Psalm 1:1 How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers!
--This not saying to never interact with non-believers. Jesus did that, and instructed His followers to do so in a particular way. It says don’t walk in the counsel of the wicked. Don’t take on their mindset and attitudes. Keep thinking godly thoughts.
How can we do that? The next verse yields a strong clue:
Psalm 1:2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night.
--getting into God’s written word will change how we walk, and how we think. But notice it doesn’t say “he who reads the law (word)”; it says he who delights in the law. The word “delight” means just that: happiness. When we get to the point where the Word makes us happy, where it’s the central thing in our lives, we are on the right track. Note that this does not mean to become a scholar. You might or might not become one, but that’s not the goal here. Knowledge of the word without delight makes one a Pharisee.
The key is to see the Word as the source of happiness. The more we get into it, the more we need. It’s easy to see how drugs, video games, nicotine, porn, and many other substitutes gain their power in a person’s life. They emulate the very characteristics, only in a twisted, reverse way, of the Word of God. The more we indulge in the Word, the more we want. It becomes our delight.
Once we get “addicted”, we want to meditate on it day and night. The Hebrew word translated “meditate” in that verse is the same used to describe a cow’s digestive method. You will recall from biology class that a cow has 4 stomachs. The cow eats some food, and it goes into the first stomach, then returns to the cow’s mouth, where she chews it some more, then it goes into stomach #2, then returns to the mouth, so she can enjoy the taste again. This happens 4 times. Yum! The Psalmist’s choice of the word “meditate” is a very clever one.
Let us look at the progression so far: (1) We avoid taking on the thoughts of those who don't know the Lord; (2) we choose to indulge in the written Word. (3) it makes us happy; (4) we cannot get enough; we think about the word day and night.
Once a man has entrenched himself in the path described above, look at the result:
Psalm 1:3 He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, Which yields its fruit in its season And its leaf does not wither; And in whatever he does, he prospers.
--This not saying to never interact with non-believers. Jesus did that, and instructed His followers to do so in a particular way. It says don’t walk in the counsel of the wicked. Don’t take on their mindset and attitudes. Keep thinking godly thoughts.
How can we do that? The next verse yields a strong clue:
Psalm 1:2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night.
--getting into God’s written word will change how we walk, and how we think. But notice it doesn’t say “he who reads the law (word)”; it says he who delights in the law. The word “delight” means just that: happiness. When we get to the point where the Word makes us happy, where it’s the central thing in our lives, we are on the right track. Note that this does not mean to become a scholar. You might or might not become one, but that’s not the goal here. Knowledge of the word without delight makes one a Pharisee.
The key is to see the Word as the source of happiness. The more we get into it, the more we need. It’s easy to see how drugs, video games, nicotine, porn, and many other substitutes gain their power in a person’s life. They emulate the very characteristics, only in a twisted, reverse way, of the Word of God. The more we indulge in the Word, the more we want. It becomes our delight.
Once we get “addicted”, we want to meditate on it day and night. The Hebrew word translated “meditate” in that verse is the same used to describe a cow’s digestive method. You will recall from biology class that a cow has 4 stomachs. The cow eats some food, and it goes into the first stomach, then returns to the cow’s mouth, where she chews it some more, then it goes into stomach #2, then returns to the mouth, so she can enjoy the taste again. This happens 4 times. Yum! The Psalmist’s choice of the word “meditate” is a very clever one.
Let us look at the progression so far: (1) We avoid taking on the thoughts of those who don't know the Lord; (2) we choose to indulge in the written Word. (3) it makes us happy; (4) we cannot get enough; we think about the word day and night.
Once a man has entrenched himself in the path described above, look at the result:
Psalm 1:3 He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, Which yields its fruit in its season And its leaf does not wither; And in whatever he does, he prospers.
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