The Blessed Man
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Before beginning our study of the Gospel of Matthew in December, we are going to spend a few weeks in the Psalms, and we’ll return to the Psalms periodically in the future.
Let me give you a little information about the Psalms.
FACTS ABOUT THE PSALMS.
• There are 150 Psalms in both the Jewish and Christian Old Testament, although they are divided up a little differently.
• The oldest Psalm is Psalm 90, written by Moses around 1500 B.C. The youngest Psalms were written after the Babylonian exile; Psalm 137 mentions being in Babylon. So, the Psalms cover about a one thousand year period of time.
• There are six men named as writers of the Psalms: David, who wrote 74 Psalms. The sons of Korah wrote 12. Asaph wrote 12. Solomon wrote 2. Two Ezrahites, Ethan and Heman, wrote 1. Moses wrote 1. And, 48 are anonymous.
I’ll share more facts about the Psalms in the weeks to come.
TRANSITION. I’ll share more facts about the Psalms in the weeks to come. For now, what do the Psalms have to do with us? Why are they so important?
WHAT DO THE PSALMS DO FOR US?
The Law, especially the book of Leviticus, governs the mechanism of worship: the how-to’s of the sacrificial system and the priesthood and the offerings.
The Psalms reveal the heart of the worshiper. We see her dancing with joy and victory. We see him crushed down and in despair. We see those who love God standing tall and full of confidence, and we see them trembling in agony.
But more important, we always see the worshiper before God. Never do we read, “I sought the Lord, but He was nowhere to be found, so I figured things out on my own.” The Psalms are not wishful thinking, but prayers directed to God, and statements of faith in the full breadth and depth of human experience.
The sacrifices of Leviticus have been satisfied in Jesus Christ, but the Psalms, for the most part, do for us what they did for David. They help us to personally come to the Person of God in joy, in fear, in pain, in disappointment, in longing, in confusion, in every emotion there is.
TRANSITION: The psalm that opens the book is a Wisdom Psalm. There are several kinds of Psalms; we’ll take about them as we encounter them. Each kind has its own characteristics. Wisdom Psalms are directed to people, not God (He doesn’t need wisdom, after all). They instruct us as to righteousness. They call upon us to believe and obey what is taught. They declare God’s blessing on His people. They usually compare the righteous and the wicked. They often feature a parable, or word picture, to explain their meaning. They typically describe the final, eternal outcome of life. They address practical issues of daily life.
Psalm 1 is a wisdom psalm, and reveals the tremendous blessing received by the righteous, as opposed to the judgment faced by the wicked.
The first word of the Psalm is Blessed.
Blessed is the man … (Psalm 1:1, ESV)
Blessed is an adjective; it describes a particular kind of man or woman (the sense is not “blessed is the male,” but “blessed is the person”). The word means happy, favored, satisfied, content. It is certainly an objective state of being: blessed. But it is also the experience of that blessing: happiness, contentment, satisfaction.
THE WORLD’S PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS
THE WORLD’S PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS
I don’t think I need to tell you that the world is in constant pursuit of happiness; it’s even written into the Declaration of Independence: the pursuit of happiness. Unfortunately, in the last century the meaning of “happiness” has shifted from a state of contentment and satisfaction to the momentary experience of pleasure, accompanied by the avoidance of pain or discomfort. We don’t even question it most of the time. Happiness is good. Pain is bad.
There are some real problems with the world’s pursuit of happiness.
For one thing, it always falls short. It’s never what people expected it to be. I was raised in Southern California, and we made annual visits to Disneyland, about fifteen miles away. The Disneyland sign on Harbor Boulevard famously says, “The Happiest Place On Earth,” and you are reminded of that when you walk through the gates into the park. But it isn’t real happiness at all; the promise falls short.
For another thing, the world’s pursuit of happiness often fails entirely. There isn’t even the momentary illusion of happiness. The Norfolk Rescue Mission is filled with people who tried to find happiness in a bottle or a meth pipe; whatever they experienced was purely chemical. That pursuit never even got off the ground.
