Psalm 1- 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; 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.
Look at the strategic choices the Psalmist made to secure God’s blessing and prosperity. 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.
There are things a believer must choose not to do and things a believer must choose to do to experience God’s blessing. There is a way believers decide they will not walk. They decide there are paths they will not take, and places they will not occupy.
The blessed are those who have learned that where you begin determines where you will end up.
Where your mind goes, your feet will follow. Another way to say that is, your feet will never take you where your mind hasn’t been.
The Psalmist said, “I’m not getting my advice from wicked people.” A blessed person is someone who knows where to go for the right information. A blessed person walks with God by consulting the Word and godly people so that he or she gains discernment for life. Where you go for information is critical.
If you want a blessed and prosperous life, don’t look to the world for a path to follow. Look to the Word instead.
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.
This verse doesn’t say that a blessed man is literally standing in the way of a sinner, like, preventing that person to sin. No, it means that the person is following the way of the sinner. Sinners have a way of life. It is self-centered, self-serving, and is based on fleshly, worldly desires. I don’t know anyone who lives apart from God, without concern for the counsel of God that winds up walking in godly ways for godly purposes.
Look at Jesus’ words in Matthew 7:13-“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many.”
The sin path is the broad path. The sin path is the popular path, but Jesus said it leads to destruction.
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.
Scoffers would be those who are antagonistic toward believers, those who love to hate on Christians, those who make fun of people for giving their lives to Christ and who seek to live for Him. If your community is defined by those who mock God, you need a new community.
So, the Psalmist tells us not to go in the way of the wicked, the sinner, and the scoffer, instead, He says we need to walk in the way of the Word. Verse 2: but (instead) his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.
People who walk in the way of the Word are preoccupied with reading it, learning it, knowing it and living it out.
“His delight is in the law of the LORD.” With what are you delighted? There isn’t anything that can keep you away from what delights you!
Does your relationship with Jesus delight you? Does reading His Word delight you? Is it something you look forward to and can’t wait to do? Does it fill you in such a way that you want to go back to it over and over? Do you see it as a duty or a delight? The Psalmist chose to delight in the Word. That is where his heart was, and that became where he placed his effort and focus
His delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. The Law of the LORD is a repeated phrase throughout Scripture, and it refers to the entirety of Scripture. It wasn’t a burden for the Psalmist to read the Word. He delighted to do it. He didn’t just read it to check a box. He didn’t just read it to appear to be interested in it, but the fact that He took delight in it means he enjoyed it. It was meaningful. It enriched his life. He found useful information inside of it. He was connecting with the Author of the Word as he read it. He then couldn’t get the Word out of his mind. He meditated on it.
If you just read the Word casually, and don’t meditate on it and don’t adjust your life to the principles you find in it, you are just reading words on a page, but if you read the Word with the desire and goal to hear from God, your mind will be reoriented to God’s truth, God’s counsel, God’s path, and God’s purposes for your life and it will become a delight to you.
You will become rooted and planted and established in the way God desires for you. 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 Christian life is supposed to be a fruit-bearing life. Fruit naturally comes to trees that are planted in the right place. The tree doesn’t have to pray for fruit or try to be fruitful. It just happens. The same is true for the believer who locates himself in the way of the Word. As you hear from God through His Word and seek to apply it in your life, the Fruit of the Spirit begins to naturally grow. The person who is in love with the Word of God can’t keep from sharing his or her love for God. It’s a natural by-product.
Notice that verse 3 says it yields its fruit in its season. Fruit-bearing has a season. Don’t get discouraged if you read the Word for 30 days in a row and don’t see a major change in your character or desires. It’s coming. Harvest time has a season. That’s why you have to meditate consistently on the Word, so that your season of transformation will come. Don’t get discouraged if you read something and don’t understand it. Don’t quit if it doesn’t seem to make sense at first. Get planted and rooted in the Word and your season will come.
Notice that in addition to bearing fruit, the Psalmist said there would be no brown, dead, withered leaves. When you see leaves down in your yard, it is a sign that something is dry. Something is dead. Something is now disconnected from the tree. Listen, there will be no signs of death and dryness in your life when you are engaged with the Word. You will not be disconnected from the presence and power of God in your life. You will be more alive than you have ever been if you walk in the way of the Word.
There are two ways you can live. You can walk in the way of the world, or you can walk in the way of the Word. One leads to destruction. The other leads to blessedness and prosperity. This morning, you are in the driver’s seat. You get to decide where to get your information, your inspiration. What’s your end goal? Prosperity and blessedness or destruction? As we start this new year, I challenge you to walk in the way of the Word.
