They are not advancing in their life with Christ, but are materialistic, earthly-oriented, living as earthdwellers and not sojourners. It refers to those who are guided and controlled by their own desires, emotions, impulses of the mind and flesh rather than by the Word and the Holy Spirit. Psalm. Applications of this principle for the New Testament believer are multiplied ad infinitum both positionally (Eph. It refers to one who is actively engaged in putting down the things of God and His Word. 4 The wicked are not so, But they are like chaff which the wind drives away. Sin is the transgression of the Law. May God of all creation bless you! In contrast – Psalm 1:4 – the wicked are like vegetation alright – but vegetation that’s dead, dried up, and blowing away. The Psalms have a wonderful capacity to capture the reality of our human experience. Psalms seeks to encourage us in the ways of the Lord and discourage us from the wickedness of sin. The psalms describe Christ in His fullness, His suffering , death and coming. Like chaff, the wicked will be separated from the grain in judgment (vs. 5). Pilgrim had to go … I will dwell in the house of the Lord 2. (4) God’s own special blessing and use of our gifts (1 Cor. One is reminded of Paul’s statement in 2 Timothy 2:19-20. In almost every verse, the Word of God is mentioned. The problem, especially in our ‘instant tea’ society, we want and expect an overnight transformation and change. “As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.” The man of blessedness is one who has determined to walk by the whole counsel of the Word, not by his emotions, experience, tradition, by popular opinion or by what is politically correct. Some translations say “relieved” or something else that’s fairly abstract and doesn’t give you a very good picture of what’s going on. He also prospers because, as such a man, he uses Scripture as a guide for how he does what he does. 72) in spite of life’s tremendous difficulties (Ps. How can the Bible have such a stabilizing affect on a person’s life? On the other hand – Psalm 1:4… chaff. (1) There is the way of the godly and their blessedness in contrast to the way of the ungodly (1:1-6). Sometimes God has to engineer failure and pressures before He can bring about success—His kind of success—in our lives. A study of the word r`sh`u (used well over 255 times in the Old Testament) finds that one of the key characteristics of the wicked is this looseness from God. My NASB translates it “skillful psalm,” and the KJV translates it “understanding.” The ESV just calls it a “psalm.” 2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night. THE SHEPHERD'S PRESERVATION (23:6) A. 5:22-23). 2 R. Laird Harris, Gleason L. Archer, Jr., Bruce K. Waltke, Theological Word Book of the Old Testament, Vol. “He meditates” is an imperfect tense of habitual action. Unbelievers are separated from believers and the believers go into the Millennium. Of the 150 Psalms, 73 were written by king David, 2 … We believed. How much fruit each tree yields depends on several factors: (1) The filling of the Holy Spirit or the abiding life (John 15:1-7; Gal. 2. “In its season” is literally “in its time,” i.e., at the proper, suitable time (Ps. The psalmist says that a person is blessed if he does not do one kind of thing, but instead does another. 2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night” (vv. Compare: Isaiah 53:10-11 (“the good pleasure,” i.e., the purpose, business, cause); Isaiah 58:13 (“your own pleasure,” i.e., business, affairs); and Proverbs 31:13 (“and works at the ‘business of her hands’”).3 The principle is that the study of God’s Word is to be one of the key purposes and affairs in our life in which we delight and to which we give careful attention. But let’s first note how the author develops this because it is so instructive and is a warning in itself. In essence, God says there are two ways of life open to us: one means blessedness, happiness, and fruitfulness, but the other means cursedness, unhappiness, and judgment. Being like a tree is of course a metaphor, a picture. As the wicked are driven about in life because they do not have the Lord and His righteousness, so they will be driven away from Him in the day of judgment because they lack His gift of righteousness through Jesus Christ. 4 R. Laird Harris, Gleason L. Archer, Jr., Bruce K. Waltke, Theological Word Book of the Old Testament, Vol. First the word with obedience and application, and then there is production. Paul warned them that in their state of carnality and failure to grow, they were walking like mere men (1 Cor. On the one hand – Psalm 1:3 – a firm healthy, growing tree. But the thing that never ceases to amaze me is the mess people can get their lives in. 9:1-22). 