But the real problems with the world’s pursuit of happiness is that it always results in greater suffering and misery than before. Broken relationships, addictions, physical illnesses, injury, death, emotional devastation, emptiness – the world’s pursuit of happiness has a long list of bad results. And then, worst of all, comes the judgment of God at the end of human history.
The truth is that the world’s pursuit of happiness is about as effective as a man who has fallen off a cliff hugging himself as he plummets to earth.
TRANSITION. Psalm 1 tells us how true blessedness is not found, and how it is found.
HOW THE BLESSING IS NOT FOUND
HOW THE BLESSING IS NOT FOUND
It begins by telling us what does not bring blessing and happiness.
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 (Psalm 1:1, ESV)
Again, the blessed person is the one who is truly happy, content, satisfied.
First, the blessed person, the truly happy man or woman, is not the one who lives according to advice of the world. The Bible often uses “walk” as a metaphor for living, and that’s what we see here. The advice of the world is useless to bring about true contentment and satisfaction. The Telegraph, which is a British newspaper and website, ran an article last December: “Why men should give their wives a cheat pass this Christmas.” That is, why husbands should give their wives permission to commit adultery. That’s the counsel of the wicked, and it will bring nothing but destruction. The counsel of the wicked will not bring blessing or happiness.
Second, the blessed person, that truly happy man or woman, does not commit himself or herself to rebellion. Standing in the way of sinners doesn’t mean getting in the way of sinners, but rather identifying with them, remaining with them. The Hebrew and Greek words for sin mean to fall short of God’s glory, to miss the target of God’s righteousness. Standing in the way of sinners means stopping short of God’s holiness. We’ve all heard people say that all roads lead to God. That isn’t true, but even if it were, what good is a road if you stop before you arrive at the destination? The blessed one, that truly happy and content man or woman, does not stop short of God’s righteousness.
And third, the blessed person, that happy man or woman described here, doesn’t make themselves a leader or influencer in mockery and wickedness. The Old Testament gives us a picture of men sitting in the gates of a city as its leaders and judges. We see Boaz sitting in the gate of his city when he legally redeems Ruth according to the Law of God. We see Ahab and Jehoshaphat sitting on their thrones in the gates of the city of Samaria, exercising their power. So this seat in Psalm 1 is a reference to power and privilege and influence. The blessed man or woman doesn’t live to lead others away from the righteousness of God.
TRANSITION. We know what does not bring about blessing and happiness. What is the positive side of things? How is blessing found?
HOW THE BLESSING IS FOUND
HOW THE BLESSING IS FOUND
but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. (Psalm 1:2, ESV)
He delights in the Law of the Lord. The word “delight” means to find pleasure or satisfaction in the Word of God. It involves the emotions as much as the will. This person loves the Word, longs for it, desires it. The Scriptures bring her deep joy and gladness. They cheer her when she is low; they gratify her, and bring her contentment. He hungers for the Word of God; it thrills him to learn it and know it and have it in his mind and heart.
On His Law he meditates day and night. But the blessed one doesn’t just enjoy the idea of Scripture; it is their constant companion. Because they delight in the Word, they roll it over and over in their mind, meditating on it. The Hebrew word translated meditate is hahag, and it literally describes a growling or muttering sound. Linda does this all the time; I know that she is deep in the Scriptures because of the sounds she makes as she talks to herself, thinking out loud about what she is reading. Meditation is the process by which we take the words we see with our eyes or hear with our eyes, and get them kneaded deeply into our minds, and then move them from our minds down to our hearts and souls.
You know, the world and the devil are going to tell you that you don’t have time for deep study and contemplating of Scripture. Of course you do. Perhaps the easiest way is to turn off the tv one or two nights a week. If you don’t watch tv, good for you; you can still find time that you are spending in other ways.
TRANSITION: But there is more to the blessedness of this man or woman than the fact that they delight in the Bible and meditate on it through their day. Their blessedness, their happiness and contentment, is mainly the result of their delight and meditation.
THE BLESSING OF THE BLESSED
THE BLESSING OF THE BLESSED
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. (Psalm 1:3, ESV)
The blessed man is the one who delights in the Word of God and keeps it rolling around in his thoughts through the day. What is the result of that faithfulness?
