The
book of Psalms is actually made up of 5 books and a total of 150
individual poems. The psalms might be thought of a songwriter’s
lyric book, journaling through his life. Although there are at least
5 different authors, King David wrote about half of them. David came
from humble roots as a shepherd, became general of Israel’s army
and eventually King of the nation. He has a unique perspective on
life. Like all of us, he experienced success and failure. He had
times of joy and sorrow. He has times of unity with God and times of
spiritual failure. All of these seasons of life are written out
experientially, with lyrics full of emotion. The psalms provide an
understanding about God when head knowledge is not enough.
Psalm
1 sounds like a parent’s advice to their own child. I find
children often hear a parental warning as if they are being made-up
to spoil their fun. This has the feel of a man just leaving a class
reunion and comparing life stories of friends that chose different
paths. It is always surprising to hear how our childhood friends
faired in life. Often it is the opposite of what we assumed. Psalm
1 begins, “Blessed
is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked“.
Parents have said for years, “People judge you by the friends you
keep”. We cannot help being influenced by the people we spend the
most time with. As children we are limited to our neighbors, our
school and our family friends; but what about those choices as we
grow and have more freedom? This word “Blessed” means truly
contented in life.
Who do you trust to give you sound counsel? No one would answer
that with a “wicked person”, but do you have godly counsel? To
me, that simply means having biblical reasons for doing things. When
someone’s words do not line up with their actions, be careful. The
psalm continues, “or
stand in the way of sinners
or
sit in the seat of mockers“.
I notice that animals tend to follow the same path. I know lots of
people that have loitered around a spot, and then act surprised when
along comes that old temptation. If you stand on railroad tracks,
you are eventually going to meet up with a train. I believe the idea
of sitting
at the seat of the mockers means you aren’t moving away anytime
soon. Who are the mockers today? It is those that don’t want to
try to understand. Rather than find common ground, they ridicule.
Is there anyone in our society more mocked than people of faith?
Those that belittle people of faith are unwilling to accept an
ultimate authority. It sure seems like most mockers are miserable.
Next
the writer adds another option and the result that follows. “But
his delight is in the law of the Lord“.
Advertisers tell us all the things we need to be happy, but usually,
they quickly disappoint. God’s Word gets more amazing with each
use! As we conform to God’s wisdom, every part of our life
improves. We also find our life becomes stabilized. We become
equipped to “always
be
ready to give
a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in
you”
(1 Peter 3:15). The writes says, “like
a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers“.
As we develop roots of understanding, we are able to withstand the
storms of life. All of us will experience the storms, but will your
joy survive? Will your life continue to bear fruit? He says of
those without deep roots, “They
are like chaff that the wind blows away“.
Perhaps you have viewed the Bible as a way of spoiling your fun. If
your joy has left you, maybe it is time to stop mocking? The apostle
Paul said to us late-bloomers, “When
I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought
as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things”
(1 Corinthians 13:11). Maybe it is time for a new song?