Question
Blessed is the Man
Psalm 1:1-6
Key Verse 2
“But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.”
1. Read verses 1-2. Who is described as being blessed? (1) What do the blessed delight in? (2a) What do the blessed do day and night? (2b) What do you think these verses show about the life of someone who is blessed?
2. Read verse 3. In what aspects are the blessed like a tree planted by streams of water? (3, John 15:5-7) What do you think this comparison symbolizes in your life?
3. Read verses 4-5. What are the wicked compared to? (4) What do you think this comparison symbolizes? What will happen to the wicked and to sinners? (5)
4. Read verse 6. Who watches over the way of the righteous? (6a) Where does the way of the wicked lead? (6b) How do you think we can be blessed in the new year based on this passage?
Manuscript
Message
Blessed is the Man
Psalm 1:1-6
Key Verse 1:2
“But whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night.”
Today is the last Sunday of 2014, and we are very thankful for what the Lord has done for us during 2014 despite of all our weaknesses and mistakes. In the coming year we want to be blessed by the Lord all the more. Now today’s passage teaches us the way of blessing.
Yesterday we had a wedding. At wedding reception, I had fellowship with msn Deborah’s father together with msn Suzanna Min. Msn Deborah’s father is a renowned acupuncturist in Korea. We were talking about influence of antibiotics when we took. Then he said, “our body responds even when we think.’ When he said it I was shocked by the simple truth in it. “Our body responds even when we think’. He is a professional person as far as our body goes. And that is what he said. “Our body responds even when we think.’ “Wow!” Immediately I realized that I was destroying my body by my negative thinking.’
Our body is created by God. So it is one of the best. Since our bodies are so well made they respond so well even when we think. When we complain our body responds. Our body produces something related to complaining. When we are thankful our body also responds, producing something related to thanks. Today’s passage teaches us the way of the righteous and the way of the wicked. But the fundamental difference comes from what they think because their actions are nothing other than what they think in their inmost hearts. So today we want to learn how we can live as blessed man in the coming year.
Part I. Blessed is the man (v.1-3)
Part II. Not so the wicked (v.4-6)
Part I. Blessed is the man (v.1-3)
Today’s passage talks about the blessed man first. What makes a blessed man? What makes a blessed man is first of all not to follow the way of the wicked.
Look at verse 1. “Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers.”
“To walk, stand, sit” shows three stages of one’s involvement and identify with the wicked. “To walk” is the strongest one because it means they do things together. “To stand” in the way of the sinners means to be ready to take an action together. “To sit in the company of mockers” is least but still it identifies one with the mockers. One good example about the verse is given what Apostle Peter did when Jesus was tried. John 18:18 reads, “It was cold, and the servants and officials stood around a fire they had made to keep warm. Peter was standing with them, warming himself.”
Peter was standing with his enemies who tried Jesus although he was Jesus’ disciple. Eventually to stand with them led him to deny Jesus three times.
There is a saying “Birds of a feather flock together”. We are influenced by people around us. If we are surround by thankful people probably we become thankful. If we are surrounded by complaining people possibility is we become complaining. So They say “one of the secrets to become successful men is to be surrounded by successful people.
There is a famous story about Mancius’ mother who moved her house 3 times for her son. Mancius is arguably the second most renowned philospher in Chinese history. This is what happened. Mencius's father died when he was very young. His mother Zhǎng (仉) raised her son alone. They were very poor. At first they lived by a cemetery, where the mother found her son imitating the paid mourners in funeral processions. Therefore the mother decided to move. The next house was near a market in the town. There the boy began to imitate the cries of merchants. Merchants were despised in early China. So the mother moved to a house next to a school. Inspired by the scholars and students, Mencius began to study. His mother decided to remain, and Mencius became a famous scholar.
So the blessed man is one who does not walk in step with the wicked, or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers.
Basically the blessed man does not follow the way of the wicked which is the way of the world. What is the way of the world? The way of the world is cheating, lying, slandering, complaining, finding fault with others, envy, stealing etc. We are all familiar with the way of the world. Basically the way of the world is closely related to the love of the world.
The love of the world is described in 1 John 2:15-16.
Look at 1 John 2:15-16 “[15] Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. [16] For everything in the world – the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life – comes not from the Father but from the world.”
So the craving of the sinful man, the lust of one’s eyes, and boasting of what one does and has belong to the love of the world. So the way of the wicked is to live according to one’s sinful desires and the desires of their lustful eyes. They boast of what they have and what they do, and this is the way of the world and the way of the wicked.
But the blessed man is the one who does not follow the way of the world or the way of the wicked.
