St Louis UBF UBF Bible Study : Psalm 1:1-6

Bible Study Materials

Psalm 1:1-6

by Paul Choi 06/24/2012

Question

THE BLESSED

Psalm 1:1-6

Key Verse: 1:2

Read verse 1. What does “blessed” mean? Where does the blessed or happy man not stand, sit or walk? What does this mean?

Read verses 2-3. What is the source of joy of the blessed or happy man? How does he study the Bible?

When critical events in his life occur, how does God’s word sustain him? Think about David as an example of a happy or blessed man (1Sa 16:7; Ps 23, 2 Sa 21:15-22)

Read verses 2,3 again. What does it mean to meditate on the Law of the Lord day and night? Why is the word of God so important? (Ps 119:105; 1 Pe 1:24,25) What is the result of meditating on it?

Read verses 4-6. To what are the wicked people compared? What kinds of people are categorized as “wicked”? What does the closing promise of this Psalm mean to you?

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THE BLESSED-ps1-questions.doc

Message

THE BLESSED

Psalm 1:1-6

Key Verse: 1:2 “But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.”

Who are the blessed men in this world? Many people say that the blessed men are those who have wealth, health, fame, power, long life, and so on. To their viewpoint, the measure of blessedness is achievement and abundance of possessions on this earth. However, as Jesus said in Luke 12:15, a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions. Just as we cannot buy happiness with our money, the ingredients of blessedness and happiness are more than just visible and tangible possessions. Today’s passage teaches us who the blessed man and woman really are. Do you want to be a man and woman of blessing? Let us pay attention to what the psalmist says today.

First, Blessed is the man who is not associated with the evil (1) Let us read verse 1 all together. “Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers.” Here the word “Blessed” means “Happy.” A blessed man is a happy man. Who is a happy man? A happy man is the one who has unceasing joy, peace, satisfaction, and gratitude in his heart. Even though there are many definitions and conditions of being happy, the psalmist says that the blessed man is the one who is not associated with evil men. Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, or stand in the way of sinners, or sit in the seat of mockers.

For example, there was a man named Joseph in the Old Testament. He was the eleventh son of Jacob, who loved him the most. Joseph was hated by his jealous brothers and was sold as a slave to Egypt by them. What a terrible and miserable life Joseph had! As a teenager, he was hated by his own brothers and sold as slave to a foreign land without knowing what would happen to him in the future. He had many reasons to blame God, hate his brothers, and curse his life. But he did not hear the counsel of the wicked. He did not hear the voice of Satan. He trusted in God and put his life into God’s hand. In Egypt, he served his master Potiphar, the captain of guard for King Pharaoh. In his house, he was seduced by Potiphar’s wife. She tempted Joseph day and night to sleep with her. But Joseph did not listen to her. He did not stand in the way of sinners. Many people justify their sinful life by saying, “Everyone else does it, too”. This is one of the most irresponsible and cowardly thoughts of fallen men. These days many young men and women compromise with ungodly social consensus and justify their sinful lives. But Joseph did not do so. He did not walk in the way of sinners. He stood on the side of God. He lived in the sight of God. He had fear of God.

Unlikely Joseph, there was a man named Lot, a nephew of our father Abraham. He was a sheep of the shepherd Abraham. God taught Lot through his uncle Abraham how to live by faith and how to be a truly blessed man. However, Lot did not listen to God. He listened to his own voice. So he left his shepherd Abraham and moved near the city of Sodom. He did not move into the city right away because of fear and self-consciousness. But soon he moved into the city and became associated with the people of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. The Bible says that at that time the people in the city of Sodom were extremely evil. Lot ate and drank with them. Little by little he began to compromise with the life of the city. He had a form of godliness, but had no spiritual power. He gave no spiritual influence at all to the city people. Even his two sons-in-law regarded God’s message as a joke. Soon, when God punished the cities with fire, Lot lost everything he had, such as his wife, his two daughters, and all his possessions. Who is the blessed man here, Joseph or Lot? The blessed man is Joseph, who was not associated with the evil. While living on this earth, we confront temptations every day. We are truly happy when we overcome these temptations and experience spiritual victory every day. Proverbs 3:7,8 says, “Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones.” Amen.

