The Key to Prosperity, Psa. 1

P. Dixon      07/04/10

1 Blessed is the man

The Psalms starts with this word: Blessed.   It is the key word of the whole psalter, and the phrase Blessed is the man, is meant to get our attention as the key phrase to unlocking the meaning of the Psalms.  God’s Word in general, and the psalms in particular, are written for the good and benefit of mankind, as a guide for true blessedness.   Let’s expand a bit on this.

One can hardly escape the parallel between the first Psalm and the first teaching of Christ.  In the Sermon on the Mount He starts with the same word, blessed, blessed are the poor in spirit and restates the word blessed in each of the beatitudes.  God wants us to be blessed.  But, what does this word mean?  Let’s be careful here.  The basic meaning is “happy,” but its specific meaning is always determined by the immediate context.  For example, in the Beatitudes the explanation off blessedness is given by the following:  for theirs is the kingdom of heaven …for they shall be comforted … for they shall inherit the earth… for they shall be satisfied … for they shall receive mercy … for they shall see God … for they shall be called sons of God… for your reward is great in heaven.  In Psalm 1, however, blessedness is defined as being successful in whatever a man does, in all that he does he prospers, 3b.

So, the great truth and principle of Psalm 1 and of the whole Psalms is that true blessedness is measured and reflected in prosperity.  But, we have to be careful here, as well, for prosperity is not necessarily as we might think about it.  Rather, it is prosperity as God’s Word defines it.  We will discuss this shortly.

But, first, associated with and necessarily determinative of such blessedness and prosperity is what a man does.   We must not fall into the trap of thinking in the sovereignty of God it does not matter what we do or think, that what will be will be, regardless.   No, God has ordained the means, as well as the ends.  But, while natural man, left to himself, will do nothing but disobey God, in the case of the elect God has granted us the power to obey him, both for our good and for his glory.

Hence, in 1b-2, the psalmist lays out what the blessed man does not do (1b), and what he does do (2).   Both sides of the coin are important.   With this dual aspect of the blessed man’s behavior comes a dispelling of two extreme notions within certain sectors of Christendom.   

1 … who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers;

The second half of the verse dispels the notion of antinomianism, a theological term referring to the idea that Christianity is not about obedience to the law of God; rather, it is about simply living positively by God’s grace.   Norman Vincent Peale’s, “The Power of Positive Thinking” philosophy champions this idea.  Adherents of this view espouse Rom. 6:14, “for you are not under law, but under grace,” as though this means Christians are no longer bound to obey the law of God, but are set free to live victoriously by grace alone.  This sounds good, but it is an abomination and our forefathers dismissed it as that, as reflected in our Confession of faith.   Furthermore, it is a misrepresentation of what Paul meant by not being under law, but under grace.  What he meant was simply that in Christ we are no longer under the condemnation of the law of sin and death, but we have been set free and are under the law of spirit and life.  This certainly does not say obedience to the moral law of God is outdated or out the window.

The other extreme is the view that essentially denies the positive actions required, and stresses a legalistic obedience to the laws of God in order to become sanctified and holy.  This was the error of the scribes and Pharisees.  And, it is the error of those today who essentially deny grace and stress works. 

Rather, the dual action of the sanctification process is clearly taught here as the means of blessedness.  By not doing certain things and by doing other things as a pattern and practice of life, this man is guaranteed prosperity in whatever he does.   Let’s look first at what he does not do, then secondly, what he does do.

The text says he walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers.   There are two diametrically opposed life styles in view in this Psalm.  Those who walk in the counsel of the wicked and those who do not; those who stand in the way of sinners and those who do not; those who sit in the seat of scoffers and those who do not.   There is not a third life style possible, that is, of those who do both or those who do neither.  It is one or the other; but not both.    

Second, there is a definite cause -effect relationship going on in v. 1b.  Because he does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, he does not take a stand in the sinful actions implied by such counsel, and consequently, because he does not practice such sin, he does not become hardened and scornful of that which is holy and good.   There is a common saying:  you are what you eat.  This means what you eat affects what you become physically.  If you eat healthy food, then you tend to become healthy.  Likewise, if you eat junk food, you tend to become junk.  Well, that is the way it is with our thinking.  What we think about, what we delight in, will determine our behavior, what we do.   So, if we walk in the counsel of the wicked, we are thinking and delighting in ungodly counsel, and that will affect our behavior, so that we take a stand with sinners.

This downward trend of sin is implied not only by the cause-effect relationships going on here, but also by the vivid figure of speech.   It is possible to walk with someone, but to stand and talk with him implies a deepening relationship, then to sit with them, even a more intimate relationship occurs.  So, sin starts in the mind whereby one begins to think about the counsel coming from the wicked.  The more one thinks about it and meditates upon it, the more likely it is he will begin to do what that counsel says, and the more one sins, the harder his heart becomes, even to the point of ridicule and scorn of that which is holy and right.