What then does he follow? Look at verse 2. “But whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night.”
“Delight” means not just joy but ‘great joy’.
The blessed man follows the way of the righteous by loving the word of God and meditating on it day and night. His way of life comes from having deep fellowship with the Lord based on the law of the Lord. He develops the joy of having fellowship with the Lord through the word of the Lord and meditating on it. To meditate means “to think deeply”. According to Merriam Webster’s dictionary it means ‘to engage in contemplation or reflection’ or ‘to focus on one’s thoughts on or reflect on or ponder over”.
It shows that his inner thought is focused on the law of the Lord. What we think defines who we are. What we think influences so much. Even a mere thinking influences our body.
By meditating the law of the Lord day the blessed man’s thought is filled with the thoughts of the Lord.
Jesus Christ meditated on the law of the Lord when he was tempted by the devil. He did it while he was on the cross. His main work during his life is to teach the word of God. He said in John 17:7-8 “[7] Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. [8] For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me.”
So Jesus revealed God to his disciples by giving them the word of God. So in this way God was revealed to them. This is God’s way of revealing himself to us. So it is no wonder that the blessed man has fellowship with God and knows God more and becomes like God.
Now what happens when the blessed man meditates on the law of the Lord day and night?
Look at verse 3. “That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers.”
Can you imagine in your hearts a tree planted by streams of water?
If a tree planted by streams of water it yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither even in times of drought because the streams of water will not dry out. The ultimate expression of the blessing of the person who mediates on the law of the Lord day and night is ‘whatever he does prospers.’
In the bible man is compared to a tree. It is because of two reasons. The first reason is man bears fruit. Second reason is man’s dependence on God as if tree depends on water.
Indeed we depend on God for our life and when we meditate on his law day and night the word of God becomes streams of living water and we will be like a tree planted by streams of water.
Jesus said Luke 6:43-45. “No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.”
Here Jesus teaches us important truth. There is no way for a good tree bears bad fruit nor does a bad free good fruit. Ultimately no one can cheat about who he is. Whatever he has inside will come out and it will show what kind of person he or she is. So what we store in our heart is important. It is like preparation of doing something in the future.
We may think it is okay for us to think evil things because no one can see what we think. But what we think will be stored in our hearts and it will be shown in the end.
Today we are very happy because Vinah moves in sisters’ common life house. We praise God who stored the word of God in heart as she learned it from msn Anna Kim. Vinah humbly accepted the word of God given to her and now it bears the fruit of decision to move in to the common life house to be closer to God. Praise God who blessed her life of faith. Praise God who used msn Anna! Msn Anna is quiet and her English may not be perfect. But what does it matter when the Lord uses her so preciously! Msn Anna comes to the center every morning and meditates on the law of the Lord and prays.
Indeed the Lord blesses us when we come to him by meditating on the word of the Lord. As we keep doing it, we will all be like trees planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever we do prospers! Praise God! What an ultimate blessing it is!
Part II. Not so the wicked (v.4-6)
This part is drastic contrast compared to the blessed man. This part is what will happen to the wicked. It starts with the word ‘Not so”. It is a strong denial. Compared to all the blessings a blessed man receives there is a different result for the wicked man. Let’s look at verses 4-5.
“4 Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away. 5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.”
There are two things mentioned here about the wicked men. The first thing is ‘they will suddenly disappear, and the second thing is they will be judged. First, they will suddenly disappear like chaff that the wind blows away. The blowing of the wind can be compared to the Lord’s judgment too. Before the wind blows the chaff seems like something. But when the wind blows it is gone without any trace. They will be gone as if nothing was there, and that is the fate of all the wicked men.
Psalm 37:10. “A little while, and the wicked will be no more; though you look for them, they will not be found.”
The second thing about the wicked people is: there is God’s judgment against them.
The wicked will not be able to stand in God’s judgment nor in the assembly of the righteous. They will be judged and they cannot stand before God. They all will be judged and be thrown away. They cannot be among the righteous.
Now how can we be sure that the blessings and curses recorded in today’s passage will come true? Look at verse 6. “For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.”
Everything recorded in today’s passage will come true because the Lord watches over the way of the righteous. When they need his help he helps them. So that is why whatever they do prospers. What about the wicked people? Before judging them the Lord just leaves them alone. Then their way will lead them to destruction because it says, “But the way of the wicked leads to destruction.”
2 Timothy 3:13 reads, “while evil doers and imposters will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.”
The evil doers and imposters will be destroyed by themselves because they will go from bad to worse. No one tries to destroy them. They destroy themselves by becoming from bad to worse. They deceive others. But then they are also deceived. Even before the Lord’s judgment they are destroyed by themselves.