Second, the blessed man is the one who is associated with God (2). Look at verse 2. “But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.” Here we learn the source of joy of the blessed man. His delight is in the law of the Lord. The law of the Lord is the word of God. The word of God is the source of joy to the blessed man. How and why is the word of God the source of joy to him? The word of God is the word of the living God. The word of God gives us eternal life. Everything on this earth perishes, spoils, or fades away. Men are sorrowful because nothing remains forever in this world. Dr. James Dobson, the founder and host of Focus on the Family, was a promising tennis player during his high school years. He won several tennis tournaments and received many trophies and medals which were displayed in the hall of fame of his high school. However, several years later when he visited his high school again for some reason, he found that all his trophies and medals were dumped into a trash can because the school building was renovated and had no space for them. Glory and fame in this world are like tarnished medals and dumped trophies. The Bible says, “All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord stands forever.” (Is 40:6-8, 1Pe 1:24,25) One French pessimistic philosopher said that Christianity would not last long and would disappear in a few centuries. However, Christianity did not disappear. The philosopher disappeared after he died. After his death, his house was renovated to be used for a printing shop to publish the Bible.

Death takes away joy and hope from men. There is nothing meaningful and joyful to men who are under the power of death. This was a human dilemma and agony of Nicodemus who came to Jesus at night. But there is eternity in the Bible. The Bible teaches us about the eternal God and about eternal life. We have eternal life in Jesus Christ. All men have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Ro 3:23) The wages of our sin is death (Ro 6:23a). But God gave us eternal life as his gift through Jesus Christ (Ro 6:23b). Jesus died for our sins and rose again from the dead, and whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (Jn 3:16) Ecclesiastes 3:11 says that God made everything beautiful in its time and he set eternity in the hearts of men. This is why men desire for eternity. Men can have eternal fellowship with the eternal God. We are truly happy when we have deep fellowship with the eternal God. The secret of joy of great men and women in the Bible was their continuous fellowship with the eternal God.

What does it mean the words, “We love the word of God?” This means that our delight is in the word of God. Have you ever experienced the sweetness of the word of God? Psalm 119:103 says, “How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth.” We must study the word of God until the word of God tastes as sweet as honey. The word of God is sweet to our soul. It heals our wounds, comforts our hearts, and satisfies our souls. The word of God teaches us the way to God. The word of God provides a way out for us. The bible says that the word of God is a lamp to our feet and a light for our path. (Ps 119:105) The word of God gives us direction and shows us a way to go. The Bible teaches us that Jesus is the way and the truth and the life and no one comes to the Father except through Jesus. (Jn 14:6)

Look at verse 2 again. “But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.” The blessed man is the one who meditates on the word of God day and night. This verse teaches us how we should study the Bible. We must study the Bible until the word of God tastes as sweet as honey. We must study the Bible until we experience the living water welling up in us to eternal life. As messengers for Sunday worship service or bible speakers for the conference, we must dig into the word of God until we taste the living water welling up to eternal life. We must study the Bible day and night until our eyes fail. Psalm 119: 82 says, “My eyes fail, looking for your promise; I say, “When will you comfort me?” Before I was born again, I suffered from insomnia due to anxiety and fear. But since I studied the Bible, I have slept so well. Whenever I opened the Bible to read, the word of God gave peace and comfort to my soul. Psalm 127:2 says, “In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat-for he grants sleep to those he loves.”

The word “meditate” means “mutter”, or “murmur.” In modern terms, it is “memorize” or “recite.” After reading God’s words, we must think them over and over again until we understand what the words say to us personally. We have to memorize Bible verses until we receive one word of God deep in our heart. This is the reason why we write testimonies after we study the Bible. We repent of our sins based on the word of God and restore our relationship with God. Through such deep bible studies we deepen our relationship with the living God. Blessed is the man who is associated with God through deep Bible studies. May God help all of us to love the word of God and meditate them day and night. May God help all six messengers to dig into the word of God until the word of God tastes as sweet as honey and until their joy flows out like a river. Amen.

