Psalm 1:1-6
Many of the Psalms are declarations to God: declarations of love, declarations of confession, declarations of His power and promise. Several of the Psalms beckon back into past fulfillment of God's word and several hearken to the promised future. The Psalms are ancient prayers that millions have read and prayed across the world and generations; many have poured their anguish, love, praise, shame, hope and more into these words. They have weight and relevance. The inspiration of each one is our gracious Father.
1:1 The closer to God, the firmer the peace. Peace is cultivated in His presence. Turmoil away from it. Who is our daily counselor? In our moments of weakness, who or what do we seek for strength or confirmation? Direction or wisdom? In the shift of life, who is our counselor? The first Psalm tells us that it must be God.
If our destination is good and our journey is peace, God must be our counselor. To be counseled by Him, we must consult Him: Frequently and earnestly; but we must also listen. We must listen when He tells us, in His way, to move off of a certain path. We cannot walk in steps of anger or vengeance, greed or lust or fear. We cannot climb any mountains with those loads on our backs, weighing down and tainting our souls.
1:2 We must find our joy in God. We must delight in the exploration of His word and philosophy, in considering what He has labeled good and why. Like inquisitive children, we must value the journey of discovery. In finding God in every place. In hearing His voice in every conversation. In seeing His work in our surroundings.
1:3 The person who seeks and follows God's counsel, who delights in God, will be planted. Established. Such a person will be a strong tree, deeply rooted in the nutrient rich soil that is God, our source of life. God plants His earnest children by a river; a safe place, one which will sustain them. The living water ever-flowing through them: to guide, discipline, love and support.
To be planted by God is to be sustained: mind, body and soul. To be planted by God is to be set up for fulfillment. Each tree of God, each earnest child, will produce good fruit. They will be a person whose life significantly impacts others' lives. Their presence changes the room, the family, the relationship, the outcome, the community, the world, even. Their commitment to God's word inserts an element to any situation that would not exist without their faith. And that element, God, changes the game, reverses the situation, redesigns its outcome.
Planted by the river of living water, such a person will not wither. They will not succumb to any person, situation or state of mind. Throughout their life, they experience the constant breakthrough of Light.
1:4 Yet the ungodly experience a different life. They experience tumult and frequently confront, succumb to, their vulnerability in the winds of storms. They are easily blown down, withered and disassembled. It is not punishment; they simply cannot access the benefits of God they walk away from. Their distance from Him has put strength out of reach.
1:5 Evil will not stand with the righteous; that may not now be recognized a warning to the evil, but it is always a comfort to the righteous. God is ready and able to make the separation.
1:6 The Lord knows the way... We have an attentive God, aware and focused on the details. Our God is a hands-on worker. He is deeply entrenched in our activity here. He has planned the culmination of every endeavor, every individual. And though many think His plan is shrouded in mystery, this scripture has made His plan clear. Freedom now and judgement later. A temporary now and an eternal later; and the temporary now determines the eternal later.
Live or perish, languish, the writer of this first wisdom-psalm writes. Learn from God what is means to live or perish after the opportunity of Earth. A life focused on oneself is not living. A life focused on material gain, worldly fame, power or position is not living. It is taking. It is ignorant. It is negligent. Live or perish. Live for God, live for others, or perish.
God does not want us to languish, to exist in tumult. He does not want the breath within us to be temporary, so He teaches us how to live.
God does not want us to languish, to exist in tumult. He does not want the breath within us to be temporary, so He teaches us how to live.
