Psalm One

Psalm 1
PS 1:1 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.
PS 1:2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
  and on his law he meditates day and night.
PS 1:3 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.
PS 1:4 Not so the wicked!
  They are like chaff
  that the wind blows away.
PS 1:5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
  nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
PS 1:6 For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous,
  but the way of the wicked will perish.

I could spend hours and pages on this Psalm; as it is I’ve spent around 44 years in it. It’s a great Psalm to begin a day, a month, or a year with and it’s the perfect Psalm with which to begin the Biblical book of Psalms. It has similarities to the first chapter of Proverbs and its emphasis on meditation in the law of Yahweh puts me in mind of Joshua Chapter One, which I’m exploring on Mind on Fire.

There are two ways to live on this planet; the way of life and the way of death. There are two types of people on the earth; live people and dead people. We choose to take counsel from one of two sources; the wicked or the true and living God.

Where do we walk, stand and sit? In Ephesians we’re taught to sit in the heavens in Christ, to walk worthy of our calling in Christ, and in Christ to stand against the enemy. In Psalm One we are warned not to walk in the counsel of the wicked, or stand in the way of sinners, or sit in the seat of mockers. This is a challenge in a society that rants and raves and employs vitriolic rhetoric as a matter of course.

Our delight is to be in the Law of the LORD, in the Word of God in the Person of Jesus Christ. Jesus is the “way” of the righteous that God knows; Christ says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life, no one comes to the Father but through Me.”

The promise is that those who meditate on the Word of God will be fruitful in all seasons of life; that no matter what the circumstances they will produce fruit. The promise is not that things will always go well, it is not that there will be material prosperity, it is not that good health will always be with us; it is that we will bear fruit. Since a tree bears fruit for others to eat we can trust God to use whatever season of life we’re in for the blessing of others.

I’d like to encourage you to read and meditate on this Psalm at least once a day for seven days; you may be surprised to how God will speak to you through it.