THE FIRST RESULT IS PERSONAL STABILITY. This man or woman is like a tree. They are stable. This image parallels Jesus’ words that those who hear His Word and obey it are like a man who built his house on the solid rock. Colossians 2:6-7 speak of Christians being rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, just as you were taught. They won’t be tossed around by winds and waves of doctrine and deception, or by the storms of life.
THE SECOND RESULT IS SPIRITUAL HEALTH. This man or woman is planted by streams of water. Their roots are sunk deep in the Scripture, and the Holy Spirit pours the living water in and through them, just as Jesus said in John 7:38. Jesus used another picture of this living connection in John 15, when He spoke of Himself as the vine, and Christians as the branches. The life we have in Christ is not our life, but His life; that means spiritual health and growth.
THE THIRD RESULT IS FRUITFULNESS. A tree that has healthy roots and a supply of water will bear the fruit God designed it to bear. We are the same. We are promised fruitfulness. Notice that the Word says this tree yields its fruit in its season. The fruit and the season differ from person to person. Our fruit will not be the same; we will not all have the same season; but we are promised fruitfulness through our living union with Jesus Christ through the Word, by the power of the Holy Spirit.
THE FOURTH RESULT IS SPIRITUAL VITALITY. The leaves of this tree don’t wither; they don’t dry up and fall away. This tree is evergreen. There is always life flowing within it. The life of Christ always flows through His people; always. This doesn’t mean that there is constant fruit; that comes in its season. But the evidence of Christ’s life is always seen in those who are filled with His Word, who are rooted and grounded in Him.
IN OTHER WORDS, THIS MAN OR WOMAN IS SPIRITUAL PROSPEROUS. This is the abundant life that Jesus promised in John 10:10. Delight in the Word, and keep meditating on it and pondering it, and you will become increasingly stable, healthy, fruitful, and vigorous in Christ.
Listen, life on earth is often very hard, but life in Christ is good, and it only gets better. God intends that we increasingly taste and savor blessing and happiness, even in this world. We only get a foretaste of glory divine, as the hymn “Blessed Assurance” says. Christians are predestined to become perfectly conformed to the image of Christ, and that means eternal blessing, absolutely happiness, perfect contentment, undiminished satisfaction.
What about those of the world?
The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; (Psalm 1:4–5, ESV)
They aren’t like trees planted by streams of water, but like chaff off a corn stalk: dry, insubstantial, useless. They won’t stand firm in the judgment because chaff is utterly defenseless against even a slight breeze. They won’t stand in the congregation of the righteous, because chaff has no place among oaks and sycamores and redwoods. Their way of life will perish, and they will perish with it.
But the Lord knows the way of the righteous. After all, it’s in His Word. They have followed His counsel, they have stood in His way, they have not assumed a throne, but humbly and meekly drawn near to their God.
Do you see the Gospel in this Psalm? I do. The blessed man or woman is not the one who works hard to impress God, trying to obtain righteousness through their own efforts. The blessed man or woman, the happy, content, satisfied person, is the one who longs for the Word of God, which is not ultimately a Book, but the Lord Jesus Christ, and so delights in Jesus that they meditate on His Word, and ultimately Him, day and night. They are righteous because of His grace and mercy, and the work of the Holy Spirit to give them stability and health and fruitfulness and vitality.
BRINGING IT HOME
BRINGING IT HOME
I’ve emphasized the application of this Psalm all the way through, so there isn’t any need at this point to summarize anything, just to say delight in the Word and meditate on it day and night, so that you can be the blessed man, the blessed woman, described here.
There is a wonderful prayer in Colossians 1:9-12 that Paul seems to have prayed with Psalm 1 in mind, and we’ll close with it this morning.
Father, I lift up myself and my brothers and sisters in Christ. As we delight in Your Word and meditate on it, I ask You to fill us with the knowledge of Your will with all spiritual wisdom and understanding. Do this, Father, so that we can walk in a manner worthy of You, our Lord. Let us be fully pleasing to You. Cause us to be fruitful in every good work. Let us increase in our knowledge of You. Strengthen us with all power, according to Your glorious might, that we would endure with patience and joy. And Father, we give you thanks in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ for qualifying us by Your Spirit to share in the inheritance of Your saints in the light.