Romans 1:28 says the same truth.
“Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done.”
So today we thought about how we can be blessed men in the coming new year. It is
to meditate on the law of the Lord day and night. Then we will be like a tree planted by streams of water and whatever we do prospers.
One word: Blessed is the man who mediates on the word of God day and night
Manuscript
Biblenote
Blessed is the Man
Psalm 1:1-6
Key Verse 2
“But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.”
Introduction
This psalm teaches the Godly wisdom how anyone would be blessed or cursed by God and his/her final outcomes. The key verse shows that his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. God shows us how to be delightful in His law. The phrase, “the law of the Lord” in the book of Psalm is the entire Words of God instead of liming to Moses’ five books. We are grateful to the Lord who gives us hunger for the Word of God and to find delight by meditating the words of God day and night.
1. Read verses 1-2. Who is described as being blessed? (1) What do the blessed delight in? (2a) What do the blessed do day and night? (2b) What do you think these verses show about the life of someone who is blessed?
1-1. Read verses 1-2.
“Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night.”
1-2. Who is described as being blessed? (1)
Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers,
According to KJV(King James Version), walking in step with the wicked is described as “walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly.” The blessed knows how to discern and stay away from ungodly advices. Sometimes it comes from our own deceitful hearts.
He or she is not yielded to the temptation or peer pressure, does not join to the way of the wicked or sinners or sit in the company of mockers.
3 verbs(walk, stand, and sit) may mean think, behave(take action), and belong. There is a progression of a sin. James 1:15 reads, “Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.”
However the blessed has a clear identity as children of God, avoiding the way of crowds in the world for he or she has a clear boundary from God and God’s living words.
The righteous man knows where to find godly counsel instead. God's Word is always the best counselor, and godly counselors will always bring the truth of God's Word to help someone who wants counseling.
Psalm 16:11 reads, “You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.”
Matthew 7:13-14 read, “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
Blessed translates the Hebrew word "esher," which has the idea of happiness or contentment. Esher comes from the Hebrew word ashar, which in its root means "to be straight" or "to be right."
Blessed is the man speaks of the happiness, the blessedness, the contentment in the life of the man or woman who is right or "straight" with God. The righteous man will be a blessed man, a happy man.
It may remind us of 1 Timothy 6:6, “But godliness with contentment is great gain.”
1-3. What do the blessed delight in? (2a)
“but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,”
His or her pleasure and joy resides in the word of God and God’s principle rather than in the worldly pleasures.
Psalm 119:1-24 read, “Blessed are those whose ways are blameless who walk according to the law of the Lord. Blessed are those who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart, they do no wrong but follow his ways. You have laid down precepts that are to be fully obeyed. Oh, that my ways were steadfast in obeying your decrees! Then I would not be put to shame when I consider all your commands. I will praise you with an upright heart as I learn your righteous laws. I will obey your decrees; do not utterly forsake me. How can a young person stay on the path of purity? By living according to your word. I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. Praise be to you, Lord; teach me your decrees. With my lips I recount all the laws that come from your mouth. I rejoice in following your statutes as one rejoices in great riches. I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways. I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word. Be good to your servant while I live, that I may obey your word. Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law. I am a stranger on earth; do not hide your commands from me. My soul is consumed with longing for your laws at all times. You rebuke the arrogant, who are accursed, those who stray from your commands. Remove from me their scorn and contempt, for I keep your statutes. Though rulers sit together and slander me, your servant will meditate on your decrees. Your statutes are my delight; they are my counselors.
1-4. What do the blessed do day and night? (2b)
“and who meditates on his law day and night.”
They meditate on the word of God and find the principle of his life from the word of God.
The righteous man ponders the word of God. He does not just hear it and forget it, he thinks about it. Christians should meditate on God’s word!
In eastern meditation, the goal is to empty the mind. This is very dangerous for an empty mind per se may leave an open door wide for deceptive message.
In this passage, meditation has a clear goal to fill or replace our hearts with the Words of God. This can be done by carefully thinking about each word and phrase, and applying it into one’s self with personal praying.
Meditation chews the cud(ponder over), and gets the sweetness of the Word into the heart and life like a cow.
Cows are herbivores and have a four part stomach, each part used for a different process. Cows swallow their food without chewing it too much at first. Cows later regurgitate a 'cud' which is then chewed well and swallowed.
1. The Rumen - this is the largest part and holds up to 50 gallons of partially digested food. This is where the 'cud' comes from(Food regurgitated from the 1st stomach to the mouth of a ruminant and chewed again).