But, what is the counsel of the wicked?  The contrasting parallel with verse 2 tells us it is whatever is in opposition to the law of the Lord.  The beloved disciple, John, tells us in his First Epistle that the counsel of the wicked the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life.   These are the gods of the world and what drives the world’s thinking.  Advertizers know this and it is why they sell things in line with it.  True happiness is to be obtained by being sexually attractive, or by having lots of money and things, particularly this product, or they will appeal to man’s ego and pride.   Have this car and you will give the impression of having arrived.  The man who is truly blessed does not walk in such counsel.   He does not think about it, mediate upon it, and delight in it.  It is not what drives him.

2 but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.

 Rather, what drives him is the law of the Lord, which for the Psalmist equates to the Word of God as given in the Old Testament scriptures.  For us it is the Word of God as given in both the Old and New Testament scriptures.  He delights in it.  It is not burdensome to him.  Rather, to him, it is as the psalmists says, “perfect, reviving the soul.”  It is sure, “ making wise the simple.”  It rejoices the heart, enlightening the eyes.  To him the Word of the Lord is more precious than gold, even much fine gold, and sweeter than the drippings of the honeycomb (Psa. 19:7-10). 

And, on his law he meditates day and night.   This is a figure of speech for that which controls his thinking throughout the 24-hr day.  He is the man of Deut. 6 who loves the Lord with all his heart, soul, and might and who teaches the law to his household.  He talks of it when sits in his house, when he walks by the way, when he lies down, and he you rises in the morning.   He binds it as a sign on his hand, and as frontlets between his eyes.   The law of the Lord is so evident as the guiding light in his home that it is as if he writes it on the doorposts of his house and on the gates and entrance ways.

He is the man who hears the Word of the Lord preached on Sundays and thinks about the message that afternoon, evening talking to his family about it on the way home, or over dinner.  He earnestly seeks to apply it in his life that week.    He has his own daily reading and meditation.   Some parts are so precious to him, he memorizes them, so he can meditate upon them during the day.  He is like the cow who eats grass in the morning, then chews his curd during the day, getting every bit of nourishment out of it he can.  That is what the law of the Lord, the Word of God, is to the man who is truly blessed and successful in whatever he does.

  ³He 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.

What is such a man like unto?  To the world, he would be a religious fanatic.  Perhaps to some Christians he would simply be a zealot or someone who has gone overboard.  But, this is not the psalmist’s perspective of the man, nor is it God’s.  The verse likens him to a tree firmly planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season.  I don’t know about you, but I love trees.  We are from Oregon where there are huge amounts of beautiful forests and gorgeous trees.  So, when we moved here it was important to me to have trees wherever we lived.  What sold us on our home here, at least partly, were two gorgeous, large oak trees overlooking the lake out back.  We never have to water these trees or give them any fertilizer or nourishment, as their roots surely go deep into the soul and close to a water supply.  And, you know what?  Every year at the appointed time they bud leaves and provide plenty of food and nourishment for the animal life living in it or around it.  Every time I look at them I am reminded of God’s grace, power and wisdom; but, also of this man in Psalm 1 who is likened to a tree planted by the streams of water.  He is just like them in that he bears fruit, not immediately, but in its season, everything in its season.  But, once again, the options are two-fold.  Either a tree will bring forth fruit, or it will not.  A good tree, as Christ said, bears good fruit and a bad tree bears bad fruit.  A good tree cannot bear bad fruit.  Likewise, because this man is a good tree, because he has not delighted in the counsel of the wicked, but delighted in the law of the Lord, then he brings forth fruit in its time.

The good fruit, of course, are the things produced by the Spirit through the Word of God:  love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, as Paul elaborates in Gal. 5:22.  Such fruit comes as a result of the transformation process that occurs when the Word of God has its effect in our lives.  But, there is more involved here, than just these spiritual attributes.  The psalmist goes on to show that prosperity in whatever the man does is primarily in view.

 In all that he does, he prospers.  Obviously, this does not mean if he tries out for the Cardinals baseball team, then he will make it and prosper as a player on the time.  The context makes it clear we are talking about things related to the law of the Lord.  What are they?

He will be successful and prosper in three particular ways.  First, he will be victorious over sin in his life; he will be characterized by repentance and growth in Christ-likeness.  He is like the psalmist who said, Thy Word have I hid in my heart, that I might not sin against Thee.  He will become increasingly like Christ in victory over temptations to sin.  Three times Satan tempted Christ in the wilderness and all three times the Lord answered,  It is written … it is written … it is written (Mt. 4).  He thwarted off the fiery darts of the Evil One by the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God, as Paul says in Eph. 6.

Second, he is prosperous in his prayer ministry.  Jesus said to his disciples in Jn. 15:7, If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be done unto you.  That is quite a promise for those wanting to get their prayers heard and answered.  But, how does it work?  The key, of course, is the condition, if you abide in Me and My words abide in you.  The words of Christ are the instructions and commandments of Christ.  They reflect that of the Father.  He came to do His Father’s will and did it perfectly; he got whatever he asked for, because the Father’s words abode in him.  Now Christ says the same to the disciples and to us, by implication.  What happens is that when the Words of Christ are in us, and abide in us, then this affects what we want and desire, as we seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness.  John who was there when Christ spoke these words reflected the same thing in 1 Jn. 5:14-15, ¹⁴And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. ¹⁵And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.

