What does it mean to be blessed?

Psalm 1 describes the life of the blessed. This life is available to all. 

Episode 122

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

What does it mean to be blessed? When we come to Psalm 1, the first Psalm of the Book of Psalms, there's 150 of them. This Psalm is not only a psalm in and of itself, but it sort of sets the tone for the rest of the book of Psalms. So beginning at verse 1, it reads, Blessed is the man. You could say, or woman, blessed is the man or woman who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful. So it starts off with some negative things, so to say. You're blessed if you don't walk in the counsel of the ungodly or stand in the path of sinners or sit in the seat of the scornful. But on the other side, verse 2, his or her delight is in the law of the Lord, and in his law he meditates day and night. One of the things that you see throughout the Psalms is a contrast of the wicked and the godly. And one of the main defining marks that separates the two is what they do with the word of God. The godly are not perfect, the godly don't always get it right, but the godly are described as those who receive God's word and seek to walk in obedience to it and to make him known. Where the wicked are those who reject God's word, they reject God's rule in their lives, and they basically do what they want to, and they mistreat people. The wicked in the book of Psalms are often those who are doing injustice. They've rejected God's word, they're living their way, and they are treating others unjustly. Verse 3 says, He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water. So the result, the result to those who do not partake of the wicked in their schemes, but delight in the law of the Lord, the result is, this is a great analogy, a great word picture. Well, where ancient Israel was is a very arid and desert-like area, and yet they would have springs of water that would come forth. There would be water in the desert, in the wilderness. So you have this interesting mix of rock and sand and this deserty environment, and yet you'll have these lush areas where there is water. So the word picture is that as we meditate on, so that is to not just be a casual reader of God's word, but to take God's word into our hearts, to be affected and changed by it, to have our lives directed by God's word, we will be like a tree that whether there is a drought or not, we are being supplied by God. We have something that is nourishing us. We are being fed and we will bear fruit. God will see to it as we look to Him. Verse 4, the ungodly are not so, but they are like the chaff which the wind drives away. So the chaff would be that which is dried up. It's not by the rivers of water. It's been dried up, and the wind just carries it away. It's not stable. Those who reject God and His Word and go their own way, they're just going to be blown away. They're not going to be stable. They don't represent life and stability. Then verse 5, therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the day of judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. Why won't they stand? Well, because they've lived a life in rebellion against God's word, and so in the day of judgment they will receive their just due. They will stand before God guilty, and as they've rejected him in life, they will be separated from him for eternity. Then verse 6, for the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall perish. There's a warning and an encouragement there. A warning that we need to look at our own lives and say, What am I doing in response to how God has revealed himself through his word? Do I take his word into my heart, meditate on it, allowing myself to be changed by God's revelation of himself through his word? Also, the Lord knows the way of the righteous, the encouragement. It's not the best translation into English here. It doesn't really capture the full meaning, but to know means God is really watching over and intimately He knows you. He knows all about you. He is watching over you. The Lord knows the way of the righteous. He knows you. He is for you. Even in your weakness, he is faithful. Even in your failures, his grace sustains you. It's not about perfection, but it is about pursuing him. Pursuing him through his word and in righteousness and in truth. And allowing God to have his way in your life, in our lives for his glory. So that's how the book of Psalm begins. I'm going to, my plan is to continue to jump between Old Testament, New Testament, and some Psalms. We'll go between Genesis, Matthew, Psalms for a little while here and hope to help you start your week each Monday off in God's Word and encourage you in that. I hope you have a great day.