BLESSED IS THE MAN

“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” (Psalm 1:1, ESV).

  

I love the Psalms and Psalm 1 is one that I read often and find comforting and meaningful.

I believe the intent of the first verse is to convey the understanding that God’s blessing is on the person who sincerely desires to follow the Lord in all areas of his/her life. It is easy to get caught up in the meaning of “sit,” “stand,” or “walk” and miss the overriding statement about the blessing of God on the life of the committed follower.

Verse 2 - “But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.”

Verse two tells us from where the “blessed” person derives his strength and purpose; he finds them by continually feeding on God’s Word. I think we misunderstand the second part of the verse if we read it to mean that we have to be constantly thinking about and reading scripture. Meditation as referred to in scripture is often meant to be a reminder to frequently go back and feed on a particular verse or passage.

Verse 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.”

Verse three shows us the result of person who is honestly trying to follow the Lord and values God’s Word enough to immerse (soak) himself in it. This kind of person, scripture says, has put down roots. When a tree has deep roots, it doesn’t matter all that much what is going on above the surface of the ground — there could be drought, famine, plagues, Democrats, rain, hail, snow, earthquakes — it really doesn’t matter because his roots are deep and they keep him anchored, nourished and standing when all hell is breaking loose.

Don’t get lost in the meaning of the word prosper; it is very culturally western to immediately think of financial success. I am not trying to diminish that but instead to bring a balance. The prosperity that the Psalmist is speaking of has to do with continued growth, advancement and success in life.

Verses 4-5 - “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.”

Verses four and five are contrast verses. They contrast the life of the “blessed” person with the life of one who is simply pursuing life for all he can get out of it with no thought of God and His plan for his life. The Bible says these are the wicked.

Verse 6 - “For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.”

“The Lord knows the way of the righteous.” The Hebrew word that is used here for “knows” is the word YADA. The meaning of this word is very rich . . . it is trying to convey the level of intimacy of a husband and wife relationship from which new life is conceived. To put this in practical terms, this verse means that God is not distant from us but is intimately aware of and interested in every aspect of the journey of your life.

“The way” is the whole journey of our lives . . . from start to finish. Psalm 139:13-16 teaches us that God puts together the strands of our lives like a weaver choosing variously colored threads to bring to life a multi-colored tapestry. God is vitally interested in every aspect of our journey.

“The righteous” means us. There is nothing you and I can do in our selves to be righteous but we must accept Christ’s work on our behalf and because we have done that, God says that we are then made righteous. God doesn’t do it because of us, He does it out of mercy (grace).

Jeremiah 17:7-8 is a message very similar to what is being conveyed in Psalm 1. It reads:

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.”

“Whose trust is the Lord”

Trust is the outgrowth of a relationship. Young children trust their fathers because they are the recipients of his love and care. This passage is all about our relationship with God and the fruitfulness that comes because we willingly draw close to Him. The closer we draw to Him, the more fruitful our lives become. As we grow in “trusting the Lord,” we are likened to a tree that “does not cease to bear fruit.”