It has been forever since I shared one of these with you guys. After the book of Mark, I picked up Psalms. Yes, I'm hand-copying the entire book of Psalms. Probably not all at once, but the project has begun and I really hate not finishing things so I'm sure it will be completed at some point. XD
My study started off with a bang when I noticed something in chapter 1. Something I'd like to share with y'all.
The Verse
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.
My Thoughts
Psalm 1 has always been one of those question-mark psalms for me - y'know, the kind that sounds like every other psalm and kinda doesn't seem to have a point? But I just now realized that Psalm 1 holds the key to the entire book of Psalms. It sets the stage and mood for some of the most joyful and heart-wrenching poetry ever written.
How?
By defining the terms.
See, Psalms has a lot of consistent themes: praise, heartache, fear, relief, God's relationship with man, and more. But if you were to pick out a single one to be the biggest, I would say it's God's justice towards the righteous and the wicked.
Now, David was not a righteous man if we go by modern definitions. He wasn't perfect and failed over and over and over again. And yet we see him be called righteous by himself and God multiple times in just the first 10 psalms. How is this possible?
Because righteousness and wickedness aren't judged by your level of perfection, at least not in the Psalms.
Let me show you what I mean.
See, Psalm 1 calls the righteous man blessed because he delights in the law of the LORD. He is prosperous because he prefers God's company to that of the wicked, sinner, and scoffers. He values God first, and that is what makes him righteous.
Compare this to the wicked, who very clearly don't care about God, even hate Him. Their value is placed on temporal things and so they themselves will pass away like chaff in the wind.
Now read the rest of Psalms through this lens. When David cries out for God to save him, it's not because David thinks his righteous works have curried him some favor in God's eyes. No. It's because he loves God, because he desires God's good above his own and so please, "Turn, O LORD, deliver my life; save me for the sake of your steadfast love. For in death there is no remembrance of you; in Sheol who will give you praise?"
This isn't manipulative or like a trade agreement - no, this is David genuinely desiring God's name to be praised and so begging for his life to be spared so he may uphold such an important task.
Now flip it to the wicked side. David's descriptions of the wicked aren't often about them lying or stealing or stuff like that. No, he talks about how wicked they are to disrespect the name and character of the Most High God, who is praised forever, amen! David's wrath towards those who dishonor God in the stories of his life makes more sense now, too, as we see how much value and respect he placed on being righteous - on seeking and valuing God.
This hasn't changed, either. All the God-fearing, "righteous"-in-the-Psalms-sense kids who lament the lack of godly, Bible-loving friends are following in David's footsteps, crying out for the wicked to perish from the Earth; for their enemies who mock and disrespect our God to face justice; for the so-called "friends" who value the temporal above God's holy word to be taken away so that they can be truly and wholly righteous in their search for God.
You want to be righteous? Love God. That's it. And if you're a Christian, you have a great High Priest who covers all of your failings with His righteousness. We need not brace for the wrath of God. Rather, we are to yearn for His holy presence, as the deer pants for water.
Until next time,
Take courage, yearn for God, and smile while you still have teeth!! ^_^
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