1) and prolonged all the night through (ver. It is certainly nice to think that we belong to Hashem, and it’s true. The word “delight” was also used of that in which one takes delight as in one’s business, pursuits, or affairs of life. One of the reasons Scripture is a delight, like honey in the honey comb, is because it is truth. The law, of course, refers to the Word of God. 20:11-15; 21:6-8). how majestic is thy name in all the earth! Psalm 1 Commentary by Brad Boyles. He is easily influenced by the way of the world in its attitudes and actions, for actions follow attitudes. This results in moral instability which is the fruit of the root problem, a failure to care about God. It takes the basic themes of OT theology and turns them into song: 1. Psalms 90-106 (Book 4). Is it productive? The wicked – Psalm 1:5 will be judged and found to be guilty. This first Psalm stands as a kind of introduction to the rest of the Psalms. Psalm 70: This psalm has apparently been detached from the end of Psalm 40 where it appears as verses 13-17. David shows us that the Scripture, when known and applied, can restore a sin-damaged and distraught soul, give spiritual wisdom, bring joy to the downcast, and provide spiritual discernment. For the New Testament saint, salvation is by faith alone in the accomplishment of Christ’s finished work as proclaimed in the New Covenant, which is a fulfillment of the promises of the Old (cf. “Stand” is the Hebrew u`m~D. It draws the reader’s attention to both the uselessness of the wicked and to the ease with which God deals with them, like the wind that so easily picks up the chaff and blows it away. We will do an exegesis, reflection and exposition of Psalm 1. No idea what this kind of psalm is. Psalm 119 affirms not only the character of the Scriptures, but it affirms that God’s Word reflects the very character of God Himself. Again compare Lot in Genesis 13:12-13; 19:1. There is often an introductory petition with a lament which is a complaint; both terms are sometimes used. In our passage it occurs four times (verses 1, 4, 5, and 6). 2:1b where it means, “devise”). There was great trouble. What the righteous man does not do. The psalms' teachings are difficult to summarize because their main purpose is not instruction but expressions of the heart made in the spirit of worship. This is a comprehensive term for the study and application of the Word to one’s life. Blessedness is a choice, but to be blessed, one must by faith obey the conditions; he must pursue the way of blessedness as described in this Psalm. Exhortations like these in the New Testament would be meaningless unless this were a real possibility. Return to Tools for Studying the Psalms A Table of Psalms by Theme. "THE BOOK OF PSALMS" Psalm 1 - The Truly Happy Man OBJECTIVES IN STUDYING THIS PSALM 1) To examine the blessedness of the righteous, in stark contrast to the desperation of the wicked 2) To note both the negative and positive elements that lead to the truly happy life 3) To note four examples of parallelism that are indicative of Hebrew poetry SUMMARY The first psalm, didactic in style, serves as … Psalm 1 is about the blessings of the righteous. Psalms 107-150 (Book 5). J. Hampton Keathley III, Th.M. Psalm one is a wisdom Psalm. Do you get apples from chaff? It is the believer’s responsibility to respond to God’s provision and to plant themselves regularly in a seat where they can drink from these water resources. Later he wrote, “preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with great patience and instruction,” and then he quickly warned, “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires; and will turn away their ears from the truth, and will turn aside to myths” (2 Tim. Now listen to the sound of the text in Hebrew, a~shr? The speaker in the psalm is the nation itself, making it a national lament psalm. Notice these attributes of God ascribed to Scripture in Psalm 119: 1. 1:2) in God’s Word. What’s also clear is that they have not been ordering their lives by the Word. The key characteristics of the wicked are two-fold and stand to each other as root to fruit: (1) Root: Forsakes God, negative to God and His Word with the result he is uncontrolled (Prov. The Apostle Paul emphatically teaches us that nothing can separate us from the love of God which is anchored in Christ (Rom. thanks for posting. Isa. Chaff is the seed covering and the debris separated from the grain or seed in threshing. Or grapes from chaff? Though God made man with dignity and purpose, all people since the fall are beset with sins and weaknesses that only God’s grace can heal… This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. 6:19-24). In contrast – Psalm 1:6 – God is personally acquainted and familiar with the way of the righteous. 138:2). You might not characterize your life as blessed. 1:4-6). From this retrogressive process, it is easy to see that people simply do not remain passive about God. The Psalms are not meant to be studied so much as to be experienced. Succeeding! 