b. Such an one possesses a renewed inward man (ROM 7:22). c. Those who delight in the law love the law (PSA 119:47). d. Keep the law in order to love

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1 PSALM 1 1. The different character and condition of godly people and wicked people, those that serve God and those that serve him not, is here plainly stated in a few words; so that every man, if he will be faithful to himself, may here see his own face and then read his own doom. That division of the children of men into saints and sinners, righteous and unrighteous, the children of God and the children of the wicked one, as it is ancient, ever since the struggle began between sin and grace, the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent, so it is lasting, and will survive all other divisions and subdivisions of men into high and low, rich and poor, bond and free; for by this men s everlasting state will be determined, and the distinction will last as long as heaven and hell. Matthew Henry. 2. This Psalm describes a blessed man. a. Blessed means happy and the Hebrew word is so rendered elsewhere. b. Therefore, this Psalm sets forth that which is a chief pursuit of man. c. This word blessed is a major theme of the book of Psalms. The Psalms are jubilant when blessedness is possessed and they are mournful when blessedness is absent. 3. We either follow either the counsel of the ungodly or the law of the Lord. a. There are only two sources of counsel, God and Satan, directing in either of two ways, God s way or Satan s way. b. All ways are not equally valid. 4. Note the digression from walking to standing to sitting. a. The digression begins by following the counsel of the ungodly and ends with scorning the right way. b. The process of digression is from compliance to positioning to settlement. c. Take care what you choose as the standard for your conduct. d. PRO 4: Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men. Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away. 5. There is not only a digression of placement but a digression of character. a. Ungodly suggests being without the fear and reverence of God. b. Sinner suggests transgressing the law of God (1JO 3:4). c. Scornful suggests holding God and His law in contempt. d. When one wanders away from careful attendance to the things of God, he then begins to break the laws of God, and then he scorns what once he revered. e. See this digression in ACT 19:9. 6. They are blessed who delight in the law of God. a. Delight - The fact or condition of being delighted; or pleasure, joy, gratification felt in a high degree.

2 b. Such an one possesses a renewed inward man (ROM 7:22). c. Those who delight in the law love the law (PSA 119:47). d. Keep the law in order to love the law (PSA 119:167). e. The law of God is their source of counsel (PSA 119:24). f. It is by the counsel of this word that he avoids the way of the sinners (PSA 17:4; PRO 2:10-13). 7. They are blessed who meditate in the law of God. a. Meditate - To muse over or reflect upon; to consider, study, ponder. b. Meditation in the word in a needful ingredient in obeying the word (JOS 1:8; PSA 119:11). c. This is more than merely hearing or reading the word. d. The difference between reading and studying the word is like the difference between an acquaintance and a close friend. e. PRO 7:1-4 shows how intimate we should be with the Scriptures. i. We should keep them like the apple of our eye. ii. We should bind them to us. iii. We should write them upon the table of our heart. iv. They should be as close as a sister. v. They should be part of our family. f. Lack of meditation is more owing to a lack of love for the law, than to a lack of time (PSA 119:97). i. This connects delighting in the law and meditating in it. ii. What we love we love to think of. Matthew Henry g. Be willing to spend other things to buy time in order to meditate (EPH 5:15-17; COL 4:5). i. Redeem means to buy back, regain, or recover. ii. Those who redeem the time are walking as wise and not as fools. iii. Understand God s will in order to redeem the time (PSA 119:104). h. Meditation requires quiet, undisturbed time (JOB 37:14; PSA 4:4; 46:10 w/ DEU 4:39). i. We must work resources of quiet into our work schedule (1TH 4:11; 2TH 3:12). 1. Study - With inf.: To endeavour, make it one s aim, set oneself deliberately to do something. Psalm 1 Page 2 of 5

