[INTRO VIDEO] – see YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dx5TODbI2CE&t=38s So, with that introduction to the psalms, let’s look at Psalm 1. It is often called the gateway to the psalms. It is a wisdom psalm. It is anonymous; no author is given. It is as if this psalm, as the gateway to the other 149 psalms, extends its arms over the entire collection. Life is full of choices about which path to take. Each day we are inundated with choices. Which pants to wear, what to eat for breakfast, what to say to that annoying person, what text message to respond to and which to ignore, to fill the car up with gas or wait until tomorrow. And those are small choices. What about the big ones? Who to date, where to live, what school to go to, what priorities to make. I was reading about chess, the board game. I was amazed about the total number of variations in just the first 10 moves. 169,518,829,100,544,000,000,000,000,000. That’s a lot! Here’s how you say that number: One hundred sixty-nine thousand septillion, five hundred eighteen thousand sextillion, eight hundred twenty-nine thousand quintillion, one hundred thousand quadrillion, five hundred forty-four thousand trillion. Life can feel like that. Choices, choices, choices, and with many possible outcomes. The reason I start like this is because Psalm 1 sets before us two pathways, two basic choices. The way of righteousness or the way of wickedness. If we get that wrong, the other choices won’t matter. Since Psalm 1 is about the way of righteousness contrasted with the way of wickedness, let’s start off by defining those two terms. To be righteous (not to be confused with being ‘self-righteous’ which is an aspect of pride and to be avoided), is to live in a way that is right (or just) before God and others. Theologian J.I. Packer says it is “holy integrity and uprightness.” (Rediscovering Holiness, 40). In contrast, wickedness is disobeying God, and even further, delighting in disobeying God. Let’s begin. Psalm 1:1-6 (ESV) Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; -To be ‘blessed’ is to receive God’s favour. That’s clearly a good thing! -The ‘man’ referenced could be either man or woman. There are times in the Bible including the Psalms (not all times, but sometimes) when the word ‘man’ is used as a representative figure. This is one of those cases; this is made evident in translations such as the NET and NLT. So what is said applies to both men and women. -Instead of first being told what the blessed man (or person) does, we are told what he does not do. He does not ‘walk in the counsel of the wicked,’ meaning he doesn’t live his life and make his decisions based on what wicked people say. He does not ‘stand in the way of sinners,’ meaning he does not spend all his time hanging out with and being influenced by sinful people. And he does not sit in the seat of scoffers, meaning he doesn’t speak poorly and derisively of people as if he is high and mighty. Notice the progression: walking, standing, sitting. This is meant, I think, to show us that the righteous person is comprehensive in avoiding the way of wickedness, sin, and scoffing. The verbs walking, standing and sitting all seem to indicate being increasingly entrenched in ways of wickedness. Once you start, it’s easier to set up shop. -“Who are these [wicked people]?” asks preacher Martyn Lloyd-Jones. “They are the scoffers, the people who stick out their tongues at everything that is sacred and holy and sanctified… These are the people who scoff at morality and decency, and they call it ‘self-expression.’” (CHSB, 760). 2 but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. -‘but’=this signals a shift from what shouldn’t be done to what should be done. Instead of delighting in wickedness, sin, and scoffing, ‘his delight is in the law of the Lord.’ His delight is ‘Yahweh’s Torah/instruction.’ -The man/person who is blessed ‘meditates day and night’ on this law/instruction of the Lord. What does it mean to meditate? In modern North America this word makes us think of some sort of Eastern spiritual practice. But that’s not what is envisioned here. In biblical usage it means to repeatedly go over something in one’s mind. According to Hebrew language scholar Robert Alter, the word for ‘meditate’ (Hebrew: hagah) carries the connotation of ‘a low muttering sound.’ Picture someone murmuring the 10 Commandments to themselves as they go about their day. Are they talking to themselves, or are they speaking on the phone to someone with an ear piece you cannot see? No, they are quietly reciting (or murmuring) the instructions and teachings of God. What we need to see here is someone going about their day with God’s law always on their mind. You’ve heard of cows ‘chewing the cud.’ They chew, bring up, and re-swallow their food as a part of the digestion process. This idea has come into the English language as an expression, indicating that someone is processing something over and over again—really taking it in and thinking about it, considering the angles and implications. This is what the righteous person does with God’s teachings. Chew the cud with God’s word! -Richard Foster is known for his work on Christian spiritual disciplines. He writes: “What happens in meditation is that we create the emotional and spiritual space which allows Christ to construct an inner sanctuary in the heart.” (as per Parham, A Spiritual Formation Primer, 76) That’s so helpful. In a world where we are continually tempted to distraction—from jumping to this to that to the other thing—meditation, or chewing with cud with God’s word—centres us in him and creates space within us to really ponder, reflect upon, and enjoy God’s instruction to us. It is a process of creating space which allows Christ “to construct an inner sanctuary in the heart.” -This is done ‘day and night.’ We don’t need to take this literally. It’s a figure of speech meaning ‘consistently.’ Again, think chewing the cud of God’s word. -Notice also that this practice brings someone ‘delight.’ It is not dry duty. It is delightful to them. What is delightful to you? Is it enjoying a walk with a friend, or watching a sunset with a glass of wine on Friday evening, or is it fulfilling something on your bucket list? I’m sure those are all nice things. To someone pursuing the path of righteousness learns also to delight in the instructions and teachings of God. 3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. -We are given more information about this person. They are like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season. Its leaf does not wither. Picture a dry climate. If a tree is planted by a stream of water, that means it’s roots are going to get some of that water to make the tree healthy. If the tree is too far from the water, the tree will die. This is a metaphor about a person. The person of righteousness is close to God’s instructions. Those teachings are the source of the person’s health and vitality. It’s about proximity to the word. -This person will yield its fruit in its season. Yielding fruit is about showing evidence of faithfulness to God. Just as an apple tree will grow apples to show it is an apple tree, so will a person of faith grow certain traits and virtues in their life to show that they belong to God and are being used by God—things like the ‘fruit of the Spirit’ in Galatians 5. “Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” That isn’t an exclusive list, but it’s a helpful one. -Next we are told that this person will prosper in all that they do. We are not told in this situation what it means to prosper. Some people might take this to mean prosper in a financial or material sense. Although some people might experience this, not all do. In fact, later in the New Testament we are told that God’s people will often suffer hardship and persecution for their faith. What is more likely is that the righteous person will prosper in the broader sense in that they will endure, that they will be received favourably as they stand before God in the judgement, that God will use their lives—even difficult ones—to bless others and be a part of his work, and that they will be counted among God’s people, especially since in the next two verses we are told that the wicked will not get to prosper in those ways. 4 The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. 5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; 6 for the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish. -In verse 4 we start to learn the fate of the wicked. They are like chaff that the wind drives away. Picture a process where a farmer throws threshed wheat into the air. The kernels remain but the lighter chaff (which is unwanted) gets blown away in the wind. That is the ultimate fate of the wicked, even if they appear to prosper for a short time while on earth. This stands in contrast to the righteous who endure like a firmly rooted tree. Chaff bad; firmly rooted tree good. -We can’t miss the fact—and surely we are getting this impression by now—that big things are at stake. The word ‘perish’ should not be passed over lightly. In the words of professor James L. Mays, when it comes to the choices we make while on earth, “Life is at stake.” (122) -The wicked will not stand in the judgment, the text says. This might be a reference to standing before a flesh and blood judge while on earth, perhaps summoned for their crimes (moral or otherwise). But in a larger sense it surely refers to not being received favourably by God on judgment day. Sinners will not be found in the official congregation (or gathering) of the righteous (meaning God’s people). In an eternal sense, they will be excommunicated!—to be cast out of the community. -In the last verse, we are told that the Lord ‘knows’ the way of the righteous. This is a way of saying that he embraces or approves the way of the righteous. But the way of the wicked will perish. -This verse realty captures the theme of the entire Psalm—the way of the righteous vs. the way of the wicked. Those exact phrases are used, but not until the end. The ‘way’ or ‘path’ is a way of speaking about how we journey through life. Alter says: “Walking on a way is a traditional metaphor for pursuing a set of moral choices in life.’ (3) We end our close look at the text there. This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. As we think through the application of this psalm to our lives, I’d like you to consider an idea: that the way of the righteous is about a direction, not perfection. Let’s flush this out. First: Be humble; only Jesus has lived the way of the righteous perfectly. Hebrews 4:15 reminds us that he did not sin. So when Psalm 1 says that the man is blessed who does these things, only Jesus has perfectly lived that out. His delight was in fact the law of the Lord; he was the fruit-yielding tree—perfectly. We are blessed because we are “in” him. Think of one of those Russian dolls, where the smaller one fits into the bigger one. He is the bigger one, we are the smaller one. We are “in” him through faith. He walks the path of righteousness, he sits at the