Psalm 1:
The Righteous Man of God
Background:
Strangely, the opening Psalm to a book (or rather, collection) mostly written by David has no known author!
Summary:
Marks of a Righteous Man: v1-2
Judgement of God for the Righteous and the Unrighteous: v3-6
Marks of a Righteous Man:
The unknown author describes the Righteous Man of God in a few ways, starting with:
Blessed is the man
- Blessed is the man! The author speaks first of God's blessing for this man who does right before God. The very first words of this book, saying that blessed is the man who is righteous. The author exhorts and encourages us today to be this man.
The author then goes on to describe his deeds.
James 2:22: You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did.
Faith in God and the righteousness which stems from it must be evident in our deeds.
Does not walk in the counsel of the wicked
- He does not listen to the counsel of the wicked. The Old Testament is full of examples of people who have taken wicked counsel, only to meet their downfall. Starting at the very first man - Adam. He was eventually exiled from God's presence and we continue to mirror this imperfect relationship with God caused by our failure to reject bad counsel.
Or stand in the way of sinners
- Standing in the way of sinners isn't stopping them, it's joining them. Think Highway to Hell, and this is it.
Or sit in the seat of mockers (ESV scoffers)
- The seat of mockers gives the idea of a Parliament seat - or a seat in a court, perhaps even the very same picture of the court which mocked "Jesus, King of the Jews". It is joining in with these people in thought and in deed, to desecrate the things of God in outright rebellion against God's rule.
His delight is in the law of the LORD
- Our joy should be focused on God's word for us. The word "law" is more likely used in the OT as the OT written at this point of time is (probably?) just Genesis to Deuteronomy - the books of the Law. God's law should guide us in our attempts to be found righteous by Him, and we should delight in reading and knowing his word intimately.
and on his law he meditates day and night.
- There is a non-stop, 24/7 meditation on God's word. There is no rest, no excluded-time. No "God's word doesn't apply here" excuses. God's law directs his life in every way, at every time.
God's Judgement:
The author then goes on to describe the blessing of God in verse 3. Psalms is a descriptive book, using graphic analogies to paint a picture for us. The Righteous Man is described as:
A tree planted in streams of water
- A tree in water is a healthy tree that will grow strongly! I believe the "streams of water" here are a reference to God's word. We are to be firmly rooted in God's word.
Yielding fruit in season
- The tree yields good fruit and serves its purpose to the one who planted it (God) because it is well rooted
Whose leaf does not wither
- The tree stands strong in all seasons, be it the hot Singapore sunny season or winter in Antartica. (okay that's kinda rubbish but just to draw the point). Even in our hardest days, we should continue to stand in Christ fully convicted of sin, yet fully believing and trusting in His forgiveness.
Whatever he does prospers
- God does have plans to prosper us. Prosper, not meaning God gives us lots of cash and a car and a condo and so on, but prosper in ways in accordance to His will. God's work will be advanced regardless of our actions, but a Righteous Man should act in ways that are in sync with God's will, and he will be prospered by God.
Matt 6:20: But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.
The Righteous Man of God
Background:
Strangely, the opening Psalm to a book (or rather, collection) mostly written by David has no known author!
Summary:
Marks of a Righteous Man: v1-2
Judgement of God for the Righteous and the Unrighteous: v3-6
Marks of a Righteous Man:
The unknown author describes the Righteous Man of God in a few ways, starting with:
Blessed is the man
- Blessed is the man! The author speaks first of God's blessing for this man who does right before God. The very first words of this book, saying that blessed is the man who is righteous. The author exhorts and encourages us today to be this man.
The author then goes on to describe his deeds.
James 2:22: You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did.
Faith in God and the righteousness which stems from it must be evident in our deeds.
Does not walk in the counsel of the wicked
- He does not listen to the counsel of the wicked. The Old Testament is full of examples of people who have taken wicked counsel, only to meet their downfall. Starting at the very first man - Adam. He was eventually exiled from God's presence and we continue to mirror this imperfect relationship with God caused by our failure to reject bad counsel.