3 2. Quiet - Of persons (or animals): Making no stir, commotion, or noise; causing no trouble or disturbance; remaining at rest; not moving or acting. (Also of nature or disposition.) Habitually or naturally peaceful or averse to making a stir, noise, etc. ii. Strength is found in quietness (ISA 30:15). iii. Quietness is an effect of righteousness (ISA 32:17; 57:20). iv. If the Lord is leading us and we are bearing His yoke, we will find quietness (PSA 23:2; MAT 11:29). v. ECC 4:6. Better is an handful with quietness, than both the hands full with travail and vexation of spirit. vi. Quietness can be found in turbulent times. 1. The admonition to be still in PSA 46:10 was in the context of war. 2. With the sea before them and Pharaoh s host behind them, Moses told Israel to stand still (EXO 14:13). 3. When we tap into the quietness that God gives, then who can trouble us (JOB 34:29)? i. Too much hustle and bustle crowds out time needed to consider God and His work (ISA 5:12; LUK 10:38-42). j. Too much care will choke the word (LUK 8:14). Therefore, we should strive to be without carefulness (1CO 7:32). 8. This meditation in the law takes place day and night. a. God s word should influence all of life at all times. b. DEU 6:4-9 teaches that daily life should be saturated with the word of God and connects this fact with love for God. c. Continual meditation is necessary for the words of God to be in our hearts so as to provide guidance in our daily lives (PRO 6:20-22). 9. The man who delights in the law of God and meditates therein continually is like a tree planted by the rivers of water. a. Such a man is planted, that is, he is fixed. i. He is rooted in Christ and stablished in the faith (COL 2:7). ii. He is not tossed to and fro with every wind of doctrine (EPH 4:14). b. Being planted by the rivers of water suggests a continual supply of strength. i. The Holy Spirit is spoken of in Scripture as a river of water (JOH 7:38-39; ISA 44:3-4). ii. The believer in whom the word of God is abiding has a continual supply of the strength of the Holy Spirit (EPH 3:16-17). Psalm 1 Page 3 of 5

4 c. He brings forth his fruit in his season (JOH 15:5-8). i. He does good as he has opportunity (GAL 6:10). ii. God has His time to bring forth the effects of our obedience (ROM 1:13; 1CO 3:6; JAM 5:7). d. His leaf also shall not wither (JER 17:7-8). He will thrive even in times of adversity. e. Whatsoever he doeth shall prosper (JOS 1:7-8). i. Whatsoever he does will be according to the will of God expressed in His word. ii. It takes two things to observe to do according to all the law: strength and meditation. 1. By this means Joshua would prevail against the enemy JO 2:14 also brings these two things together with the result that the wicked one is overcome. iii. Joseph is an example of such a man (GEN 39:2-4, 21-23). iv. PSA 37:3-5 states the same principle. v. Such a man will be found planted and flourishing in the house of God even unto old age (PSA 92:12-14). f. Delighting in the law of the Lord and meditating therein day and night results in a rich and satisfying life (PSA 63:5-6). 10. The ungodly are not so. a. They do not delight in God s law. Neither do they meditate therein day and night. b. Unlike the planted and flourishing tree, they are like the worthless chaff driven away by the wind. i. They are unstable and, therefore, led away with the error of the wicked (EPH 4:14; 2PE 3:16-17; JAM 1:6-8). ii. The Lord Jesus will fan these out of His floor and burn them with unquenchable fire (MAT 3:11-12). 11. Therefore, the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment. They will have no defence. 12. The ungodly shall not stand in the congregation of the righteous. a. In this world the ungodly mingle with the godly in the church (MAT 13:24-30, 37-43; GAL 2:4; JUD 1:4). b. In the great Day of Judgment, the ungodly will be gathered out of the kingdom and forever separated from the congregation of the righteous (LUK 13:27-28; REV 22:14-15). 13. The Lord knoweth the way of the righteous. Psalm 1 Page 4 of 5

5 a. God knows what His people are going through (JOB 23:10). b. God does not forget their work and labour of love (HEB 6:10). c. Knowing them as His elect, God knows their way (1PE 1:2; 2TI 2:19; PSA 139). d. By contrast, God never knew the wicked in His grace (MAT 7:23). 14. The way of the ungodly shall perish. a. Their way has no permanence no matter how much it may prosper temporarily (PSA 37:7-10, 35-38). b. Their way, though broad and popular, ends in destruction (MAT 7:13-14). 15. Misery is the offspring of wickedness; happiness is the offspring of goodness. The Law of Jehovah discovers to man the way of goodness, and so teaches him the way of happiness (G. Campbell Morgan) 16. LUK 21:34-35 And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man. 17. This Psalm sets forth the great division of men that is made by God Himself and that is manifested in their characters (EXO 8:22-23; 11:7; MAL 3:16-18; MAT 25:31-33; LUK 23:39-43; ROM 9:21-23; 1JO 3:10). Psalm 1 Page 5 of 5