January 2nd THE PSALMS
January 2nd THE PSALMS
Psalm 1-7
Psalm 1
His delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night.
Psalm 1:2, New American Standard Bible
Psalm 1:2, New American Standard Bible
Theme: Two contrasting ways.
Background: Psalm 1 sets the tone for the book, pointing to the Blessed Man, Jesus.
1:1 “How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers.”
Here is a gradual descent into wickedness. A wayward course can begin with entertaining views that trouble your conscience, perhaps with a desire to appear ‘tolerant’. Your decisions and life (walk) are increasingly affected by those not loving the Lord. Then you linger (stand) with unbelievers, eventually enjoying time (sit) in their company.
1:2 “But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His law he meditates day and night.”
The negative has to be replaced by the positive. Do you find delight in devouring God’s Word? The word meditate (hagah) describes the sound of a lion’s growl as it protects its prey, its meal (Isa 31:4) - hence, the audible mutter or soliloquy when reading in an undertone, alone or with a “study-buddy”. This will help to slow us down and aid contemplation. We see evidence of this in Jewish learning halls called bet midrash (study house).
1:3 “He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season and its leaf does not wither.”
This blessed man does not just picnic by a stream, rather, God deliberately and permanently plants him there (Isa 61:3). He is deeply rooted by the irrigation streams of God’s grace, bearing the fruitage of the Spirit. He is an evergreen Christian - a man for all seasons, not a fair-weather believer.
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Are you an evergreen, displaying love, joy, and peace in all seasons?
Are you an evergreen, displaying love, joy, and peace in all seasons?