right hand of our heavenly Father, and we are blessed because his faithfulness is credited to our account. This is central to the Christian good news. Second: You can walk in the way of the righteous and still be imperfect. Since only Jesus has perfectly walked the way of righteousness, does that mean that the rest of us are on the path of wickedness? After all, we all sin! Paul says as much in Romans 3:23. “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” This idea that we are all hopelessly hopeless has led some people to abandon any meaningful pursuit of righteousness. But that would be a mistake. Jen Wilkin is a Bible teacher from Texas who has coined the phrase “celebratory failurism.” Isn’t that a great phrase? “Celebratory failurism.” By that she refers to people who know they are sinners who are saved only by the grace of God in Jesus (and that is certainly true) but who then don’t pursue righteousness or holiness with any vigor or sincerity. They tend to celebrate their failure as if it’s an indication of their need of grace, and thereby they avoid real repentance and a commitment to spiritual growth to be more like Christ. While it’s true that we can’t earn God’s favour, and that we can’t earn salvation or peace with God, and that we are all sinners who are saved by grace, we are called, with the help of God by his Spirit, to grow in Christlikeness. It is the process of becoming holy. Theologically we call it ‘sanctification.’ We want to grow in righteousness. We want to live in a way that is right before God and others. So it is possible to pursue the way of righteousness even though we are not always righteous. That’s where that word “direction” comes in. We are growing, on a journey, in the footsteps of Jesus, in a way which seeks to be right before God and others. With God’s help, progress is possible. Third: Choose the narrow way. We need to take seriously the fact that the way of the righteous is narrow. Throughout the Bible you will hear about the ways of God being described as just that—a way, a road, or a path. This includes Jesus. He picks up on it and tells us something important about it in the Sermon on the Mount. In Matthew 7:13-14 he says: “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” Did you hear that? The way is wide and easy that leads to destruction, but the way is hard that leads to life and only a few find it. If you were picturing a road which comes to a fork and then splits, one heading left and the other heading right, and if these represented the way of righteousness and the way of wickedness, and if you pictured that they were both the same size and looked about the same, you would be wrong. The way of wickedness would be much wider. It would like nice and pleasing, perhaps with some shops along the side and sunny skies. The way of righteousness would be much more narrow. How prepared are you to be in the minority? How willing are you to choose the instruction of God instead of majority culture morality? How eager are you to please God instead of pleasing people? If you’re ever unsure which pathway is which, always go to Jesus. As he himself says in John 14:6, he IS the way and the truth and the life. Fourth: Chew the cud of God’s word. Delight in God’s instruction, his teachings, his promises, his word. That’s what Psalm 1 says: The righteous person will meditate on them consistently. Like a cow chewing the cud. Going over it again and again, and even delighting in it. Read it. Study it. Sit under biblical preaching. Listen to godly podcasts. Sing edifying songs. Talk about God’s instruction with others. Memorize it. Live it out. Fifth: Be confident that God will bless people through you. The person who mediates on God’s teachings, is like a tree planted by streams of water. This person will yield fruit (verse 3). Think of a tree. The tree doesn’t enjoy the fruit. Others enjoy the fruit. As you saturate yourself with God’s instructions, God will bless other people. You may not always see it. But it happens. Your prayers will benefit the lives of others. Your behind-the-scenes sacrifices that no one else sees will be used to benefit the lives of others. Your faithfulness to God even when it was the unpopular thing to do will be used to benefit others. Your act of kindness and mercy will be used to benefit others. Your personal holiness will be used to benefit others. Your humble-yet-unwavering commitment to truth will be used to bless others. Your pursuit of righteousness—of living in a way that is right before God and others—will be used to benefit the people around you. To summarize: First: Be humble; only Jesus has lived the way of the righteous perfectly. Second: You can walk in the way of the righteous and still be imperfect. Third: Choose the narrow way. Fourth: Chew the cud of God’s word. Fifth: Be confident that God will bless people through you. Yes, there are many choices in life. Some might say one hundred sixty-nine thousand septillion, five hundred eighteen thousand sextillion, eight hundred twenty-nine thousand quintillion, one hundred thousand quadrillion, five hundred forty-four thousand trillion. And there are definitely a lot of choices. But among them we should not miss the importance of the two ways set out before us in Psalm 1, and indeed in all the psalms: the way of the righteous and the way of the wicked. Fear not. The way of the righteous is about a direction, not perfection. Choose well. Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; for the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish. Amen.