Ps 1, Staying on the path with a focus on the path

Psalm 1:1 (ESV) — 1 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;


• How is the man described, and what does it mean?
• Blessed, °ashre OT:835, "blessed; happy." All but 4 of the 44 biblical occurrences of this noun are in poetical passages, with 26 occurrences in the Psalms and 8 in Proverbs. // Basically, this word connotes the state of "prosperity" or "happiness" that comes when a superior bestows his favor (blessing) on one. In most passages, the one bestowing favor is God Himself: "Happy art thou, O Israel: who is like unto thee, O people saved by the Lord" (Deut 33:29). The state that the blessed one enjoys does not always appear to be "happy": "Behold, blessed [KJV, "happy"] is the man whom God correcteth: therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty: for he maketh sore, and bindeth up..." (Job 5:17-18). (from Vine's Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words, Copyright © 1985, Thomas Nelson Publishers.)
• Why is the man happy? (Because he is not doing the following …)
• Walk, halak OT:1980, "to go, walk, behave." This verb appears in most Semitic languages (although it has a different meaning in Arabic). It is attested in all periods of Hebrew. Old Testament Hebrew attests it about 1,550 times, while the Aramaic uses it a few times. // Essentially, this root refers to movement without any suggestion of direction in the sense of going, whether of man Gen 9:23, beasts Gen 3:14, or inanimate objects Gen 2:14 — the first occurrence of the word. In cases other than men (where it means "to walk") halak may be translated "to go." It is used sometimes with a special emphasis on the end or goal of the action in mind; men are but flesh, "a wind that passeth [goes] away, and cometh not again" Ps 78:39. (from Vine's Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words, Copyright © 1985, Thomas Nelson Publishers.)
• In counsel of the wicked
• Taking the counsel of the wicked on how to live life, where to go, what is okay to do, etc.
• Stand,  amad OT:5975, "to take one's stand; stand here or be there; stand still." Outside biblical Hebrew, where it occurs about 520 times and in all periods, this verb is attested only in Akkadian ("to stand, lean on"). A word spelled the same way appears in Arabic, but it means "to strive after." //
The basic meaning of this verb is "to stand upright." This is its meaning in Gen 18:8, its first biblical occurrence. It is what a soldier does while on watch 2 Sam 18:30. From this basic meaning comes the meaning "to be established, immovable, and standing upright" on a single spot; the soles of the priests' feet "rested" (stood still, unmoving) in the waters of the Jordan Josh 3:13. (from Vine's Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words, Copyright © 1985, Thomas Nelson Publishers.)
• In the way of sinners
• Identifying or striving after (in the most basic meaning) or establishing oneself in the way of sinners.  Their lifestyle becomes my lifestyle.  There is little difference
• Sit, yashab OT:3427, "to dwell, sit, abide, inhabit, remain." The word occurs over 1,100 times throughout the Old Testament, and this root is widespread in other ancient Semitic languages.  // Yashab is first used in Gen 4:16, in its most common connotation of "to dwell": "Cain went out... and dwelt [NASB, "settled"; NIV, "lived"] in the land of Nod...." The word appears again in Gen 18:1: "He [Abraham] sat in the tent door." In Gen 22:5, yashab is translated: "Abide ye here [NIV, "stay here"] with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship...." The word has the sense of "to remain": "Remain a widow at thy father's house.." Gen 38:11, and it is used of God in a similar sense: "Thou, O Lord, remainest forever; thy throne from generation to generation." (Lam 5:19). The promise of restoration from captivity was: "And they shall build houses and inhabit them..." (Isa 65:21). (from Vine's Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words, Copyright © 1985, Thomas Nelson Publishers.)
• In the seat of mockers
• Mocker, OT:3887 luwts — to scorn, to make mouths at, to talk arrogantly (from The Online Bible Thayer's Greek Lexicon and Brown Driver & Briggs Hebrew Lexicon, Copyright © 1993, Woodside Bible Fellowship, Ontario, Canada. Licensed from the Institute for Creation Research.)
• To actively make fun of those who believe in God.  To boast, or believe, that you are smarter because you don't believe in God.  To deride those who do as simple minded lower level life forms
• APPLICATION:  The opposite of happiness is pain and sadness.  It is essential to our own happiness that we do not fall into this progression: listening to the counsel of the wicked, standing up for the goals, ideals, or products of the wicked, and then mocking believers who are opposed to wickedness


Psalm 1:2 (ESV) — 2 but his delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law he meditates day and night.


