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.
Psalm 1 is one of my favorite passages. It's a strange concept at first. I remember reading it when I had just started understanding who Jesus really is--who GOD really is. It seemed so foreign, even apart from its poetic form. Even understanding all the words.
I grew up in an especially Christian home, if there were such a thing. (There isn't.) For sake of clarity, my family was deeply involved in the church occupationally, voluntarily, and habitually. I grew up familiar with "Bible words". I knew 'blessed' meant 'happy' from the time I could spell it. (And I started spelling pretty early.) But I didn't experience the blessedness this psalm is talking about until I was twelve years old and I obeyed what it said.
So when I look at this psalm now, I know what it means in a whole new way.
Happiness. Something everyone wants. And this psalm tells us how to get it.
DO NOT:
- Walk in the counsel of the wicked.
- Stand in the way of sinners.
- Sit in the seat of scoffers.
Who are the wicked? The opposite of the righteous. And who is righteous? "None is righteous; no, not one" (Ro. 3:10). No one here on earth, that is. God is righteous (vs 26). "All have sinned" (vs 23), therefore we are all sinners. And everyday we experience someone who scoffs at doing the right thing--many times we scoff at it ourselves. So we know who the passage is talking about.
What is it telling us not to do? The verbs walk, stand, sit all suggest a permanent residence in focusing on the counsel/teachings of other people. If we're spending the majority of our lives trying to follow in someone else's footsteps, we're in the wrong. So who can we turn to?
DO:
- Delight in the Law of the Lord.
- Meditates on the Law day and night.
That's the most intimidating part of this Psalm. Delight? Meditate? Big words. Who delights in reading the Bible every day? Who thinks about the Bible all day and all night?
These were my feelings as I first read this psalm.
But here's what I didn't expect. The more I read, the more I learned, the more I enjoyed it. The more I thought about it, the more I learned about God, and the more I loved Him.
This is who I became:
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.
See? That's me now! I'm like a tree. I'm rooted. And that's who I want to be. God holds me in his hand. I always have exactly what I need exactly when I need it. I always have this relationship. I don't need to try to be like anyone else. In fact, I shouldn't. Everyone else will lead me the wrong way at some point--but God is here for me. Maybe the Beatles were right. Maybe all I need is love.
Psalm 91:14-16
"Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him;
I will protect him, because he knows my name.
15
When he calls to me, I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble;
I will rescue him and honor him.
16
With long life I will satisfy him
and show him my salvation.”
