Blessed are those who study the Bible

Blessed are those who study the Bible

Psalm 1

Good morning!

Today my message is entitled “Blessed are those who study the Bible!”

We are going to look at Psalm 1 this morning. This psalm, though written more than two thousand years ago, still brings us truth, and the compulsion to follow God’s way through life. Sometimes you must boil things down to simple ideas and basic truths in this world of complex technology and instant everything. That is what this psalm does.

When I was speaking at teen camps, I used to put one-liners up at the entrance of the room to get the teens thinking. Things like:

Read the Bible – prevent truth decay!

Welcome, you aren’t too bad to come in nor too good to stay out!

Now, on to Psalm One:

D. Gutherie, in “The New Bible Commentary-Revised,” states: “This Psalm well serves as an introduction to the whole collection, for it deals with a theme close to the heart of the psalmists: the alternative characters of men, displayed in alternative modes of conduct, and issuing in alternative destinies.” 1

Psalm 1 NIV

1 Blessed is the man (Psalm 32:1; Proverbs 1:15, 22)

   who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked

   or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers.

2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord, (Psalm 37:31; Psalm 39:3)

    and on his law he meditates day and night.

3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water,  (Psalm 52:8; Psalm 36:8; Psalm 92:14

    which yields its fruit in season   Psalm 122:16; Matthew 13:23)

    and whose leaf does not wither.

    Whatever he does prospers.

Eugene Peterson’s “The Message” states Psalm 1 verse 2 this way:

“Instead you thrill to God’s Word, you chew on Scripture day and night. ²

Another word for “delight” in verse two is “joy”, just like the joy we discovered in our study of Philippians last month.

The Wycliffe Bible Commentary gives us a few points to consider in Psalm One.

“This Psalm presents in sharp contrast two extremes – the truly righteous way of life and the basically wicked way…. The Verbs, walketh, standeth, sitteth, describe the characteristic steps of the wicked which the righteous avoid: … While god regards or concerns Himself with the way of the righteous, the wicked merely drift on to ultimate destruction.” ³

The Abingdon Bible Commentary opens the first verse discussion with this comparison:

“This Psalm reminds us of the opening sentence of The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles: “There are two ways, one of Life, and one of Death, and there is a great difference between the two ways.”…

The Psalm begins with an exclamation, literally translated, “Oh, the happiness of the man!” ⁴

Matthew 7:13-14 NIV

13 “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.

14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

Now the psalmist concentrates on those who do not follow God and what comes of them.

4 Not so the wicked! (Isaiah 5:24; Psalm 73:18)

    They are like chaff

    that the wind blows away.

5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, (Matthew 25:31)

    nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.

6 For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, (Psalm 119:168; John 3:16

    but the way of the wicked will perish. Romans 6:23; 2Timothy 2:19)

The apostle Paul put the same idea in a human understanding sort of way:

Romans 6:19-23 NIV

19 I put this in human terms because you are weak in your natural selves. Just as you used to offer the parts of your body in slavery to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer them in slavery to righteousness leading to holiness.

20 When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness.

21 What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death!

22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.

23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Here is a summary for the main thoughts from each of the six verses:

Verse 1 – Happy are those who stay away from Satan’s influence.

Verse 2 – Joy comes from obeying and studying God’s Word – the Bible.

Verse 3 – Success comes by obeying and standing close to the provider.

Verse 4 – Sinfulness comes, and separation occurs.

Verse 5 – Sinfulness brings judgement and separation.

Verse 6 – Guidance – by the Lord or to doom.

Another way to look at this passage:

Verse 1 talks of things not to do, verse 2 talks of things to do, and verses 3-6 talk of the things that result from verses 1 & 2.

2 Timothy 2:15 NIV

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.

2 Timothy 2:19 NIV

Nevertheless, God’s solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: “The Lord knows those who are His,” and, “Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness.”

Let’s close with two more one-liners:

*Christians are the light of the world – but the switch has to be turned on.

*If you were on trial for being a Christian – would there be enough evidence to convict you?

I encourage you to do some word studies on key words (blessed, joy, meditate, ungodly, judgement).