Whose delight is in the law of the Lord
Psalm 1:1-2; The start of a short series on the first Psalm
“Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night.”
Psalms 1:1-2 NIV
Today’s verses are from the beginning of the Book of Psalms, and since Psalm 1 is rather short, I’ll take it from start to finish over the next few days. Just as a refresher on Psalms (which most of you probably already know), this book is made up of sacred songs — basically a collection of Hebrew religious hymns. Authorship of the psalms is traditionally attributed to King David, Asaph, the sons of Korah (a group of skilled singers), and Solomon, although modern scholars believe they were written by a group of authors between the 9th and 5th centuries B.C.
Regardless of who wrote the psalms, he starts off with a powerful message in these two verses, outlining what a righteous person does not do (verse 1) and what the righteous person does (verse 2).
The first word of Psalm 1:1 is blessed, from the Ancient Hebrew אֶשֶׁר (esher), translated as happiness or blessedness. This word was often used as an interjection. (Maybe all of us should start a new 21st century trend and shout “Esher!” when we feel happy!)
So, who will be blessed? The righteous man or woman, the person who is right with God. Charles Spurgeon, always a reliable source of biblical knowledge, points out that:
“It is not ‘Blessed is the king, blessed is the scholar, blessed is the rich,’ but, ‘Blessed is the man.’ This blessedness is as attainable by the poor, the forgotten and the obscure, as by those whose names figure in history, and are trumpeted by fame.1
In the words of the psalmist, the blessed person doesn’t walk, stand, or sit in certain ways. From Enduring Word:
i. We can say these speak of thinking, behaving, and belonging. The righteous man and the ungodly man are different in how they think, how they behave, and to whom they belong.
ii. Others have also seen in this a progression of sin. “The great lesson to be learned from the whole is, sin is progressive; one evil propensity or act leads to another. He who acts by bad counsel may soon do evil deeds; and he who abandons himself to evil doings may end his life in total apostasy from God.” (Clarke)
By not walking in step with the wicked, the psalmist means that a righteous person can discern between godly and ungodly advice, and chooses to follow the counsel of the godly. The righteous person knows that often ungodly advice comes from within, and chooses to seek God’s counsel through the written Word when questioning oneself.
The righteous person doesn’t stand in the way that sinners take. Sinners tend to follow a path or way of life; the righteous person doesn’t follow that same path. Remember the words of Jesus in Matthew 7:13, “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.” (emphasis is mine).
The righteous person also refuses to sit in the company of mockers, those who like to criticize Christians. There are plenty of things to criticize followers of Christ about, because we are not perfect — not by a long shot! But it is also very wrong to do so…
We now know what the righteous person does not do, and verse 2 provides us with insight into what he or she does. That person finds delight … in the law of the Lord. The phrase “law of the Lord” (יְהֹוָה תּוֹרָה, tôrâ Yᵊhōvâ) is used in Psalms to mean all of God’s word, not just the sections of the Pentateuch (Genesis through Deuteronomy) that deal with Mosaic law. The righteous person finds his or her happiness in not just reading the Bible, but studying it and thinking about it.
Sure, you can find all of your happiness in personal pleasures, but that only shows that you’re self-centered. Perhaps you find your primary happiness in family or friends, and that’s better than being selfish. The truly righteous man or woman finds delight in the law of the Lord. From Enduring Word:
iii. “Man must have some delight, some supreme pleasure. His heart was never meant to be a vacuum. If not filled with the best things, it will be filled with the unworthy and disappointing.” (Spurgeon)
iv. If a person delights in something, you don’t have to beg him to do it or to like it. He will do it all by himself. You can measure your delight for the word of God by how much you hunger for it.
The psalmist sets a high bar for the blessed person in the next part of verse 2, by saying that they meditate on His law day and night. Some may feel righteous because they attend church at Christmas and Easter. Others may fill the pews at their local church once or twice a week, but hear a sermon and promptly forget about it. Truly righteous Christians should think about God’s law constantly! (I must admit that I have a long way to go in this respect, as I am always distracted by other and more worldly things.)
From Enduring Word again:
i. In eastern meditation, the goal is to empty the mind. This is dangerous, because an empty mind may present an open invitation to deception or a demonic spirit. But in Christian meditation, the goal is to fill your mind with the word of God. This can be done by carefully thinking about each word and phrase, applying it to one’s self, and praying it back to the Lord.
and
iii. Many lack because they only read and do not meditate. “It is not only reading that does us good; but the soul inwardly feeding on it, and digesting it. A preacher once told me that he had read the Bible through twenty times on his knees and had never found the doctrine of election there. Very likely not. It is a most uncomfortable position in which to read. If he had sat in an easy chair he would have been better able to understand it.” (Spurgeon)
iv. The righteous man only has God’s word on his mind two times a day: day and night. That about covers it all!
How about you? Do you have God’s word on your mind those two times a day? If you’re reading these daily devotionals, you (like us) are certainly working on it.
Heaven On Wheels Daily Prayer:
Lord, I thank Your for Your written Word, and I ask you not only to help me read it, but to think about it always and apply Your truth to my life. I ask that You help me daily to focus less of my time on the world’s distractions and more on emulating Your son and my Savior Jesus Christ, in Whose name I pray. AMEN.
Scripture quotations taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica US, Inc.®. Used by permission.
Commentary from Enduring Word included here with the written permission of the author.
Spurgeon, Charles Haddon "The Treasury of David: Volume 1" (Psalms 1-57) (Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson, 1988)