2. The Recticulum - The grass that has been eaten is also softened further in this stomach section and is formed into small wads of cud. Each cud returns to the cows mouth and is chewed 40 - 60 times and then swallowed properly.
3. The Omasum - this part of the stomach is a 'filter'. It filters through all the food the cow eats. The cud is also pressed and broken down further.
4. The Abomasum - this part of the stomach is like a humans stomach and is connected to the intestines. Here, the food is finally digested by the cows stomach juices and essential nutrients that the cow needs are passed through the bloodstream.
**Many lack because they only read and do not meditate. "It is not only reading that does us good; but the soul inwardly feeding an it, and digesting it.
1-5. What do you think these verses show about the life of someone who is blessed?
They have a clear identity of God’s children and do not pursue the popularity of the world and find the principle and guide from the word of God, which are the source of his joy and delight.
2. Read verse 3. In what aspects are the blessed like a tree planted by streams of water? (3, John 15:5-7) What do you think this comparison symbolizes in your life?
2-1. Read verse 3.
“That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers.”
2-2. In what aspects are the blessed like a tree planted by streams of water? (3, John 15:5-7)
“5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. (John 15:5-7)
The blessed meditates the law of the Lord day and night, so they receive the word of the Lord and their souls are sustained by them, so they are like a tree planted by the stream of water. Their souls are nourished by the God’ word.
Just as a tree by a river has a continual source of water and will never wither away, we better examine whether or not we are always planted by the rivers of water.
As a tree is strong and stable because of deep roots sinking down, the life of the righteous man is marked by strength and stability.
**yields its fruit in season: The righteous man bears fruit for sure, such as the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). As the fruit comes naturally from this tree planted by the rivers of water, fruit comes in a season. Some get discouraged when they begin to walk as a righteous man for fruit is not immediately seen. They need to wait until they bring forth fruit in its season.
** “Whatever they do prospers” does not mean merely comfort and rich. Rather in any situations, God brings forth something good and wonderful out of everything.
2-3. What do you think this comparison symbolizes in your life?
This is the very way of the blessed life in this world.
3. Read verses 4-5. What are the wicked compared to? (4) What do you think this comparison symbolizes? What will happen to the wicked and to sinners? (5)
3-1. Read verses 4-5.
“Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.”
3-2. What are the wicked compared to? (4)
“They are like chaff that the wind blows away.”
Chaff is the light “shell” around a kernel of grain, which must be stripped away before the kernel of grain can be ground into flour.
Not so the wicked
Everything true about the righteous man (stable as a tree, continual life and nourishment, fruitful, alive(greed leaf), and prosperous), is not so regarding the ungodly.
It may often seem like the ungodly have these things, and sometimes it seems they have them more than the righteous. But it is not so! Any of these things are fleeting in the life of the ungodly; it can be said that they don’t really have them at all.
3-3. What do you think this comparison symbolizes?
Although the wicked sometimes look strong and prosperous, they will be blown away like chaff, which is carried away by the lightest wind because they don’t have solid foundation.
3-4. What will happen to the wicked and to sinners? (5)
“5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.”
Because the ungodly have no “weight,” they will be found lacking on the day of judgment.
This is the inscription that was written: mene, mene, tekel, parsin “Here is what these words mean: Mene: God has numbered the days of your reign and brought it to an end. Tekel: You have been weighed on the scales and found wanting. Peres: Your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians.” - Daniel 5:25-28
4. Read verse 6. Who watches over the way of the righteous? (6a) Where does the way of the wicked lead? (6b) How do you think we can be blessed in the new year based on this passage?
4-1. Read verse 6.
“For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.”
4-2. Who watches over the way of the righteous? (6a)
The Lord watches over the way of the righteous, so they are safe.
What a great comfort and assurance to know the fact that the Sovereign Lord watches over the way of the righteous! How safe and sound it is to walk in the path shown in His words in this unpredictable world! May the Lord help each of us to find the way of the righteous through meditating the Words of God day and night throughout this year.
4-3. Where does the way of the wicked lead? (6b)
but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.”
There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death.
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Proverbs 16:25
4-4. How do you think we can be blessed in the new year based on this passage?
We should go to the way of the righteous, avoid the way of the wicked and meditate the world of God because it is the way of the blessed.
In Conclusion
This passage declares the two ways of life style in this world; the way of the righteous and the way of the wicked and their final outcomes. The blessed will be like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and they will prosper because they are sustained by the word of God and Lord watches over them. The wicked will be like chaff that the wind blow away because they don’t have the weight, and they won’t stand in the judgment and will perish.
One word: His delight is in the God’s Words