Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Psalm 1

9-23-09


Psalm 1 (New International Version)

1 Blessed is the man

who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked

or stand in the way of sinners

or sit in the seat of mockers.

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


Verse 1-2 is saying that the man who does not live of this world is blessed. God is with he who does not allow the world to influence him. It also says that the man that does that does this will pray without ceasing.

3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither.
Whatever he does prospers.

Verse3 states that the man who seeks God is like a tree that is planted by a stream. It will produce fruit when it is in season, and it’s leaves never wither away. Perhaps this can be compared to when we go through things in life. God allows us to have seasons in our lives, some are good, some are bad, but no matter what, if we seek God, we will be able to bear the storms, and produce fruit when the seasons come because we are near the living water.


4 Not so the wicked!
They are like chaff
that the wind blows away.

Verse 4 is saying that those whom which live by the world, and allow it to influence them will become like dust in the wind, always spread about and stirred up. It is hard to see if the Psalmist is talking about those Christians who are trying to be like the world, and not walking with God as they should, or if he is talking about just anyone.


5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.

Verse 5 tells us that those who are not with Christ will not have to stand in judgement. I believe that what the Psalmist could be meaning here is that since they chose not to have anything to do with God, He does not know them, nor them Him, so they cannot come before the Lord. Since there is no question whether or not they are lost or saved, they are just counted lost perhaps. Some questions about this, I cannot pinpoint what exactly is being said here.


6 For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish.

Verse 6 here, the Psalmist is trying to get us to see that God watches over us daily. He sees what we are doing, and if it is going to better His kingdom or not. We can try and act as if we can hide things from Him, but He sees all. It also says later in the verse that the wicked will perish. This could be saying that those who do not know Him will not have to account to further judgement to Him, since He does not know them.

Sometimes it is hard for me to wrap my mind around what exactly scripture is saying. So I tear it apart verse by verse, and perhaps even word by word and write it down to see what God is trying to tell me in that moment. I think to sum up chapter 1, the Psalmist is saying that we will all have to come to a point in our lives, when we die. When that day comes for each of us, then we will have two paths that we could go down, the path to Heaven, or the path to Hell. Many will take the path to Hell. Since that is true, those will not have to be in judgement before God. They will go straight to Hell, and not have to face judgement. Those who know the Lord, and are allowed into Heaven will have to be placed under judgement, and will have to account what they have done. Now when that happens, will some be sent to Hell? I think that God, since He sent His son down to die on the cross for our sins, will judge us for our sins, and the lamb will yet again lay down His life for us. I think this could possibly be to show us grace yet again, and so that we can fully understand it outside of our human capacity.