DEVOTIONAL ON PSALM 1:2

At River Bluff Park, Ashland City, TN

"But His delight is in the Law of the LORD,

And in His law he meditates day and night."

Psalm 1:2, NKJV

Maybe I don't pray this daily (I do review several verses including this one on a monthly basis), but I desire first to delight in God's Word and second to have my mind saturated with it day and night.

Too often artists in particular and everybody else in general tends to practice what the Psalmist says is the opposite of being blest: walking in the paths of the ungodly, standing in the way of sinners, and sitting in the seat of the scornful (Psalm 1:1). This influences their worldview and behavior.

Many who know me know I love hanging around with musicians, but in particular, it's musicians who live out Psalm 1:1-3. It may be hymnists who are trying to teach and exhort believers. It may be worship leaders encouraging the congregation to focus on God. It may be rappers and metal bands who are trying to reach a generation that has separated itself from the church to bring them back to their Creator. 

Lord,grant us hearts that rejoice in Your Word, and a desire for it to be on our minds day and night. Give us discernment and wisdom to avoid ungodly influences, and surround ourselves with those devoted to Your Word as we are.

SUNDAY PSALMS PART 1 OF 48 - PSALM 1

Cool Creek Park, Westfield, IN.

1   Blessed is the man
    Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,
    Nor stands in the path of sinners,
    Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
2  But his delight is in the law of the Lord,
    And in His law he meditates day and night.
3  He shall be like a tree
    Planted by the rivers of water,
    That brings forth its fruit in its season,
    Whose leaf also shall not wither;
    And whatever he does shall prosper.

4  The ungodly are not so,
    But are like the chaff which the wind drives away.
5  Therefore the ungodly shall 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 ungodly shall perish.

Psalm 1:1-6, NKJV

Let me start with the obvious. I ended, for now, my Sunday Hymns. I'm starting this year with a 48 part series on Sunday Psalms. Each week I'll look at somewhere between one verse and the whole chapter (as today) from the Psalms. For the most part, they will be in numeric order, except for those that I think will be fitting for Easter, Pentecost, Reformation/All Saints Days, and Christmas and New Year's Eves. And if you're counting and say it's 52 weeks, not 48, you're right. But I will give a short interruption for the four weeks of Advent; I've got something different in mind for that month.

So let's look at the first Psalm. I always found it interesting that the first verse starts with the least intimate and moves to the most. My thought would start with the most and then go the opposite direction. But it may be that the Spirit is pointing out that it starts with something that doesn't seem that bad, but then progresses, which is typical. Relationships develop in that order.

Verse two gives the contrast. The blessed (also translated "Happy") man not only does not associate with the ungodly, but instead he's meditating on the Bible. Keep in mind - Jewish meditation focuses on filling your mind with a thought, contrary to Eastern meditation where the goal is to clear your mind of all thoughts. Memory work is one way to do this. So is praying the Scripture.

The third and fourth verses give pictures of the difference between the righteous and the not righteous. The former is like a tree, right on the river to get plenty of water, and fruitful (kind of like the seed that's on good soil). The latter is like chaff, blown away, no root, no fruit. 

It's interesting contrasting verse one with verse five. This Psalm begins of dealing with the voluntary separation of the godly from the wicked. In verse five, it states that God separates the two in the judgment. This is also clear in the last verse of this Psalm.