Psalm 1 The Message
1 How well God must like you—
you don’t walk in the ruts of those blind-as-bats,
you don’t stand with the good-for-nothings,
you don’t take your seat among the know-it-alls.
2-3 Instead you thrill to God’s Word,
you chew on Scripture day and night.
You’re a tree replanted in Eden,
bearing fresh fruit every month,
Never dropping a leaf,
always in blossom.
4-5 You’re not at all like the wicked,
who are mere windblown dust—
Without defense in court,
unfit company for innocent people.
6 God charts the road you take.
The road they take leads to nowhere.
Word of God for the Children of God
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
Finding, embracing our Happiness in What We Avoid
Psalm 1
The Two Ways
1 How happy is the one who does not
walk in the advice of the wicked
or stand in the pathway with sinners
or sit in the company of mockers!
2 Instead, his delight is in the Lord’s instruction,
and he meditates on it day and night.
3 He is like a tree planted beside flowing streams[a]
that bears its fruit in its season,
and its leaf does not wither.
Whatever he does prospers.
4 The wicked are not like this;
instead, they are like chaff that the wind blows away.
5 Therefore the wicked will not stand up 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 leads to ruin.
Happiness includes having the courage to avoid destructive situations. We can draw the line in uncertain friendships. We can walk away from compromising situations. We can say no to opportunities that could lead to wrongdoing.
This is how God describes his followers who seek to honor him and to live by his Word. When we are supplied with wisdom from God, we can avoid misfortunes, regrets, and many troubles by learning to exactly how say no before it’s too late.
Rather than walking in step with the wicked, “those who belong to Christ Jesus” can “keep in step with the Spirit” (Galatians 5:24-25).
In Christ, we are given new life and “called to be free” (5:13).
It doesn’t mean we are free to follow our old sinful nature. Rather, we are called to “serve one another humbly in love” (5:13), following the whole law of God.
If we walk in the way of the wicked, stand proudly with sinners, or sit dutifully among mockers, we will be just like them, and we will not enjoy the happiness of life that God wants for us.
We will be blown away like dust in the wind, for “the way of the wicked leads to destruction.”
Psalm 1 is often described as teaching about the two ways: the way of godly wisdom, and the way of foolish wickedness. “Blessed [or happy] is the one who . . .” avoids the way of wickedness but delights in the way of the Lord.
God’s truth will always outweigh and outlive all its detractors.
As the prophet Isaiah proclaims, “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever” (Isaiah 40:8).
As the Psalter opens, we find that the blessed person—the truly happy one—delights in the enduring truth of God’s word.
The very words of the Lord are precious to them; each word tastes sweeter than honey (Psalm 19:10).
Yet such a person doesn’t only delight in the law of the Lord; they also meditate upon it.
Meditation is akin to the process of digestion.
It is possible, in physical terms, just to stick food in your mouth and do nothing with it, but that will add nothing of nutritional value to your body.
We risk the same with God’s word if we come to it Sunday by Sunday and turn to it day by day without intentional meditation.
Often we feel as if our lives are racing by at 100 miles an hour.
Daily time in God’s word becomes a chore to complete, just to say we’ve done it.
Instead, we need to continually find ways to store up God’s word in our hearts (Psalm 119:11).
We need consciously to take time to chew it over, to ask throughout the day, “What does this verse really mean? How should it shape my thoughts and actions in this situation? What is it showing me about the glory of God? How might God use it to conform me to the image of Christ?”
We are not called to snack on the Scriptures but to feast on them.
There is no end to God’s excellencies, there is no end to the riches of His word.
What will it mean for you to meditate on it?
By prayer, seek the help of the Spirit of God to harness your heart and mind to the text.
Carefully consider what the Bible has to say.
Ponder it.
Probe it.
Chew on it
throughout the day to release as many soul-nourishing nutrients as you can.
Psalm 139:23-24 Christian Standard Bible
23 Search me, God, and know my heart;
test me and know my concerns.
24 See if there is any offensive[a] way in me;
lead me in the everlasting way.
What does Psalm 1:2 teach us?
It explains that in which true blessedness –deep, rich, real, God-bestowed, God-centered happiness– consists. And it does so in the very first sentence.
Psalm 1:1-2 “Blessed is the man” . . . [whose] “delight is in the law of the Lord.”
Notice there is no opposition of blessing and obedience, or of delight and duty.
What is the simple explanation of Psalm 1?
Psalm 1 is called a wisdom psalm because we learn that happiness results from our choice to follow God’s direction of life.
In this psalm the writer sets forth two ways or two directions in life.
One is the right way that leads to happiness, and the other is the wrong way that leads to misery.
What is the moral of Psalms 1?
Psalm 1 proclaims truths echoed in the book of Proverbs: that
following the wisdom of God is the best and wisest way to live.
Like Proverbs, this psalm declares that those who obey God’s teachings can avoid serious consequences arising from committing to sin and disobedience.
What is the warning in Psalm 1?
This Psalm has a warning and a promise.
The warning describes the downward journey of a person who would rather listen to the chorus of this world rather than the word of God.
While the great promise of His happiness is for the righteous only.
And as you meditate on the law of your Lord, ask God not just to increase your knowledge of Him but o change you from the inside out to be more like His Son.
As you see His word go to work in your heart and mind and life, you will come more and more to experience continuous delight in reading it and living by it.
In the name of God, the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit
Praying ….
Psalm 32
The Joy of Forgiveness
Of David. A Maskil.
1 How joyful is the one
whose transgression is forgiven,
whose sin is covered!
2 How joyful is a person whom
the Lord does not charge with iniquity
and in whose spirit is no deceit!
3 When I kept silent, my bones became brittle
from my groaning all day long.
4 For day and night your hand was heavy on me;
my strength was drained[a]
as in the summer’s heat.Selah
5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you
and did not conceal my iniquity.
I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,”
and you forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah
6 Therefore let everyone who is faithful pray to you immediately.[b]
When great floodwaters come,
they will not reach him.
7 You are my hiding place;
you protect me from trouble.
You surround me with joyful shouts of deliverance. Selah
8 I will instruct you and show you the way to go;
with my eye on you, I will give counsel.
9 Do not be like a horse or mule,
without understanding,
that must be controlled with bit and bridle
or else it will not come near you.
10 Many pains come to the wicked,
but the one who trusts in the Lord
will have faithful love surrounding him.
11 Be glad in the Lord and rejoice,
you righteous ones;
shout for joy,
all you upright in heart.
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
Loving God, Living God, Loving Hope, Living Hope, Loving Living Life His Way! "Many things are possible for the person who has hope. Even more is possible for the person who has faith. And still more is possible for the person who knows how to love. But everything is possible for the person who practices all three virtues." - Brother Lawrence (1605-1691), Practicing the Presence of God (1692). 