Devotional Tuesday: Psalm 1
The simplicity and difficulty of being blessed by God
1 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;2 but his delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law he meditates day and night.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.4 The wicked are not so,
but are like chaff that the wind drives away.5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;6 for the Lord knows the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish.Psalm 1:1–6 (ESV)
Observations:
“Blessed” means to find true joy or happiness. The psalmist claims the one who finds blessing and happiness finds it in a singular way…
Yet, that way is not first explained. Rather, the writer gives us a contrasting picture of true blessings.
The psalmist highlights the path that the wicked walk. It starts small.
The wicked one walks in the council of the wicked. Walking shows a loose association. They may begin to become familiar with their words, attitudes, thoughts, or beliefs.
Yet, then the wicked one begins to stand in the way of sinners. They begin to solidify their association. The wicked begin to believe and act upon the way of the sinner.
Finally, the psalmist declares that the wicked fully embrace the ways of darkness. They sit with mockers of God. Not only do they engage in wickedness, they now mock the things of God and his holiness.
There is only one way to combat this destructive evolution—establishing a firm foundation in the law of the Lord.
The psalmist declares the one way to blessing or joy is to delight in the law of the Lord. Delight is to find joy or pleasure. Delight and blessing our irreplaceably connected.
The law of the Lord (“torah” literally) is his teaching; his ways. To find joy or pleasure in the ways of God is the path to blessing.
It is not an easy task to find joy in the instruction of the Lord. This is natural and unsurprising. Thus, the psalmist gives us the first step on our journey. We must meditate on the instructions constantly. Those who do not seek his instructions and sit with them often will never find joy in them because they will never understand their truths.
Interpretation:
To meditate implies speaking or read aloud. This is not an explicitly private or introspective practice. The “quiet time” of western Christianity is a step in the path to blessing, but we are in need of true transformation, which comes with audible proclamation and transformation of the heart. This requires us to take steps forward in the ways of God.
The psalmist paints a new picture in verses 3-4.
The one who delights in the instruction of God is a well established and watered tree. Fruit is bountiful and prosperity is abundant. The streams of water that supply this life are the instructions of God.
When our life is connected to the source of joy and blessing, we abound in life.
The law of the Lord is not meant to restrict and hold our lives back, but guide us in to true, free, unending life. Living in the ways of God brings us to the apex of human blessing.
We must begin to see the law of God—his teachings and instructions—not as something that holds us back, but rather as the only thing that truly takes us to the place of spiritual health, prosperity, and fulfillment.
Life Application:
Take steps to often affirm the teachings of God.
Trust God’s teaching over the teachings of the world
Delight—find joy—in God and his ways.
The temptation here is to completely withdraw from the world. Some have. The monastics, desert fathers, monk and nuns…
That is a largely inaccessible path or option for the average person.
However, we have created hyper-spiritual mirrors of that endeavor. We have spiritually segregated ourselves from the world.
We avoid casinos, bars, strip clubs, rap/hip-hop, profanities, movie theaters, entertainment venues, extracurriculars, playing games, wearing the latest fashion… We have abandoned many areas of our world out of fear we will fall into them and submit to our temptation.
This is done with rich intention and wisdom. The psalmist shows that the path to wickedness is progressive and not instant.
But we now live in the commands of Jesus—namely the Great Commission. “Go into all the world…”
We have this confidence. We are all called to different places, but there is one thing that grounds us all regardless of our mission field… We must be grounded in the delight of God’s instruction and teaching. We must find joy being committed to his ways.
We need to sit and mediated on his ways day and night. That is the only way to experience the steams of water which fill our lives with blessing and delight.