Like the Hebrew language itself, Hebrew poetry uses vivid images, similes, and metaphors to communicate thoughts and feelings. 1:17; 2:11; Matt. The written Word is Gods love letter to us and we are to have a love affair with God through His Word. Eph. Many fail at this point. Fruit also has a season. This is to be our habit, and it will be if we obey verse 2 and Gods commands. Because of the nature of the Bible as Gods inspired, inerrant, and infallible Word to man, and because of its total sufficiency to meet every need of a persons soul. Then there is a~l, which expresses subjective or relative negation with an appeal to the will. But what does this picture teach us? Blessed is the man: The Hebrew word esher is here translated blessed, which has the idea of happiness or contentment. 4:11f). Essentially, the services are man-centered rather than Bible-centered and God-centered. Exhortations like these in the New Testament would be meaningless unless this were a real possibility. 1:21). They fall short. The Tribulation begins after the rapture, thus it begins only with unbelievers. It is not only reading that does us good; but the soul inwardly feeding on it, and digesting it. i. Rejection of Christ and His Word means no provision for eternity. Psalm 1 The Way of the Righteous and the Way of the Ungodly. For a detailed study on the judgments, see The Doctrine of the Judgments under New Testament, Topical Studies, on the Biblical Studies Foundation web site at www.bible.org. b. This verse flatly and absolutely denies any correspondence of the characteristics and life of the wicked with the righteous. By contrasting the morals, fruit and outcomes of the h~ash a&sh#r. who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked. We must choose to live not in the counsel of the ungodly (as verse 2 shows us), but live by the streams of water, the Word and Gods provision for learning it. Psalm one shows us a clear distinction between the way of the righteous and the end of those who are ungodly. 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. Stand is the Hebrew u`m~D. Psalm 1 says Israel's obedience to the law would result in blessing, while the wicked would end in destruction. 4:11-12). It is a spiritual body, an organism of living people whose lives are nurtured and sustained through the teaching of Gods Word (Amos 8:11-12, 2 Tim. We have covered the first four Psalms of Book V, Psalms 107 to 110. We can say these speak of thinking, behaving, and belonging. As I observe much of the church today, at first glance it looks like wheat, but on closer observation, it is often more like the chaff that the wind drives about with every wind of the various doctrines of man and the modernity of our secular society. For the Old Testament saint, salvation was by faith in Gods covenant with Israel as it looked forward to the coming Messiah and His death as proclaimed in the sacrificial system of the Law (cf. Fruit is a proof of the root, i.e., where one is dwelling (in truth or error) (cf. They teach us how little by little we can step out of the place of blessedness and into the place of misery and cursing with horrible consequences. ii. This refers to the judgment of all unbelieving dead or those raised in the resurrection for judgment (see John 5:29). But the thing that never ceases to amaze me is the mess people can get their lives in. They do not even consider if counsel is godly or ungodly. 5:22-23). Psalm 8, for instance, is a communal or public declaration of praise to God for his relationship with creation. In fact, no other Psalm is higher than Psalm 110 regarding Christ. 4:14-20; John 4:37-38). Due to security reasons we are not able to show or modify cookies from other domains. 57:20-21; Ps. Psalm 1 describes the happy man as being "like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper" (Ps. This would also be a tree that is strong and stable, sinking down deep roots. Many people in the church today are comfortable with their religion; they are merely playing at church. 2:1b where it means, devise). Psalm 51 is a renowned expression of repentance. This is why Christ had to die for our sin so we might have His righteousness. This is a beatitude. i. Interestingly, it comes from a word which means to go straight, go forward, advance, set right. The root verb (a`sh~r) means: (a) to proceed, advance in the way of understanding (Prov. This first Psalm stands as a kind of introduction to the rest of the Psalms. Planted by the rivers of water, But his delight is in This statement is emphatic in two ways: by the fact it is a nominal clause (no finite verb), and by the word order. Even tough circumstances bring forth something that shall prosper. The law of God Requires obedience of the heart. It could also mean the capacity to be healthier in general, since a joyful heart is good medicine and since godliness may produce the discipline needed to eat wisely and exercise regularly. It refers to one who is actively engaged in putting down