Psalm 1 devotion
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This document provides an analysis of Psalm 1. It discusses that Psalm 1 outlines two ways to live: following one's own way or God's way as directed by His word. God's way leads to blessing and prosperity, being rooted like a fruitful tree, while one's own way leads to instability and destruction, being like chaff blown by the wind. The document examines various parts of Psalm 1 in detail to draw out this key message about the importance of following God's directions over one's own way.
Psalm 1 devotion
- 2. WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO FOLLOW DIRECTIONS? • To Avoid Problems • To Make Life Easier • To Accomplish A Purpose Thanks be to God, the LORD gives us directions for life in His Word 4/3/2020
- 3. TWO WAYS TO LIVE LIFE: AS SELECTED OR AS DIRECTED 1. We can choose (select) our own way to live the life the LORD gave us=My Way 2. We can choose to let the LORD to direct the life the LORD gave us.=God's Way
- 4. FIRST THINGS FIRST: THE IMPORTANCE OF PSALM 1 • The Books of Psalms (a.k.a. The Psalter) is structured around praise, but it begins with Psalm 1 -- which is about wisdom. The first letter of the Psalm ( |א aleph) is the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet • The last letter of the Psalm is the last letter of the Hebrew alphabet ( |ב tav) • Psalm aims to teach us the A-Z (everything) about how to live life.
- 5. PSALM 1: TWO WAYS, TWO DESTINATIONS 1. The Way of the LORD, conforming to God’s character (v. 1-3) 2. The Way of the Wicked (i.e., the Way of Self), contrary to God’s character (v. 4-5) 3. The Way of the LORD leads to bliss, the Way of the Wicked leads to destruction (v.1, 6)
- 6. THE WAY OF THE LORD (V. 1-3) • (v. 1) Blissedis the one who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked • or stand in the way of sinners • or dwell in the assembly of mockers
- 7. WHO ARE THE WICKED • Who comes to mind when you think of wicked people?
- 8. WHO ARE THE WICKED? • More generally, the wicked are simply the people who go do not walk in the way of the LORD, but go the wrong way. • They go their own way: • We live in a “My Way” culture. But our way is not necessarily God’s way
- 9. WHO ARE THE WICKED? • We often want to do our own thing. We don’t want anyone to tell us what we can and cannot do. • Shakespeare: “to thine own self be true.” • Today’s morality is centered not on the fulfillment of God’s commands but on self-fulfillment. The way of the wicked =the way of the self
- 10. THE WAY OF THE LORD (V. 1-3) LAW = INSTRUCTION, DIRECTION • Blessed is the one who delights in the direction of the LORD (v. 2) but whose delight is in the law of the LORD, and who meditates on his law day and night. The law ( הרֹוּת| tôrâ) can refer to certain Old Testament Laws, to the first five books of the Bible (a.k.a. The Pentateuch), or to the entire Old Testament
- 11. THE WAY OF THE LORD (V. 1-3) • Whereas Eastern meditation often involves emptying one’s mind or focusing on one’s inner thoughts/self, biblical meditation is focused upon God and His Word • Meditation includes reading, reciting, reflecting on, memorizing, etc. to conform one’s life to God’s Word • Silent reading was rare in the ancient world. And the verb meditate ( ָּגהָּה |hāgâ) is more frequently translated “utter”, “mutter”, “moan”, “groan”, or “declare.” • Thus, it seems that such meditation was often audible. • This is why The LORD tells Joshua to always keep the Book of the Law on his lips. MEDITATION ON THE LORD’S DIRECTIONS
- 12. THE WAY OF THE LORD (V. 1-3) LIKE A PROSPEROUS TREE • (v. 3) That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers. • Grammatically, the verb can actually refer back to the truly happy person or to the tree. • Vivid Imagery of a stable tree that is fruitful because it is nourished by the waters
- 13. THE WAY OF THE LORD (V. 1-3) • What comes to mind when we think of prosperity? • Biblical prosperity is may not about worldly health and wealth • True prosperity is about accomplishing God’s purpose and bearing the fruit of a godly life
- 14. THE WAY OF THE LORD (V. 1-3) • How do trees prosper? How can you tell a successful tree from an unsuccessful tree? • By their fruit! • Can someone remind us of the fruit of the Spirit? • love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self- control (Gal 5:22-23) • Not to mention, the fruit of the prosperous tree is food for others • It seems that the prosperity in Psalm 1 involves accomplishing God’s purpose in a way that will benefit others
- 15. THE WAY OF THE WICKED (V. 4-5) LIKE CHAFF Ps 1:4 Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away. Threshing is when you remove the seed or the edible part of a crop from the straw or the husk. The chaff is the leftovers As scholars note, “The self- ambitious, the self-serving, and the proudly self- reliant are like chaff that the wind drives away.” --
- 16. THE WAY OF THE WICKED (V. 5) V5. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. Because the wicked are so unstable, they are unable to stand – perhaps to defend themselves before God • The wicked will not ultimately be in the congregation of the righteous (i.e., those who walk in the way of the LORD)
- 17. TWO WAYS, TWO DESTINATIONS (V. 6) • Ps 1:6a For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous • Ps 1:6b but the way of the wicked will perish • In the Greek translation of the Old Testament that is quoted by the New Testament writers – The Septuagint (LXX) – the same word for perish (ἀπόλλυμι | apollymi) is used by Jesus in the New Testament when speaking of the Two Ways
- 18. TWO WAYS IN THE NEW TESTAMENT • Jn 3:16f. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life • Mt 7:13-14 Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
- 19. CONCLUSION: DOES IT NOT MAKE SENSE? . Psalm 1 is fundamental. Fundamentally, there are Two Ways to Live Life: As Selected (The Way of Self) or As Directed (The Way of the LORD). . According to Psalm 1, the unpopular way of the LORD leads to true bliss -- and a more pleasant destination.