104:27). As far as the believer’s fruitfulness is concerned, this means studying and becoming prepared to serve in special ways according to one’s gifts and God’s timing (compare Moses, Paul and Christ). Jn 14:1-3) REVIEW QUESTIONS FOR THE PSALM 1) What are the main points of this psalm? They reveal the heart of man in every situation and his response to God. The Psalter is fundamentally the hymnbook of God’s people. It follows the thousand-year reign of Christ and pertains only to unbelievers. This does not deny the ministry and work of the Holy Spirit or other valid functions of the church like music, but central to everything is the Word (Jam. It has turned aside from the Word as its authority and sufficient source for life and godliness. True blessing comes from God. The primary emphasis here is to the unbeliever, but there are definite applications to the believer both for this life and for eternity. There are three things the man who is blessed must avoid. So, how can we avoid this? However, the believer, who is kept by the power of God, will be in eternity with the Lord. Its pattern is pretty unique, actually. Its organization, its fellowship, its works, testimony, witness, and giving. We could talk about the underlying or implied situation that called for the writing of this psalm. The Theological Word Book of the Old Testament points out this word may be used for that which a person wishes strongly to do or have.2 It means “to feel great favor toward something.” The emphasis of this word is that the desire is caused in the subject by the intrinsic qualities that are found in the object desired (cf. 8, 19, 33, 65, 111, 104, 145, 147.: God the Redeemer. This is the point of Proverbs 29:18, “Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint; but blessed is he who keeps the law.”. Line 1: The first and last verses of the psalm frame the rest, giving the congregation both a part to sing and a means of expressing the key ideas the psalm develops. If this continues, it will mean severe discipline in this life followed by forfeiture of rewards in heaven, like chaff which the wind drives away (1 Cor. And so the last two verses contrast the final end of these two types of people. Surely goodness and mercy will follow me 2. The important thing is the idea that the song says, which because it is very powerful transmits protection and care to the home and people. The Search OF the Savior: Why Jesus Came, Part 1 (Luke 19:1-10), Bible Storying Series - Teaching The Story Of God Chronologically. Two great thrusts flow out of this: (a) the importance and absolute necessity of the Scripture, and (b) the changed character, stability, and fruitfulness it promises to those who make Scripture the core of their lives. Perhaps the motive behind this was for separate use in the temple worship, just as one might take part of a hymn today and use it as a chorus. God the Creator. An example of expansive parallelism: Psalm 1:6. Psalms are usually identified by a sequence number, often preceded by the abbreviation "Ps." Nevertheless, no comfort came. As to this life, the wicked, those who walk independently of God (believers or unbelievers), are driven about by the false counsel of the world, by satanic and human viewpoint (Eph. The psalm relies on an extended metaphor of God as a shepherd and the speaker as one... See full answer below. I don’t agree with every one. This is the message of this Psalm. By-in-large, people of the Word will gain the capacity to be wise and stable in areas such as their business or the office which could mean promotions or higher profits. Psalm 1:2 – in contrast to those who would participate in those evil things – this man’s delight is somewhere else. 2: "My hand in the night hath been stretched out [the hand of entreaty and prayer] and ceased not"). However, the key subject is the centrality of God’s Word to the life and fruitfulness of the righteous who truly love His Word. 4:4-7), 3. But for the complete picture we need New Testament revelation. Note how this Psalm drives home its truth by the use of contrasts. Lk 12:22-32) 2. It means, “Oh, the blessedness.” It stresses this as a fact to those who fulfill the conditions or proposition of the passage. This must not be understood in the sense of legalistic obedience to a set of rules and principles, like a prescription or a formula, but in the sense of an obedience of faith that such a life brings to the one who believes the concepts of this passage. Note the contrast seen with verse 2 “but his delight is in the law of the Lord … not so the wicked” (cf. But are you thinking about it the way that God does? In the progress of revelation, the Old Testament does not give us the details of the last judgments as does the New Testament. He has taken us out of Satan’s domain of darkness and placed us into the kingdom of His dear Son (Rom. We might paraphrase, “Oh how very, very happy is the one who …”. No. Here is a contrast between character and destiny. Psalms 23:1-6.Under a metaphor borrowed from scenes of pastoral life, with which David was familiar, he describes God's providential care in providing refreshment, guidance, protection, and abundance, and so affording grounds of confidence in His perpetual favor. But what does this picture teach us? Verse one portrays this truth in three degrees of degeneration, each a little more permanent, settled, and embedded into one’s life. The verb is h`G> or H`G`H which literally means “to moan, growl, utter, speak, muse, think, and plan” (cf. In Psalm 4:1 where David is invoking the Lord he says that the Lord enlarged him when he was in distress. 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