What’s Righteousness? Follow the Leader: Psalm 1 Man Card Study

 

Psalm 1

How blessed is the man 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 his delight is in the law of the LORD,

And in His law he meditates day and night.

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.

The wicked are not so,

But they are like chaff which the wind drives away.

Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,

Nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.

For the LORD knows the way of the righteous,

But the way of the wicked will perish.

Most commentaries picture the first verse or so as a progression. Walking with wicked, standing with sinners, and sitting with scoffers. First you go with the wrong crowd, then you stay there, then you get comfortable. As Casting Crowns says, “It’s a slow fade when you give yourself away.” A little sin is all it takes sometimes.

The bible can be a tough read for modern readers. “His delight is in the law of the Lord.” It’s difficult to balance an easy reading translation of the Bible with a super accurate translation. I cheat and try to have both. I use a really accurate, hard to read english translation (like NASB) for study and specifics, and I use a modern english version (NLT)for when I want to just enjoy reading and get the big picture. It’s important to find a way to enjoy reading the Bible. Read one book in an entire sitting in a modern English version and then go verse by verse in a more exacting version.

What is meditating on scripture? Are you really going to recite a verse over and over again like a mantra? No, but memorizing helps. Another way is to simply sit and thing, really chew on a verse or two and explore all the ways you could apply it.

“He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water reminds me of Captain America from this moment of the Civil War comics. Captain America has an amazing statement about when to be stubborn for what’s right!

The wicked lose in the long game. They may win in the short term, but it’s the long game where they see the business end of justice

The whole point of this is to do your best to be a good person. Not that you would earn salvation, but that you work to take part in your ongoing sanctification with God. It’s not about saving yourself from hell with good works. God has already saved you through the work of Christ. Now we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works which were prepared beforehand that we would walk in them. As a show of gratitude for God’s mercy, we should strive to be virtuous.

Tell me what you think about this passage, or ask any question! Feel free to share your questions, comments, concerns, or cries of heresy in the comments! I’ll see you next time.

God Speed.