Just as one would read the love letters of his or her sweetheart, so are we to read and study Gods Word with the same delight. But the thing that never ceases to amaze me is the mess people can get their lives in. The wicked are not in any way like the righteous or the man of blessedness of verses 1-3 in the quality, character, or constitution of their lives. In each of these there is regression from Gods way and progression into sin and Satans way. If you are interested there is a thorough study on this subject entitled, Bibliology: The Doctrine of the Written Word available on the Biblical Studies Foundation web site at www.bible.org in the theology section. 2 Timothy 3:16-17. Primarily they are unstable, blown about from pillar to post because they have no spiritual roots in the Word of God (cf. This must not be understood in the sense of legalistic obedience to a set of rules and principles, like a prescription or a formula, but in the sense of an obedience of faith that such a life brings to the one who believes the concepts of this passage. Essentially, the services are man-centered rather than Bible-centered and God-centered. 4:11-12). But, as the next part of the verse warns, if their way of life is one of carnality, it will be futile and will perish by the loss of rewards. Whose leaf also shall not wither; 72) in spite of life's tremendous difficulties ( Ps. The conjunction but is a strengthened form in the Hebrew text and is somewhat emphatic. Exhortations like these in the New Testament would be meaningless unless this were a real possibility. 6 Gary W. Johnson, The Coming Evangelical Crisis, John H. Armstrong, General Editor, Moody Press, Chicago, 1996, p. 61. The passage is not speaking about complying with a system of works or self-righteous pharisaism, nor complying with a special formula so one may then experience blessedness. iii. The NIV even translates this, The Lord watches over But ultimately, the issue here is the basis of Gods judgment. By contrasting the morals, fruit and outcomes of the Compare Lot in Genesis 13:10f. It is conditional and this is strongly stressed. Like chaff. Chaff is the Hebrew word mox. But the way of the ungodly shall perish. The theme of Psalm 23 is that God always protects and provides. The passive voice is the voice of grace. In its season is literally in its time, i.e., at the proper, suitable time (Ps. No matter what, God is always with us, comforts us, and brings us back to him when we wander. It presents two ways of life: the way of the righteous and the way of the wicked. Like the Hebrew language itself, Hebrew poetry uses vivid images, similes, and metaphors to communicate thoughts and feelings. ii. In the counsel. Counsel is the Hebrew [emailprotected]>h which means, purpose, plan, resolution of the will, or deliberation, viewpoint, way of thinking. It refers to a mental attitude, a state of mind, or viewpoint that determines the decisions that we make. i. The righteous man is also discerning enough to know the counsel of the ungodly can come from ones own self. What is it, then, that the church needs? They are often identified with but.. Psalm 1 The Ways of the Righteous and the Wicked. iv. J. Hampton Keathley III, Th.M. Certainly, it is the way of the righteous, not the way of the ungodly. Which yields is n`T^n, to give. The verb is the imperfect tense, which stresses continual action, or even that which, given the inherent power of Scripture, is always true as a general rule of life. 12:33-34). My dear friends, make the powerful Word the foundation of your life and ministry and get involved in ministries where the Word is truly the heart and soul of that church. Only those (both Jews and Gentiles) who have the robe of Christs righteousness because of their faith in Christ can stand before Gods throne. Meaning of Psalm 1 verse by verse. ii. These cookies collect information that is used either in aggregate form to help us understand how our website is being used or how effective our marketing campaigns are, or to help us customize our website and application for you in order to enhance your experience. A Psalm Of David 1 The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. The psalms express the emotion of the individual poet to God or about God. It is on his mind and in his heart at all times in every situation and area of life (2 Cor. (b) The wicked forsake God, ignore His Word, and as a result are unrestrained, oppressive, and unjust. The theme of "Psalm" reflects joy in time's passing, while "Auspex" shows gloomy acceptance of it. 4:10-12). One of the reasons Scripture is a delight, like honey in the honey comb, is because it is truth. 38 ). Copy. Click to enable/disable Google Analytics tracking. Where is the church, indeed, even the evangelical church today? Like taking wild trees growing in barren and desert-like conditions and carefully transplanting them in rich prepared soil by streams of water. These cookies are strictly necessary to provide you with services available through our website and to use some of its features. 2 I say to the LORD, "You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you." 3 As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight. Knows does not mean simply to have knowledge of something. The shepherd makes sure his sheep has everything he needs like nice green grass and clean water. The fruit comes naturally from this tree, because it is planted by the rivers of water. Book 1 - Psalms 1-41 - The five divisions correspond roughly to the five books of Moses. The participle stresses continual action. (2) There are three degrees of openness, fellowship, or involvement in evil: counsel / path / seat. We need 2 cookies to store this setting. From thinking like the world we begin to act like the world. There are three things the man who is blessed must avoid. What gets you excited? Note that in Ephesians 4:14 the apostle is writing to believers regarding the need to grow in Christ lest they become unstable, tossed about by the waves of mans ideas about life. iii. This