TEXT : Psa 1:1  Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. Psa 1:2  But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. Psa 1:3  And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. Psa 1:4  The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. Psa 1:5  Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. Psa 1:6  For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.

 

THEME : BIBLICAL MEDITATION

 

Who has read through the Book of Psalms and failed to be encouraged? Perhaps that is as near to impossible as anything might come! The Psalms have been, and will continue to be a source of endless encouragement to the believer until the LORD Jesus Christ sets up His Kingdom, and we are no longer in need of such encouragement. Anyway, until Christ returns, we will always receive the benefit of God's Spirit moving on our hearts and minds through the Bible, particularly the Psalms.

 

"This is a psalm of instruction concerning good and evil, setting before us life and death, the blessing and the curse, that we may take the right way which leads to happiness and avoid that which will certainly end in our mise ry and ruin. The different character and condition of godly people and wicked people, those that serve God and those that serve him not, is here plainly stated in a few words; so that every man, if he will be faithful to himself, may here see his own face and then read his own doom. That division of the children of men into saints and sinners, righteous and unrighteous, the children of God and the children of the wicked one, as it is ancient, ever since the struggle began between sin and grace, the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent, so it is lasting, and will survive all other divisions and subdivisions of men into high and low, rich and poor, bond and free; for by this men's everlasting state will be determined, and the distinction will last as long as heaven and hell. This psalm shows us,  I. The holiness and happiness of a godly man (Psa_1:1-3).  II. The sinfulness and misery of a wicked man (Psa_1:4, Psa_1:5).  III. The ground and reason of both (Psa_1:6). Whoever collected the psalms of David (probably it was Ezra) with good reason put this psalm first, as a preface to the rest, because it is absolutely necessary to the acceptance of our devotions that we be righteous before God (for it is only the prayer of the upright that is his delight), and therefore that we be right in our notions of blessedness and in our choice of the way that leads to it. Those are not fit to put up good prayers who do not walk in good ways." [MATTHEW HENRY]

 

As stated by Matthew Henry, this first of the 150 Psalms in the Book of Psalms is a contrast between the righteous and the sinful or wicked. It seems a fitting way to begin the Book of Psalms although the entire Book of Psalms contains much diversity. We know from our LORD that the righteous are few in comparison to those who reject God's Law, or His Word. Hence, we who live for the LORD should pay attention to end of each man or woman who chooses the way they will live. The end of each individual life, that is, the righteous versus the sinful are complete opposites. During times of discouragement walking in the ways of the LORD, we would do well to remember this Psalm.

 

"Blessed" - see how this Book of Psalms opens with a benediction, even as did the famous Sermon of our Lord upon the Mount! The word translat ed "blessed" is a very expressive one. The original word is plural, and it is a controverted matter whether it is an adjective or a substantive. Hence we may learn the multiplicity of the blessings which shall rest upon the man whom God hath justified, and the perfection and greatness of the blessedness he shall enjoy. We might read it, "Oh, the blessedness!" and we may well regard it (as Ainsworth does)as a joyful acclamation of the gracious man's felicity. May the like benediction rest on us!

 

Here the gracious man is described both negatively (Psa_1:1) and positively (Psa_1:2); He is a man who does not walk in the counsel of the ungodly. He takes wiser counsel, and walks in the commandments of the Lord his God. To him the ways of piety are paths of peace and pleasantness. His footsteps are ordered by the Word of God, and not by the cunning and wicked devices of carnal men. It is a rich sign of inward grace when the outward walk is changed, and when ungodliness is put far from our actions. Note next, he standeth not in the way of sinners. His company is of a choicer sort than it was. Although a sinner himself, he is now a blood-washed sinner, quickened by the Holy Spirit, and renewed in heart. Standing by the rich grace of God in the congregation of the righteous, he dares not herd with the multitude that do evil. Again it is said, "nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful." He finds no rest in the atheist's scoffings. Let others make a mock of sin, of eternity, of hell and heaven, and of the Eternal God; this man has learned better philosophy than that of the infidel, and has too much sense of God's presence to endure to hear his name blasphemed, The seat of the scorner may be very lofty, but it is very near to the gate of hell; let us flee from it, for it shall soon be empty, and destruction shall swallow up the man who sits therein. Mark the gradation in the first verse:

 

"When men are living in sin they go from bad to worse. At first they merely walk in the counsel of the careless and ungodly, who forget God - the evil is rather practical than habitual - but after that, they become habituated to evil, and they stand in the way of open sinners who wilfully violate God's commandments; and if let alone, they go one step further, and become the mselves pestilent teachers and tempters of others, and thus they sit in the seat of the scornful. They have taken their degree in vice, and as true Doctors of Damnation they are installed, and are looked up to by others as Masters in Belial. But the blessed man, the man to whom all the blessings of God belong, can hold no communion with such characters as these. He keeps himself pure from these lepers; he puts away evil things from him as garments spotted by the flesh; he comes out from among the wicked, and goes without the camp, bearing the reproach of Christ. O for grace to be thus separate from sinners.