the things of God and His Word. Of course, but this is not a blank check to be filled in as we want. The theme of "Psalm" reflects joy in time's passing, while "Auspex" shows gloomy acceptance of it. So, how can we avoid this? This results in moral instability which is the fruit of the root problem, a failure to care about God. Blessed is the man who. Who is a function word which introduces us to the person who is so blessed, one who has the qualities of life which lead to blessedness. The righteous cannot perish because they are in both the hand of the Father and in the hand of His Son, the Lord Jesus (John 10:28-30). And that blessing is contrasted with the unenviable end of the wicked - judgment. But true spiritual strength comes from a long-term, established relationship with God in his Word (Hebrew 5:11ff; 1 Pet. 1:8). (c) By substituting ones own ideas, experiences, emotions, feelings, or traditions for the Word and its principles. If you are interested there is a thorough study on this subject entitled, Bibliology: The Doctrine of the Written Word available on the Biblical Studies Foundation web site at www.bible.org in the theology section. David was the perfect example of God's king. Psalm 13 is a psalm of lament - an impassionate cry for help from the Lord. Wicked is a Hebrew word (r`sh`u) which has as its root idea, to be loose, unstable. This word carries two ideas. But sinners here refers to those who have deliberately chosen a way of life, a path contrary to the plan of God as revealed in the Word of God. Luke 1:71-73; Acts 3:25; Rom. The Cross And Separation From The World (1 Peter 4:1-6), 7. This is the message of this Psalm. i. 6:32; John 15:1f). In Psalm 1, two words develop this idea of blessing, 'salah' ('prospers' in. This confession was inspired by David's sins of adultery, deception, and even murder in his relationship with Bathsheba. But are like the chaff which the wind drives away. Now, what are those things? READING - Main Ideas Rev. Many lack because they only read and do not meditate. As it was said of King Belshazzar in the book of Daniel, You have been weighed in the balances, and found wanting (Daniel 5:27). e. Nor sits in the seat of the scornful: The scornful love to sit and criticize the people of God and the things of God. Return to Tools for Studying the Psalms A Table of Psalms by Theme. There is a way he will not walk, a path he will not stand in, and a seat he will not sit in. Unbelievers are separated from believers and the believers go into the Millennium. 17). 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. 138:2). 20:11-15; 21:6-8). The way of the wicked perishes because they have left God out and even their temporal life loses real meaning and value. d. And whatever he does shall prosper: It isnt that the righteous man has a Midas Touch, and everything he does makes him rich and comfortable. Applications of this principle for the New Testament believer are multiplied ad infinitum both positionally (Eph. Unbelievers will face God at the great white throne judgment but will not be able to stand its test (Matt. Instead, a beautitude promises blessing to those whose lives are characterized by certain qualities as the outcome of faith and relationship with God. iii. But it may also be taken as a strong contrast, i.e., but rather. Because of the construction of verse 1 with the emphasis on the negative, it introduces the reader to a strong contrast showing positively what the man of blessing does in contrast to verse 1, what he does not do. These cookies collect information that is used either in aggregate form to help us understand how our website is being used or how effective our marketing campaigns are, or to help us customize our website and application for you in order to enhance your experience. First, it means the righteous man knows how to discern the counsel of the ungodly. Note how these three verses in Ephesians parallel Psalm 1:1: 17 This I say therefore, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind. Main Idea The book of Psalms is a remarkable collection of Hebrew poetry focused on prayer and worship of God for His past faithfulness ( Ps. But in all cases, there is no real love for God, belief in His Word, or desire for fellowship with God. The wicked. This is a key word in the Psalms. They need to be preaching and teaching the Scripture. 22:11-13). It specifically applies this to work and to our desire for success. Lament - 59; . It is also true in the present, because sinners sense they do not belong in the congregation of the righteous if they insist on remaining sinners. If you refuse cookies we will remove all set cookies in our domain. And whatever he does shall prosper. Only those (both Jews and Gentiles) who have the robe of Christs righteousness because of their faith in Christ can stand before Gods throne. 29:18). As it is presented, it demonstrates the process of retrogression, which always occurs when men are not advancing in Gods words and way of life.