• The scripture is rarely just "don't do this," but also includes a prescription or alternate behavior.  So, in contrast to the man who might fall into the trap is the blessed man who does what?
• His delight is in the law
• He meditates on it day and night
• What does it mean for us or anyone for that matter, to delight in the law?
• OT:2656 hepes, delight.  The basic meaning is to feel great favor towards something. Its meaning differs from the parallel roots, hamad, hasaq, and rasa, in that they connote less emotional involvement. Hamad and hasaq are usually translated "desire," and rasa, "accept," favor being based on need, or judgment of approval. In the case of hapes, the object solicits favor by its own intrinsic qualities. The subject is easily attracted to it because it is desirable. (from Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament. Copyright © 1980 by The Moody Bible Institute of Chicago. All rights reserved. Used by permission.)
• There is emotion attached to the time spent in the word
• How does one develop emotion to God's word?
• By testing it and seeing it faithful
• By commitment to it
• APPLICATION: Lastly, it says to meditate on it day and night -- how do we do that?
• Deuteronomy 6:6–9 These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.  NIV
• Joshua 1:8 Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. NIV
• Requires we are in the word on a regular basis
• A devotional journal is a nice way to help meditation.  Writing slows things down and forces you to think
• Scripture memory is a nice tool for meditating on a verse during an off moment


Psalm 1:3 (ESV) — 3 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.


• Obviously we have read this picture and imagined it many times.  Good hermeneutics requires a little bit of thought though before we see the application
• If it is a natural tree, then the comparison has a focus on three things
• Necessity of a source, source is the word
• Yielding of fruit as a result, since trees do not always yield fruit
• Prospers in his activities
• What doesn't fit with the natural tree?
• A natural tree always has leaves that wither
• Therefore this is a spiritual tree
• The water is clearly spiritual since we see non-natural results
• Also, now we can add in "in season."  While all trees have a season when they produce, we can make the conclusion that our spiritual tree also has seasons.  While our leaves may never whither we are planted by the stream, there are times (or seasons) in our life where we may not be very fruitful


Psalm 1:4 (ESV) — 4 The wicked are not so,
but are like chaff that the wind drives away.


• Again we have the comparison to the wicked (or at least it is assumed previously).  So, referring to the previous verse (or verses), what is not so with the wicked?
• Leaf not withering
• Producing fruit
• (spiritually) prospering in all they do
• Instead, they are like chaff, which means?
• They are not planted, they have no roots, no source, no sense of stability or even sense to life
• They are purposeless, there really is no goal or direction (the wind takes them wherever it is blowing)
• Reminds me of the election.  Independents shifted greatly.  People are all over the map looking for answers and not finding them
• Chaff has no value, it is what is leftover when you separate the grain from the husk or plant
• A couple more things about chaff
• It burns up easily
• It scatters, no semblance of unity or purpose


Psalm 1:5–6 (ESV) — 5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
6 for the Lord knows the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish.


• The three aspects of verse 1 seem to be repeated here
• The wicked will not stand in judgment (second item of verse 1)
• For all the wicked's arrogance, he will stand or identify with the wicked
• He will bend the knee
• They are not in the assembly -- no seat (third item of verse 1)
• Interjection: the Lord watches over the way of the righteous
• The way (counsel) of the wicked will perish  (first item of verse 1)
• Proverbs 14:12 (NIV) There is a way that seems right to a man,  but in the end it leads to death. 
• Proverbs 15:9 (NIV) The LORD detests the way of the wicked  but he loves those who pursue righteousness.