First, a little recap. If Psalm 1 is the introduction to the whole book of Psalms, then I am here invited into a life of blessedness: the very first word of the whole book is the word “blessed” (אַ֥שְֽׁרֵי) The word signifies: “a heightened state of happiness and joy, implying very favorable circumstances, often resulting from the kind acts of God.”¹

And then this very first Psalm says (verse 1):

‏אַ֥שְֽׁרֵי־הָאִ֗ישׁ אֲשֶׁ֤ר ׀ לֹ֥א הָלַךְ֮ בַּעֲצַ֪ת רְשָׁ֫עִ֥ים וּבְדֶ֣רֶךְ חַ֭טָּאִים לֹ֥א עָמָ֑ד וּבְמוֹשַׁ֥ב לֵ֝צִ֗ים לֹ֣א יָשָֽׁב׃

“How blessed is the [person] who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers!”

But, then I am immediately hit by a series of Do Not’s: “Blessed is the one who does not… does not… does not…..” And, in this Psalm the “not” (לֹ֥א) is repeated.

So, right off the bat — just as this picture of the life of blessedness begins — I am given warnings. First I am told what to avoid: what not to do. And, at first, I’m not sure I like this. I don’t want my morality to be defined primarily in negative terms. I don’t want my Christianity to be defined merely by the things I don’t do.

But, nonetheless, the Path of Blessedness excludes some other paths. In fact, what is placed before me here is a stark contrast: either the way of the blessed or the way of the wicked (רְשָׁ֫עִ֥ים). I’m given no third alternative. There is no middle way. The Psalm asks me to make a choice.

The way of Blessedness is unitive. The way of Wickedness is not. There is one way to do a thing correctly and many ways to do it wrong. I have to make a choice to walk on the path of Blessedness. But, I can fall into any of several un-blessed paths by default.

It’s disconcerting to be given such a choice. We live in a world of grays. We live in a world of in-betweens. And, the Bible often challenges us to make a choice between right and wrong: Light and Darkness. As I read 1 John, for example, I am asked whether I “love my brother” or “hate my brother.” Why can’t John just let me like my brother? Why can’t I just tolerate my brother — or using the terminology I find in Ephesians — “bear with” my brother?

As I begin my day in prayer, I am called to make a choice. As I pass through this gray between-world, which do I want? Light or Darkness? Love or Hate? Blessedness or Wickedness? And I am specifically warned off from:

• walking in the counsel of the wicked,
• standing in the path that sinners take
• sitting in the seat that scoffers take.

And, these would be easy to do, simply by matching my behavior with some of the behavior I see around me. But, if I am going to find the way of blessedness today, I must avoid this.

The alternative to “walking in the counsel of the wicked” is stated in verse 2:

כִּ֤י אִ֥ם בְּתוֹרַ֥ת יְהוָ֗ה חֶ֫פְצ֥וֹ וּֽבְתוֹרָת֥וֹ יֶהְגֶּ֗ה יוֹמָ֥ם וָלָֽיְלָה׃

“But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night.”

Rather than letting people and circumstances be spiritually formative for me, it is God’s instruction (תוֹרַ֥ת) upon which I will meditate. God’s instruction will form me. God’s instruction will guide me.

By, saying that it is necessary to “meditate” (יֶהְגֶּ֗ה) upon the Torah, it follows that I must apply my mind and imagination. The word signifies “the act of thoughtful deliberation with the implication of speaking to oneself.” I must ask questions, I must seek inner meanings.

It’s not simply a matter of finding the appropriate rule and applying it to the case at hand. Not at all. It is a matter of understanding the rules and their significance. The rules and laws in the Bible were given in the process of a long and eventful journey. Their significance for their times illuminates their significance for me. My goal is not legalism but wisdom. My desire is that the Word from God I encounter through the Scriptures would shape my life.

The history of the Bible is long process of moral and spiritual instruction. As such, it is a treasure. I am called to delight and pleasure in it. I trust that it leads me out of darkness and captivity into the way of light.

I am invited into the Path of Blessedness (verse 3).

וְֽהָיָ֗ה כְּעֵץ֮ שָׁת֪וּל עַֽל־פַּלְגֵ֫י מָ֥יִם אֲשֶׁ֤ר פִּרְי֨וֹ ׀ יִתֵּ֬ן בְּעִתּ֗וֹ וְעָלֵ֥הוּ לֹֽא־יִבּ֑וֹל וְכֹ֖ל אֲשֶׁר־יַעֲשֶׂ֣ה יַצְלִֽיחַ׃

“And 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.” (NRSV).

The result of our choice is: stability, nourishment, and fruitfulness.

Here is a picture of stability: “like a tree firmly planted”. There is an old Gospel song whose refrain says:

I shall not be, I shall not be moved,
I shall not be, I shall not be moved;
Just like a tree that’s planted by the water,
I shall not be moved.

I confess I’ve never liked that song. Even as a young man, I thought it sounded more like an anthem to stubborn intransigence than anything — but, as a song of spiritual stability, I do like it. Christians are planted by the streams that nourish their life: the Means of Grace — Scripture, and Worship, and Prayer, and Sacrament, and Community, and Service to others. So, put roots down deep. It will matter in the times of stress and conflict and sorrow and misunderstanding. They will come. We will be tried. The wind will bend the tree. How important it is to have deep roots — that hold fast.

Here is a picture of fruitfulness: “Which yields its fruit in its season“. I can’t help but be reminded of the image Jesus uses in John 15: the vine and the branches. “Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:4, 5 NRSV). In Psalm 1 fruitfulness is equated with prosperity: “In all that they do, they prosper.” This could also be translated: “In all they do, they succeed.”

There is a prosperity gospel of sorts in the Bible — especially if we look at the Old Testament. The way of God is the way of personal fulfillment, and in that way, it is the way of prosperity. Misfortunes still come. But, holding fast to the way of life brings us through them. Expect God’s blessings. Pray for God’s blessing on yourself and those you love. Expect God’s blessing. Wait upon the Lord, and in this waiting find your strength. (Isaiah 40:31). In hopeless times, by faith, we still find hope and direction and blessing and peace.

“Blessed are those who trust in the LORD, whose trust is the LORD. They shall be like a tree planted by water, sending out its roots by the stream. It shall not fear when heat comes, and its leaves shall stay green; in the year of drought it is not anxious, and it does not cease to bear fruit.” — Jeremiah 17:7, 8 NRSV.

A PRAYER

Lord God,
I hesitate to choose.
I don’t want to stand out or be different.

But, You are calling me to choose today,
and every day
to choose the way of Life
to choose what will form my character
and to choose what voices and examples I will follow
and which I will not..

Grant me the courage to follow your instruction
To the best of my limited and faulty understanding;
and, to find the path of blessing today.

Plant my life firmly near the streams of grace.

I pray this in the name of Jesus Christ,
who lives and reigns with You and with the Holy Spirit,
now and forever. Amen.

 

---

1. Hebrew/Aramaic to English Dictionary and Index to the NIV Old Testament from Zondervan NIV Exhaustive Concordance ed. by Edward W. Goodrick, John R. Kohlenberger III, and James A. Swanson. Copyright ©1999, 1990 by the Zondervan Corporation Grand Rapids, Michigan 49530 All rights reserved. Electronic text prepared by OakTree Software, Inc. Version 1.0 ↩︎