 

And now mark his positive character. "His delight is in the law of the Lord." He is not under the law as a curse and condemnation, but he is in it, and he delights to be in it as his rule of life; he delights, moreover, to meditate in it, to read it by day, and think upon it by night. He takes a text and carries it with him all day long; and in the night-watches, when sleep forsakes his eyelids, he museth upon the Word of God. In the day of his prosperity he sings psalms out of the Word of God, and in the night of his affliction he c omforts himself with promises out of the same book. "The law of the Lord" is the daily bread of the true believer. And yet, in David's day, how small was the volume of inspiration, for they had scarcely anything save the first five books of Moses! How much more, then, should we prize the whole written Word which it is our privilege to have in all our houses! But, alas, what ill-treatment is given to this angel from heaven! We are not all Berean searchers of the Scriptures. How few among us can lay claim to the benediction of the text! Perhaps some of you can claim a sort of negative purity, because you do not walk in the way of the ungodly; but let me ask you - Is your delight in the law of God? Do you study God's Word? Do you make it the man of your right hand - your best companion and hourly guide? If not, this blessing belongeth not to you." [C.H. SPURGEON]

 

TRUTH FOR TODAY : "WHOEVER IS PLANTED IN THE BIBLE SHALL PROSPER!"

 

The "art" of Biblical meditation is almost lost in today's generation. Prayer, which comes a close second in its disappearance from the life of the professing Christian and the Church as a whole, and is one of the staple elements of the Christian's life, animates Biblical meditation. Biblical meditation provides the grounds for prayer. Thus, the two are inextricably connected. Bible reading, even Bible Study [as we know it today], cannot replace meditation in the Word of God. The reason is, reading and study lays the groundwork that meditation and contemplation makes firm. Biblical meditation drives the root of Biblical truth deeper into the soul so that the principles of Scripture are understood and committed to memory - not to be forgotten.

 

"And in his law doth he meditate day and night; as Joshua was directed to do, and David did, Jos_1:8. This is to be understood of a diligent reading and serious consideration of it; and of the employment of the thoughts, and of deep study upon it, in order to find out the sense and meaning of it; and which is to be done constantly, every day, as often as there is leisure and opportunity for it; or, as Kimchi on the place observes, whenever a man is free from the business of life; unless this should be taken figuratively, of the day of prosperity and night of adversity, whether in things temporal or spiritual, which are each of them proper seasons to meditate in, upon the word of God and Gospel of Christ." [JOHN GILL]

 

Thus, we have the nature of Biblical meditation. It is a concerted effort of the mind [intellect] to understand the text - its intent and meaning. It is also a willful desire to apply the precepts and principles of Scripture. The combination of the two - deep thought and the will to obey is what will keep you in the days to come. Better, it will keep you now, since the time of the Great Falling Away has begun. Notice also the amount of time given to meditation is to be "day and night."

 

"And in his law - On his law, or his truth. "He doth meditate." The word used here, הגה  hâgâh, means properly to complain, to mutter; then, to speak; then, to utter in a low complaining voice, as is often done by a person in deep meditation; hence, in the usual sense, to meditate on anything; to think of it. So Jos_1:8 : "Thou shalt meditate therein (the law) day and night." Psa_77:12 : "I meditate on all thy work." Pro_15:28 : "the heart of the righteous meditateth what to answer." The meaning here is, he thinks of it; he endeavors to understand its meaning; he has pleasure in reflecting on it. It is not a subject which he puts away from him, or in respect to which he is indifferent, but he keeps it before his mind, and has satisfaction in doing it.

 

Day and night - That is, continually - as day and night constitute the whole of time. The meaning is:

 

(a) he does this habitually, or he intentionally forms the habit of meditating on divine truth, by disciplining his mind in order that he may do it;

 

(b) he takes time to do it - designedly setting apart suitable portions of each day, that, withdrawn from the cares of life, he may refresh his spirit by contemplating divine truth, or may become better acquainted with God, and with his duty to him, and may bring to bear upon his own soul more directly the truths pertaining to eternal realities;

 

(c) he does this in the intervals of business, the moments of leisure which he may have during the day - having thus an unfailing subject of reflection to which his mind readily reverts, and in which, amid the ca res and toils of life, he finds relaxation and comfort; and

 

(d) he does it in the wakeful hours of night, when sick and tossed upon his bed, or when, for any other reason, his "eyes are held waking." Psa_63:5-6 : "my soul shall be upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night-watches." Psa_119:54 : "Thy statutes have been my songs in the house of my pilgrimage." Compare Psa_119:23, Psa_119:43; Psa_143:5. It is probable that the psalmist had the injunction in his mind which is contained in Jos_1:8." [ALBERT BARNES]

 

Outside my house, there is a long line of arbor vitae shrubs planted by my neighbor some years ago. If you take a careful look at them, you will notice the shrubs closest to my home are about 2 - 3 feet taller than the ones furthest away. The reason is simple.

 

Under the street our homes are built on, there are a number of underground springs that run close to the top of the topsoil. That is, these natural streams are close to the ground. In fact, there is on spot in one particular area of my yard - perhaps 6 feet by 12 feet all total, that is green all year long. No matter how cold the weather or how much snow blankets the ground, the grass always stays green, and you can see it clearly even in January and February. Such is the man or woman planted in the Bible.  The continual flow of God's Water of the Word will keep their spirit fresh and green always! Like the arbor vitaes - whoever is planted in the Bible will prosper!