If you have ever received a pocket-sized version of the New Testament you may have noticed that there is at least one book from the Old Testament that is included. That book is usually the Psalms. This is not to say that the NT and this one OT book are the most important for the Christian life. Paul tells us that “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16,17 ESV)” Remember that the NT was still being compiled at the time this verse was written, so we know that by using the term ‘scripture’ Paul was speaking of the entire OT. Most likely, the reason those pocket-sized bibles are compiled this way is because they are cheap to produce and easy to distribute to the most amount of people. Let people read the gospel first then go back to the OT afterwards to see how it all fits together. But why only include the Psalms? It seems that even after thousands of years and the fact that the Psalms were written to the ancient Hebrews, they are still just as crucial and practical to the Christian walk now as they were to the Jews back then. As it so happens Psalm 1 seems to set a precedence for the rest of the book. In addition to that, it reveals to us the key to blessedness.

How to not be Blessed

    (Psalm 1:1 KJV) “Blessed is the man That walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor standeth in the way of sinners, Nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.”

Firstly let us take a look at the word “Blessed”. The word in the original Hebrew is actually plural which implies that God has in store for us a multitude of blessings [1]. To have the description of being blessed means to be showered with the benevolence and care of our heavenly father. However, as implied above, this blessedness is applied both negatively and positively as we will see in the next verse. Negatively, one must not walk in the counsel of the ungodly. To take counsel in the ungodly is to heed carnal advice that has temporary benefits and will likely lead you down a path of destruction. Nor should one stand in the way of sinners. To stand in the way of sinners is to follow their example and perform the same acts of rebellion against God that they do. This verse is not telling you to be self-righteous and cut ties with everyone who is not a professing Christian but to use discernment when deciding what activities and shared interests to participate in. Finally, our text tells us not to sit in the seat of the scornful. This simply means to avoid the mockery of those who would abandon the law of God and live by their own man-made standard of morality. Though these are three different warnings they are all sequential. The 19th Century London preacher Charles Spurgeon remarked concerning this verse “When men are living in sin they go from bad to worse”[2]. The best advice to take from this statement is that if you remain diligent in watching out for the first warning it will keep you from falling into the more serious errors of the second and third warnings. In order to remain diligent against the first warning, there is something else one must do as we will observe from verse 2.  

How to be Blessed

(Psalm 1:2 KJV) “But his delight is in the law of the LORD;And in his law doth he meditate day and night.”

While verse 1 instructs us negatively on what we need to avoid to become blessed, verse 2 positively tells us what to do. This instruction is for us to be regular readers of the word of God. The keyword I want to pull out from this verse is “delight”. God does not just want us to read His word as a means to check off a box in order to receive favor but to take delight and joy in it. I understand that there are verses in scripture that are harder to understand than others but if you read scripture with the conviction that it is truly the infallible and inerrant word of God it will eventually make sense to you in the larger picture of the entire Bible. In Spurgeon’s commentary on Psalm 1, he has a quote by Puritan minister Joseph Caryl “It may be, at once reading or looking, we see little or nothing; as Elijah’s servant went once, and saw nothing, therefore, he was commanded to look seven times… so you may look lightly upon scripture and see nothing; meditate often upon it, and there you shall see a light, like the light of the sun”[3]. This is some of the most important advice one can give. One of the foundational doctrines of the protestant reformation was the concept of Sola Scriptura(Scripture Alone). This is the belief that while other books and even teachers are useful, the foundation of our faith ultimately rests on the authority of the inspired word of God. This is why delighting in it is so crucial. While scripture can at times can be dense, everything we need to know in this life in order to be saved from our sins is clearly spelled out for us. In order to walk in righteousness, we must know what righteousness is. In order to not walk in the way of the ungodly, we must first know what godliness is.  

Perhaps the next most important word in this verse is the word “meditate”. Do not just read over scripture but meditate on it day and night. Try to remember one important key lesson or idea you learned about God and think about it throughout the day. It is also a good idea to commit certain key verses to memory. They will come to mind often in certain situations. Be sure to pray that God would help illuminate difficult verses to you by the work of the Holy Spirit and to write the words you read on your heart. If you have not already guessed it, this is the true key to blessedness. To be soaked and instructed in the Word of God.