Or stand in the way of sinners
- Standing in the way of sinners isn't stopping them, it's joining them. Think Highway to Hell, and this is it.
Or sit in the seat of mockers (ESV scoffers)
- The seat of mockers gives the idea of a Parliament seat - or a seat in a court, perhaps even the very same picture of the court which mocked "Jesus, King of the Jews". It is joining in with these people in thought and in deed, to desecrate the things of God in outright rebellion against God's rule.
His delight is in the law of the LORD
- Our joy should be focused on God's word for us. The word "law" is more likely used in the OT as the OT written at this point of time is (probably?) just Genesis to Deuteronomy - the books of the Law. God's law should guide us in our attempts to be found righteous by Him, and we should delight in reading and knowing his word intimately.
and on his law he meditates day and night.
- There is a non-stop, 24/7 meditation on God's word. There is no rest, no excluded-time. No "God's word doesn't apply here" excuses. God's law directs his life in every way, at every time.
God's Judgement:
The author then goes on to describe the blessing of God in verse 3. Psalms is a descriptive book, using graphic analogies to paint a picture for us. The Righteous Man is described as:
A tree planted in streams of water
- A tree in water is a healthy tree that will grow strongly! I believe the "streams of water" here are a reference to God's word. We are to be firmly rooted in God's word.
Yielding fruit in season
- The tree yields good fruit and serves its purpose to the one who planted it (God) because it is well rooted
Whose leaf does not wither
- The tree stands strong in all seasons, be it the hot Singapore sunny season or winter in Antartica. (okay that's kinda rubbish but just to draw the point). Even in our hardest days, we should continue to stand in Christ fully convicted of sin, yet fully believing and trusting in His forgiveness.
Whatever he does prospers
- God does have plans to prosper us. Prosper, not meaning God gives us lots of cash and a car and a condo and so on, but prosper in ways in accordance to His will. God's work will be advanced regardless of our actions, but a Righteous Man should act in ways that are in sync with God's will, and he will be prospered by God.
Matt 6:20: But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.
The author then describes the judgement on God for the sinner:
They are like chaff that the wind blows away
- Chaff is the corn husk that gets thrown away, blown away by the wind if separated from the corn.
- Sinners are like chaff indeed. They cling closely to the corn (the Righteous Man), and get blown away when judgement (wind) comes.
The wicked will not stand in the judgement
- God will not allow to sinners to pass through judgement. We never bought corn from the supermarket with the husk still intact. (unless we want it? But who eats the husk???)
Nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous
- A contrast to the earlier "seat of mockers", sinners will not partake of the assembling of the saints. Hints to the imagery in the earlier verse.
For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous
- Every stream of water must have a source, and for us, that source is God. He provides the water for the tree to grow, he prospers us when we work in accordance to His will.
But the way of the wicked will perish
- Eventually, this route will end in judgement. This short line hints at the coming judgement and that the wicked will not stand, leaving only those who are righteous. In this short line, it hints at the coming new heavens and new earth, where moths and rust do not destroy the perfect creation of God - without sin.
What it means for us
As an opener to the book of Psalms, this Psalm reminds us of God's blessing and judgement, and encourages and exhorts us to take the path of righteousness. In this day and age, the God-given Holy Spirit gives us discernment and the ability to choose what is right - to understand righteousness and the freedom to choose to walk in a way pleasing to God. We must actively seek God's word as a way of life and shun the "Highway to Hell", seeking to achieve God's blessing, that we can grow strong in our faith, and to walk the path everlasting, watched over by God, however not forgetting that it is only through Christ's death and resurrection that we can be considered righteous before God - we can never be perfect, but Christ is glorified in our weakness if we confess our sins and are forgiven by God.
Question to answer
What are the things that prevent us from being righteous today? What are the actions we need to take to correct our lives, to be the man described in this passage?
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