Psalm 1-2
September 3rd, 2023
“The book of Psalms is filled with the songs and prayers offered to God by the nations of Israel. Their expressions of praise, faith, sorrow, and frustration cover the range of human emotions. Some of the Psalms dwell on the treasure of wisdom and God’s Word. Others reveal the troubled heart of a mourner. Still others explode with praise to God and invite others to join in song. This diversity is unified by one element: the Psalms are centered on the one and only living God. This Creator God is King of all the earth and refuge for all who trust in him. Many of the Psalms are attributed to King David. The writing and collection of the Psalms into their present form spanned the fifteenth to the third centuries BC.” Church History Study Bible.
Read Psalms , Chapter 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.
4 The wicked are not so,
but are like chaff that the wind drives away.
5 Therefore the wicked will 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 wicked will perish.
Psalm 2: The Reign of the Lord’s Anointed
1 Why do the nations rage
and the peoples plot in vain?
2The kings of the earth set themselves,
and the rulers take counsel together,
against the Lord and against his Anointed, saying,
3“Let us burst their bonds apart
and cast away their cords from us.”
4He who sits in the heavens laughs;
the Lord holds them in derision.
5Then he will speak to them in his wrath,
and terrify them in his fury, saying,
6“As for me, I have set my King
on Zion, my holy hill.”
7I will tell of the decree:
The Lord said to me, “You are my Son;
today I have begotten you.
8Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage,
and the ends of the earth your possession.
9You shall break them with a rod of iron
and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.”
10Now therefore, O kings, be wise;
be warned, O rulers of the earth.
11 Serve the Lord with fear,
and rejoice with trembling.
12 Kiss the Son,
lest he be angry, and you perish in the way,
for his wrath is quickly kindled.
Blessed are all who take refuge in him.
In this chapter we see that there are two different and distinct paths of being human. One that leads to withering ruin and one that leads to a flourishing life. If we look at verse 1, we see that the “blessed” life results from 3 choices this person makes:
Doesn’t walk in the counsel of the wicked.
Doesn’t stand in the way of sinners.
Doesn’t sit in the seat of scoffers.
These are 3 destructive ways of being human that we can get trapped in.
Instead, looking at verse 2, this person can delight in the law (also translated “instruction”) of the Lord, and on His law meditate day and night. This person is:
Like a tree planted by streams of water that yields fruit in its season.
Like a leaf that does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers.
The difference is what you chose to meditate on.
Two things: 1) when this verse is referring to the wicked, sinners, and scoffers, it's not meaning people trying to do good but missing the mark due to their humanity. These are people who are actively pursing evil. And 2) Meditating on God's law does not mean you won't face hardship in life, but that God will sustain you through it all.
Reflection: In what ways do your choices shape you over time?