Third, a tree planted by streams of water. (3) In two weeks, we will have Summer Bible Camp at the Black River in Missouri. When I visited there last month, the river was surrounded by many green trees. These trees reminded me of verse 3 in Psalm 1, which says, “He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.” In Los Angeles there are bushes in the mountains. But by the Black River, there are many green trees growing by streams of water. These trees yield their fruits in season and their leaves never dry because of the abundant water provided by the river. People enjoy swimming and floating in the river, and camping and eating under the trees. In ancient times, a tree was the symbol of blessing.

Like a tree planted by streams of water, the man who meditates on the word of God day and night receives living water for his soul from the Holy Spirit. The word of God provides the necessary wisdom, courage and strength for us to grow as men and women of God. The word of God nourishes our souls to grow in God’s divine nature. Those who meditate on the word of God day and night are always spiritual, courageous, and grateful. Let’s think about Joseph in the Bible again. In Genesis 39, the phrases about Joseph are repeated three times, like echoes; “The Lord was with Joseph and he prospered.” (Ge 39:2) “The Lord was with him and that the Lord gave him success in everything he did.”(39:3) “...because the Lord was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did.” (39:23) Joseph was like a tree planted by streams of water. God gave him success in whatever he did. This was because Joseph had fear of God. He lived in the sight of God. Whenever Potiphar’s wife tempted him, he did not listen to her. He did not live by worldly consensus, as some people say, “I did as everyone does.” , but lived based on the word of God. Psalm 119:9-11 says, “How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word. I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” People try to become a man or woman of prosperity. The psalmist in today’s passage teaches us how we can become true men of prosperity. We should be a man or woman of integrity first. Then we will prosper in whatever we do by God’s blessing. We should be men of integrity more than men of prosperity. Joseph was a man of integrity because he feared God and he was associated with God by holding God’s word in his heart all the days of his life.

Fourth, the way of the righteous and the way of the wicked (4-6) Psalm 1 is an introduction for the Book of Psalms. It teaches us the distinct contrast between the way of the righteous and the way of the wicked. The psalmist compared the righteous to a tree planted by streams of water and the wicked to chaff. Look at verse 4. “Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away.” What is chaff? There are two definitions for the word ‘chaff’. First, chaff is the husks of grains or grasses that are separated during threshing. The second is worthless matter or refuse. The wicked are those who have no God in their hearts. Whenever temptations come, they follow their sinful desires because they do not have God in their hearts. They have no godly content to their lives. They are like chaff that the wind blows away. They are those who live based on worldly consensus, not by the word of God. They are those who walk in the counsel of the wicked, stand in the way of sinners, and sit in the seat of mockers. Their lives are as aimless, directionless, and meaningless as chaff.

What is the consequence of the way of the wicked? Look at verse 5. “Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.” When God judges the wicked, they will not join the righteous. They will be alienated from the assembly of the righteous. They will all be burned with the consuming fire. Jesus said about them in this, “There will be weeping there, and gnashing of teeth….” (Lk 13:28) Look at verse 6. “For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.” The Lord God will protect, provide for, and guide the righteous like a good shepherd cares for his sheep. God was the good shepherd for Joseph. God protected Joseph from all temptations, provided all things necessary for him, and guided his life on the right path. On the other hand, the way of Lot perished. Lot lost everything when he lived his own life. His life was like chaff and all his possessions were burned like chaff.

In conclusion, today’s passage teaches us what kind of life we should live on this earth and what kind of person we should be. Do you want to be a man of blessing or a man of burden? The blessed are those who meditate on the word of God day and night. The blessed are those who take deep roots in the word of God. The blessed are those who live according to God’s word. The blessed are men and women of integrity like Joseph. Above all, the blessed are those who believe in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior and have the promise of eternal life in the kingdom of God. May God bless all of you, and make you men and women of blessing. Amen.

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