Rewards of Blessedness

(Psalm 1:3 KJV) “And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water,That bringeth forth his fruit in his season; His leaf also shall not wither; And whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.”

When we are saturated in the word of God it is as if God has planted us Himself by streams of nourishment. We are not wild trees but trees meticulously placed to receive the most amount of benefit and to be exceedingly fruitful. To bear fruit means to exhibit Christlikeness by the fruits of the spirit which are “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control (Galatians 5:22,23 ESV)”. These are fruits that glorify God and help build his kingdom. To be saturated in God’s word also makes us evergreens. Though we may not always see the fruit we are still striving for godliness and in time we will see the fruit arise. Our leaves will not wither and we will be sustained in even times of difficulty. Troubles will come. Will you be ready to face them with the hope and confidence that only comes to us from the word of God? Finally, we are promised to prosper in whatever we do. Though God may at times bless us with resources for our family and community, we are not talking about worldly prosperity here. Spurgeon wisely tells us that “It is not outward prosperity which the Christian most desires and values; it is soul prosperity which he longs for”[4]. Jesus Himself tells us “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matthew 6:19-21 ESV)”. God never promised an easy life for us. If you are reading this in 2020 you likely know this first hand. Regardless of how faithful someone you know is, they likely went through much trial this year. Even in a normal year, there are many faithful Christians who are stricken with sickness and disease. Not all of them make it through, but they received their eternal reward in heaven through the spiritual prosperity they received through the Word of God and faith in Jesus Christ.

The Reward for Ungodliness

(Psalm 1:4-6 KJV) “The ungodly are not so: But are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: But the way of the ungodly shall perish.”

As mentioned in the first verse of this Psalm, there is a duality of blessing for the righteous and divine cursing for the ungodly. Unlike the blessed man who is firmly planted by streams of water, the ungodly are uprooted and like chaff that the wind can easily blow away. They may have their reward in this life but there is no portion or inheritance for them afterwards in the Kingdom of God. Verse 5 goes on to tell us that there will be a judgment and they will not be able to stand innocent before a Holy God, nor will they be able to remain in the congregation of the saints once judgment is passed. On earth, the visible church is made up of wheat and weeds. In this life, it is not for us to know who the true believers are, though we can see the fruit. But when the Judgement comes God will separate the wheat from the weeds. God knows the way of righteousness because He established it. He will not contend or accept any other way of living. Sin must be punished by a holy God. But those who walk in righteousness will be blessed eternally.

Conclusion

Lest you think I am advocating for a works-based righteousness allow me to clarify how righteousness is obtained. Earlier I mentioned the concept of Sola Scriptura(Scripture Alone). It is part of a set of 5 Latin phrases known as the 5 Solas. They are Sola Scriptura, Sola Fide(Faith Alone), Sola Gratia(Grace Alone), Solus Christus(In Christ Alone), and Soli Deo Gloria(for glory to God Alone). When putting together the reformers were confessing as Christians that by the revelation of Scripture alone, we learn that we are saved by faith alone, through grace alone, in Christ alone to the glory of God alone.  If we are soaked in the word of God which alone instructs us in the way of salvation and have faith in the glorious truths that scripture has for us, which is faith in the sacrifice of Christ on the cross for our sins, solely by the grace of God alone we will indeed be spiritually blessed “with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places” (Eph 1:3 ESV). While we are the beneficiaries of this blessedness it is all for the Glory of God. This indeed is the key to blessedness.  

Footnotes

1. Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David, (McLean: MacDonald Publishing Company),1

2. Ibid.

3. Ibid., 6.

4. Ibid., 2.

Bibliography

The Holy Bible: King James Version. (2009). (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version. Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (2 Timothy 3:16,17, Eph 1:4, Galatians 5:22,23, Matthew 6:19-21, Eph 1:3). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.