduit through which the Lord chooses to communicate, the only true test of the counsel you receive will be the revealed Word of God.
• If we want to flourish spiritually, we need to pay attention to the directions our Leader has given.
• For us that means paying close attention to the Word of God, making it our daily delight and the subject of our study and meditation.
• Jesus called it abiding in Him and allowing His Word to abide in us. His promise is that when we do this, we will be spiritually fruitful (John 15:7-8).
• vs.3
• The life of a Godly person is pictured here as a tree: a few things to note in this analogy
• This tree is not wild. It's a planted tree. One that has been carefully cultivated and secured.
• The tree is planted near a source of sustenance. At no point can a tree sustain itself.
• "That brings forth fruit in its season"
• Not unseasonable and underdeveloped fruit, which is bitter and unpleasant, but fully developed, ripe and ready for use.
• Patience in the time of suffering
• Faith in the day of trial
• Joy in the hour of prosperity, etc.
• This should guide the individual in their thoughts and reactions to everyday circumstances.
• Often the best response is humility and self-reflection. Hopefully in this one will be able to live wisely by knowing the fruit that is at their disposal and by responding in a God honoring fashion.
• A quick reaction is rarely, if ever, the Godly reaction.
• Because God is the source of our fruit producing ability (i.e. the river) we can be assured that fruit will grow.
• However, if we are not careful to examine and use the fruit of God's labor in our lives at the proper time the result will never be beneficial.
• Likewise, unused fruit will eventually become rotten and fall away.
• This means that the individual must be vigilant and consistent in their examination and use of the things that God is producing and developing in their life.
• A person who is careful to do these things will experience the blessing of the remainder of the verse.
• vs.4
• "By the way of contrast the description might have continued with reference to a scrawny, crippled, blasted tree that is in every way the reverse of the one just pictured. Instead, a stronger contrast is obtained by selecting the most useless of the elements to be found in the vegetable world and generally known as such in times of old --- chaff." - H.C. Leupold
• For the same figure see Ps. 35:5; Job 21:18; Is. 29:5; 41:2; Hos. 13:3; Matt. 3:12
• The contrast is shocking here. The Godly individual is compared to a tree while the ungodly is compared to bits of dead, useless casing that surround seeds of grain.
• Chaff has no substance. The idea is that the counsel of the ungodly will fall away. It has no use. It cannot produce anything.
• In comparison the sustenance received from God produces deep roots to weather storms as well as healthy leaves and fruit.
• The individual here has a choice. Produce no roots and chaff or produce deep roots and healthy leaves/fruit.
• vs.5-6
• Perhaps most interesting to note here is that both lives (the Godly and the ungodly) come to an end.
• This is the reality of all human existence. Life ends. (Hebrews 9:27)
• The promise of God's provision does not extend a persons life. Whether you live to be 10 or 110, life is short, it is meant to end.
• Just like the seasonal fruit, life will end when the time is right.
• It's also important to notice that there are only two ways mentioned here in Psalm 1: the way of the righteous, the way of the ungodly.
• While there are only two ways there are multiple paths that an individual can follow.
• This is where free will comes into play.
• The reality is that the Christ follower will sometimes journey down paths that are ungodly. However, if the individual is in the way of Jesus, God has promised to shepherd us back to paths that are straight and righteous.

I'll close by quoting a verse from Isaiah: ¹⁰ “ For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, and do not return there, but water the earth, and make it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater, ¹¹ So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it." - Isaiah 55:10-11