The Blessed Life
Psalm 1 brings great consolation and guidance to those who trust the Lord.
Implicitly, it calls those who don't trust the Lord to repent, turning to Him as Lord and Savior, to love, obey, and serve Him by grace through faith.
"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).
Verse 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."
Yes, there is a blessing for those who turn from slavery to sin to walk in fellowship with God. The "counsel of the wicked" is the advice, ethics, and influence of fallen man. The "way of sinners" is the accepted behaviors and activities of fallen man. The "seat of scoffers" is the way fallen man opposes God and, therefore, the truth, grace, and morals of God. Blessed is the one who runs from all this.
Verse 2, "but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night."
Rather than join the world in opposing God and doing their own thing based on their own feelings and arbitrary opinions, the man blessed by God's mercy truly finds joy and peace (i.e., "delight") "in the law of the Lord." That means God's holy commandments. It includes what God requires of us; we delight in holiness because God delights in holiness. It includes what God forbids from us; we are grieved by wickedness because God is grieved by wickedness. It includes the penalty for sin; for we delight in the fact that God is the standard of righteousness and justice. And it includes the reward for obedience, for we delight in the fact that God is generous and kind, giving life, eternal life, and many blessings in this life and the next to those who are His. The world does not delight in God's morals, ethics, or standards of righteousness, justice, mercy, and reward. But children of God do.
Verse 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."
The child of God, the one who refuses to join the world in rebellion against God, the one who delights in God's law rather than man's law, will "prosper" in life. What does that mean? It means that God's blessing rests upon Him no matter what and that nothing can take away the provision, protection, or providence of God in his life.
No one can take away the blessing, hope, joy, security, and godly contentment and confidence that he has found in fellowship with God.
It is a blessing to know God. Those who know God have the blessing of God upon their lives. They do not join the world in unhinged rebellion against all that is holy and good. Rather, they delight in God's law -- the standard of what is holy and good.
We came to God through faith in Christ based on His death and resurrection. As those filled with the Spirit and moved by a grateful love toward God, we do not create our own standard of morals and ethics for our lives on earth. Our consciences are not to be shaped by our own will or the will of man but by the will of God. I am thankful that God has communicated His will to us. Without it, our only option would be moral relativism.
Next week, we'll look at verses 4-6.