is a picture of vitality, of being green, healthy plants in spite of conditions. But His. Click to enable/disable Google reCaptcha. Interestingly, it comes from a word which means to go straight, go forward, advance, set right. The root verb (a`sh~r) means: (a) to proceed, advance in the way of understanding (Prov. The basic meaning is obvious, but lets dig a little deeper to see exactly what this means. In other words, as Peter teaches us in 2 Peter 1:3, it contains all that man needs for life and godliness, or about truth and righteousness. You can also change some of your preferences. It was an archery term and meant to fall short, miss the mark. The mark is the will and plan of God as revealed in Scripture. As it was said of King Belshazzar in the book of Daniel, You have been weighed in the balances, and found wanting (Daniel 5:27). Summary: Psalm 1 introduces us to two "characters" or types of people: the blessed person and the wicked person. Martin Luther said that he could not live in paradise without the word of God, but he could live well enough in hell with it. A preacher once told me that he had read the Bible through twenty times on his knees and had never found the doctrine of election there. Any of these things are fleeting in the life of the ungodly; it can be said that they dont really have them at all. Man must have some delight, some supreme pleasure. They express the emotions, personal feelings, attitudes, gratitude, and interests of the average individual. 25:31-46). But it is wrong, because we are then sitting in the seat of the scornful. The point is, our path or course is fully known by the Lord and He cares for us with Gods loving and providential care as a father his child and like the vinedresser cares for His vineyard (Ps. It is easy because there are many things to criticize about Christians. We might paraphrase, Oh how very, very happy is the one who . The idea in this context is that of ability to withstand or endure the judgment of God. 1:3; 3:20; Col. 2:10), and experientially (Phil. John 15:16 with verse 27). The Cross And Separation From The World (1 Peter 4:1-6), 7. 54:12, precious, delightful stones, and Mal. Below you will see how the 150 psalms are categorized by their overall subject matter. Who was Psalm 23 written for? Psalm 1 is about the blessings of the righteous. Many people use it to find comfort in God during times when they're uncertain. Such believers may act like the wicked in many ways. For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence." The wicked will not be able to stand before Gods judgment (verse 5), but will be driven out, away from God and believers (see Rev. 4:14), and (c) in Isaiah 1:17 it is used of correcting false rulers so they will go straight through learning and advancing in the Word. For the LORD knows the way of the righteous, Psalm 1 The Way of the Righteous and the Way of the Ungodly. It involves thinking about what Scripture means and how, when, and where it should be applied. 29:18). Literally, not so, the wicked. This is an emphatic denial; the way of the wicked is nothing like the way of the righteous. There is no peace, says my God, for the wicked.. We may request cookies to be set on your device. Because here is the root, everything else is the fruit, i.e., the result of one living close to God by living in His eternal, infallible, sure, true and tried Word. Lets look at each of these three negative statements in their three-fold breakdown: Does not walk. Walk is the Hebrew h`l^K which metaphorically means, to go along with, follow a course of action, or to live, follow a way of life. It has the idea of go along with, use, follow. The tense is decisive, he is one who has chosen not to follow this path. It celebrates individuality and the expression of emotion. Changes will take effect once you reload the page. A beatitude pronounces blessing upon a certain group of people. To transplant includes the above, of course, but it also includes taking a plant out of one environment and placing it into another which is more conducive to production, growth, and stability. How would you summarize the main point(s) and idea(s) of this psalm? As one who delights and meditates in the Word, Scripture is consulted and used as a guide for whatever he does (Prov. and more. Fruit is a proof of the root, i.e., where one is dwelling (in truth or error) (cf. You can check these in your browser security settings. (5) The conditions in which we labor, the preparedness of the soil (Mk. Study now. That brings forth its fruit in its season: The righteous man bears fruit, such as the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). It shows that the Christian ideal way of life may not be the . We can live in God's trust not only for a good night's sleep, but amidst the reality of death. The righteous man will not sit in that seat! Others have also seen in this a progression of sin. The way of the ungodly shall perish: The way of the ungodly leads to destruction. He also prospers because, as such a man, he uses Scripture as a guide for how he does what he does. This is the primary word by which the Psalmist describes the unrighteous. The righteous man knows where to find completely godly counsel: Your testimonies also are my delight and my counselors (Psalm 119:24). But it could also mean persecution as one takes a stand for righteousness or refuses to compromise or do the things employees are sometimes asked to do that go against the righteous principles of Scripture. ii. 4:14), by the lust patterns of their own hearts (Eph. 1:3). They hear advice, or theories about their problems, and they find themselves agreeing or disagreeing without considering, Is this godly or ungodly counsel?. There is very significant application we need to note here: Before we were saved we were in Adam, dead in sin, but God in His grace has transplanted us into Jesus Christ. READING - Main Ideas Rev. Again compare Lot in Genesis 13:12-13; 19:1. Very likely not. 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