Psalm 1:1-6
The title I have chosen for this book is the way it speaks to me. When we get a hold of something we want so bad we can taste it, we grip it in the palm of our hand and squeeze our fist tight to keep it from dropping or escaping. This is how I feel about the book of Psalms. It is so real to me! The Psalms are full of me! Everyday thoughts, problems, rejoicings, and griefs are addressed in Psalms. Who has not found their comforts, answers, assurances, or stress-reliefs from just one verse or chapter? Even the most ungodly have been exposed to the power of Psalm 23, if not, before they lay dying, maybe when they reached out to embrace a ray of hope in life's turmoil. "THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD, I SHALL NOT WANT!" (KJV). But LET'S FIRMLY GRIP THEM IN OUR PALMS AND NEVER LET THEM GET AWAY FROM US, SLIP THROUGH OUR FINGERS OR BE TAKEN FROM US BY THE DECEIT OF SATAN!
THEY ARE MINE
Some of them were written by David, as he started out as a shepherd boy himself and moved on to become the anointed King prophesied by the prophets, who would usher in the coming Messiah through his lineage! (Psalms 89:3-4, 20-29) But some Psalms seem to be written by other men who found in God the answer to their heart's cry for help. The old chorus we used to sing in church was:
He is my everything, He is my all.
He is my everything both great and small;
He gave Himself for me,
Made everything new;
He is my everything, None other will do!
Psalms bears the truth of this song out. No matter what my daily walk, He is all I need!
With 150 Psalms it is necessary to organize them by titles to take in all of them. They are divided into 5 books by many teachers of the Bible, but I will use 6 books in mine in the following manner so we may cover them all as well as possible. Thus I have:
Book 1-Wisdom Psalms;
Book 2-Lamenting Psalms, both individual and communal;
Book 3-Judgments and rejoicings;
Book 4- Sovereign Psalms, God's Sovereign Rule;
Book 5-Thanksgiving Psalms;
And Book 6-Prophetic Psalms, Prophecies of Christ;
In the Hebrew the word for Psalms is "Tehillim" meaning Praises. The word we use for Psalms is from the Greek "Psalmoi" referring to songs sung with musical instruments. The word therefore used for all the Psalms collectively is called the Psalter.
It is accepted that most of the Psalms were written by David reflecting his problems, victories, and moments of praise and worship. He began as a shepherd boy in Israel. Later being pursued with a death threat hanging over him from Saul, the King. Then as he became the king he faced rebellion in his own son, who desired his father's position. Some of the Psalms are attributed to the Temple music groups. Psalms 42-49 possibly were the Korahites; Psalms 50; 73-83 come from the Asaphites; and Psalms 120-134 make up the collection called the "Songs of Ascent" Sung by the pilgrimage group as they went up the hill to the temple to worship.
The Psalms contain many names of God as they applied to each circumstance and the miraculous rescue by God.(YHWH- comes from Exodus 3-4. KJV). Basically the Psalms are personal and reality flows through them. Nothing is supposition for these were people who lived as you and I do with governments and authorities who did not follow God's leadership. Ungodly people willing to take lives on a whim. They are filled with Immorality, jealousies, rages, and self-centered human traits by people who only lived for themselves. However, the cry of the Godly, righteous person is heard and answered by a loving, caring, living God!
Wisdom begins with the a sharp comparison of the righteous versus the wicked. It shows man has a choice given by God to be Godly or not, as we choose. Two ways of life are clearly laid out for us. Deuteronomy 30:19 makes the choice clear, "I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life." KJV; (Any questions?). Here is our door in which we enter God's loving care and enjoy His presence as a loving Father. This also is the door to enter the Psalms with complete understanding. So open the door-the Word of God!
Every eight verses in Psalm 119 is a seperate letter of the Hebrew alphabet with a special purpose for each segment according to the meaning of the name of that letter. You see, the use of the Hebrew alphabet is not just a convenient way to sort the Psalm into eight verses each. It also comes from Hebrew words with meanings that describe the action within each segment. To explain this clearly the first Hebrew letter is "Aleph". Which means "First" which explains the content describing the One True God who is 3In 1 and shows the transformation of human to spiritual beings.
Let's start at Psalms 1, verse 1, where we read, "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." (KJV). This path takes the Christian from the mobile to the standing and then to the sitting position. Quite unlike Paul suggest as running a race. (2 Timothy 4:8, KJV.) We have slowed down to a stop position. Dangerous at best! ( Proverbs 4:14 says, "Don't go on the way of the wicked; don't walk on the path of evil people." NEB; Matthew 7:13 states, "Go in through the narrow gate. The gate that leads to destruction is broad and the road is wide, so many people enter through it." NEB. Read Psalms 43:3; 63:6; 78:8; 119:24; 1Peter 5:5; 2 Peter 3:4; Mark 2:17; Proverbs 1:22; 4:14-19; 14:12; 1 Corinthians 1:20; Joshua 1:8.)
A Christian loves God's word! He delights in it! (Read Galatians 5:16-25 is a good contrast of the flesh and the Spirit of God controlling a person!). We are urged "to meditate in His Word day and night in Psalms 1:2b! We are what we delight in! Where are your desires?
We are also urged to live a fruitful life. "They are like a tree replanted by streams of water, which bears fruit at just the right time and whose leaves don't fade. Whatever they do succeeds." NEB. (Colossians 2:7 suggests we are rooted in Christ Jesus and established, therefore we will produce!) A tree planted in fertile ground can withstand the storms and winds because the roots run deep into the earth. With plenty of water it grows strong and tall. It becomes a productive tree which produces fruit. (Hebrews 12:11 mentions, "the peaceable fruit of righteousness." NEB; the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace; Psalm 35:27 declares, "whatever he ( the righteous man) does shall prosper."). Fruit is not meant for the tree to consume, but is out there for other's benefits. It is the drawing card for the ungodly to see and desire.
Now we see the sharp contrast with the wicked! They are like chaff without a purpose or use. They are what falls out in the winnowing process. They are blown about by every breeze because they have no roots. The sun causes them to wither as they have no source of nourishment. They produce nothing at all. They will not stand with the godly. They face a judgment before God. They will receive no appeal for better treatment when their day is done. (Verses 4-6 of Psalms 1). This is a path no one should desire!
"The Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall perish." What the wicked has done is as nothing, no matter how noble, but the righteous are blessed and happy. So don't fret or become envious when you see them prosper as it is only temporary! "For They will soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as a green herb." Their future has ended!
But the Christian reads, "Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shall you dwell in the land , and verily you shall be fed." Furthermore we have a promise, "Delight yourself the Lord; and He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way unto the Lord; trust also in Him; and He shall bring it to pass. And He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your judgment as the noonday."
Wow! What a lot! But, that's not all-"Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him:". Again we are told to remember in all this to keep ourselves from getting anxious just because we see the wicked prospering and seemingly accomplishing great things in his wickedness. You see, it is so easy to forget and envy them instead of rejoicing in what God has planned for us. How blind we become as Christians when we feel we deserve something comparable to the success the ungodly appear to have! We only fool ourselves as GOD'S WORD IS THE FINAL AUTHORITATIVE VOICE ANYONE WILL HEAR!
Trust God! Proverbs 3:26 is also a promise, "The Lord will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being snared".
Next time...