Psalm 1:1-3 - January 26, 2009

Ps 1:1-3 “Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. 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, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.” NIV

The man truly set apart to God! Who will be such a man? Where is the man who chooses God as his source of life and values? This psalm speaks a blessing over such a man. The emphasis of the passage is the blessing that comes upon that one person in a thousand who truly sets their way apart unto God! There is a distinct emphasis in this passage on the rarity of the character of the person who makes this choice fully and from a joyful heart. The blessings of God upon our lives flow out of the life choices that we make and the people we choose to give a voice of influence in our lives. Where do you walk? Whose counsel do you listen to? Whose voice influences your actions? Is it your co-workers, the business you work for, the televisions set or the radio? We are called by this psalm to build our lives on a higher standard than the world around us. The Word of God is the foundation of blessed life choices. It is the center of a blessed values system. The Word of God presents itself to us as something more than a good philosophy. It is the bread of life. The Word itself invites us to delight in its message, to be trained up by its influence upon our hearts. Psalm one points to the life that delights in the word of God as a life that is like a well watered and fruitful tree. What makes this passage so moving is that it is an invitation to choose what you will delight in. We all delight in those things that we have given our hearts to. This passage calls us to give our hearts to the Word of God as the source of our delights. Too many times we consider the Word as AN option not, THE ONLY OPTION, for our lives and choices.
He. 4:12 tells us that the Word of God is living and active…that it penetrates soul and spirit and that it judges thoughts and intentions of the heart. In today’s culture where the voice of the age says, “question everything” many have lost the power and wisdom that is available to those who have placed their faith in the sure foundation of the inerrant Word of God. This passage shows us the reward of a blessed life that is the outcome of making the Word the central voice of influence in our hearts and minds.