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.

I love the Psalms, for they are songs with deep truth. They touch the heart and head; our emotion and intellect – the whole person. Today we begin a devotional journey through the Psalms.

Right out of the gates the Psalmist tells us there are two types of people in the world. There is one person, the wicked, who the words sinners and scoffers are also used to speak of them. Then different than the wicked is this one who is described as being blessed or happy. Further down in the Psalm we see the use of the word wicked again in verses 4-6 and then this one who is blessed is referred to as the righteous in verse 5-6. So, you have two persons here and they represent the two types of persons in the world. You either belong to the righteous or the wicked. Everybody belongs to the one or the other. The reality is all are wicked outside God’s gracious work in Christ on our behalf. Psalm 14.1-5 speaks of the condition of man. Without God’s sanctifying work there is none who do good or fear God. The wicked don’t know God and their conduct is ungodly. The righteous are those who are forgiven, trusting Christ for their salvation and live godly lives as a result.

The righteous like, love and choose the counsel of God’s word. It is a great delight to them. Instead of being defined or identified with those who don’t live according to the standards of God or who mock God, instead their instruction comes from God, living according to His standards and they do not make light of God’s law by continuing to live in sin, but instead they delight in the law of God like Psalm 119.97 says, O how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day. So, Christianity is not merely a matter of demands, but what we love and delight in. To delight in the Word and be happy in the Lord is the motivation. Christianity is about going after the greatest joy and eternal pleasure which is found in God alone and in obeying His Word.

The righteous delight in and love God’s Word and in His law he meditates day and night. To meditate is to think about, to think deeply and to let the Word of God shape your soul. It is reflecting on the Word of God in the course of our daily lives and activities – to take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. David says, day and night, meaning regardless of the time or context the godly are to respond to circumstances and make decisions based on God’s Word.

So, righteous one, delight in and love the Word of God today!

Weekly Memory Verse: 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. Psalm 1.1-2