Third, this applies to the promise of peace, prosperity and long life.  In Deut. 6:1-3 it was the promise to Israel for doing so, ¹"Now this is the commandment, the statutes and the rules that the LORD your God commanded me to teach you, that you may do them in the land to which you are going over, to possess it, ²that you may fear the LORD your God, you and your son and your son’s son, by keeping all his statutes and his commandments, which I command you, all the days of your life, and that your days may be long. ³Hear therefore, O Israel, and be careful to do them, that it may go well with you, and that you may multiply greatly as the LORD, the God of your fathers, has promised you, in a land flowing with milk and honey.”  Now this was a promise God made to Israel.  He promised to give them the land, to bless them and give them long life in the land, if they feared Him, loved Him and obeyed Him.  And, this was conditioned upon their delighting upon the law of the Lord.  This is why it was so important that the fathers teach the law of the Lord to their families.   We see the same thought communicated in the Ten Commandments, particularly in the 5^th commandment where God said, Honor your father and mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you (Exod. 20:12).

Lest someone say this was a promise made just to the Old Testament Israelites, let’s see how Paul applies it to the church in Eph. 6:1-3, Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. ² "Honor your father and mother" (this is the first commandment with a promise), ³"that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land."   So, Paul sees the 5^th commandment and associated promise of blessing and long life given to Israel in the Old Testament as directly applicable to the church in the New Testament.  There is actually no difference, except this.  The promise of blessing and long life in the Old Testament pertained to the promised land, whereas in the New Testament it pertained to the whole earth.  It is the same Greek word which can refer to either.  Hence, some translations in the Ephesians passage have “earth,” rather than “land,” but not so the ESV which opted to retain “land”.

The point is that God has promised such blessings to his people upon their love and devotion to Him and His Word.  Some object to this notion, however, and appeal to the exceptions as proof this is not what is meant.  They saying, “only the good die young” reflects this thinking.  After all Christ died at a young age, as do many committed followers of Christ.  So, what gives?  The answer is the exceptions to the rule do not dispel the rule itself.  Besides, who is to saying dying early in life is not a blessing for the follower of Christ?  Paul certainly felt that dying for him was  a personal preference and that he would be much better off to be absent from the body and present with the Lord (Phil. 1).

So, this promise of blessedness, victory over temptation and sin, victory in prayer, and peace, prosperity and long life stands for those who delight in the law of the Lord, who read it, meditate upon it, memorize it, and teach it to their children.  These are the ones who subsequently do not walk in the counsel of the ungodly, but who walk in the counsel of the Word of the Lord.  This promise applies individually and also corporately to Israel and the church.  Hope Presbyterian will prosper, be blessed of the Lord, and continue in the land as long as it corporately delights in the law of the Lord.

It is probably safe to say not many of us have the kind of delight in the law of the Lord the Psalmist is talking about.  So, what can we do about it?  Resolve to get up bright and early tomorrow morning and start a rigidly disciplined Bible reading?  That is a good idea.  Perhaps some of us have tried to do that already.  I say tried, because all too often those good intentions fall by the wayside.  Let me suggest an alternative.  1 Jn. 5:14-15 tells us if we know something is God’s will, then we can ask Him to give it to us, and He will.  That is a remarkable promise.   Let us start by confessing to God we do not have that kind of delight.  We are sorry for falling short of it.  Please forgive me, and grant me such a delight for Your Word.  May I learn to hunger and thirst for it.  May I hide it in my heart that I might not sin against You.  He will hear and answer that prayer, for it is his will.  Scripture makes that clear.

⁴The wicked are not so,
   but are like chaff that the wind drives away.

The psalms are rich in parallelisms, parallelisms in thought.  This psalm is rich in contrasting parallelisms, as between verses 3 and 4.  Just opposite from the man who delights in the law of the Lord and is prosper in whatever he does is the wicked man who walks in ungodly counsel.  His end result is not peace and prosperity, but just the opposite.  He is not like a tree planted by streams of water which bears its fruits in its season; rather, he is like the chaff which the wind drives away.  Chaff is what was left of the grain after harvest.  It was unsubstantial, without value, and worthy only to be discarded.

 ⁵Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,  or sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
⁶for the LORD knows  the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.

The points forward to the day of judgment and assures us that the end result of the wicked and his wicked counsel is that they will not make it through the judgment.  They will not be able to stand, because of shame and terror, and they will not be counted with the righteous ones.  Indeed, they will perish in their evil way. 

The reason given is for the LORD knows  the way of the righteous.  The word “know” obviously refers to more than just knowledge ahead of time, for the implication is He does not know the way of the wicked and that is why they perish.   Rather, the word “know” reminds us of God’s predeterminant counsel and good pleasure which is only for the elect of God.  The ultimate reason behind the way of the righteous and their end result is the predeterminant knowledge and good pleasure of God for His people.  That is why they do what they do and get what they get, for their good and God’s glory.  But, for the wicked, they are not known by God like this, and that is why they perish in their evil way.  To God be the glory, great things He has done.  Amen.