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. (Psalm 1:1-3 ESV)
Growing up I spent a lot of time with my dad fishing. When I say he LOVED to fish - that is an understatement. Many vacations and days off were centered around fishing. He even took me out of school a bunch of times to go fishing at times. What a great dad! (Sorry mom.)
One of the places that we fished a lot was in the rivers and lakes in Yosemite Valley - especially above Nevada Falls. It was beautiful. The many trees lining the river was a calming respite from the pressures of life. It was interesting to look at the banks of the river where flooding had exposed the roots of the trees and you could see how long and how big and how deep the roots actually went.
Psalm 1 draws this same picture for us today - about the man who is planted in God and allowing his roots to go deep into the soil of God and His Word.
Notice first - "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" - v.1.
The leading thought here is that the believer is blessed by God. God is the one who blesses people who “do not walk in the counsel of the wicked,” who refuse evil advice. It is in God’s law that this person finds their delight. It is the sound of God’s voice and through God’s direction that this person finds “happiness.” In short, the understanding of how life works in this first Psalm is thoroughly God centred.
Isn’t this so opposite to the way we often think. Almost without exception we find humanity today centring fulfilment upon itself. Think about it - to “have a good time” in our society almost always means to go out and “enjoy yourself.” Not God, but yourself! Not others, but yourself. We can be an extremely self-centred bunch can’t we?
What he is saying is that when we place God at the center of our lives, we risk losing every physical thing - maybe even life itself. Yet true happiness is only found here - and the loss involved is trivial when we compare it with gaining a new and eternal life.
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. (Psalm 1:3 ESV)
In this Psalm the blessed life is described as a tree planted by a stream. A fruitful tree which provides shade to all who come under it.
Jesus spoke to this also in John 15:5...
I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. (John 15:5 ESV)
Take note of the place where the tree has been planted - by streams of water (Psalm 1). Jesus and all that he taught us is our life giving stream. People who are open to Jesus and his instruction are like trees transplanted beside a source of water; they are never without a resource to sustain their lives under any circumstance. No matter how tough life gets; no matter how insurmountable the problem may seem; Jesus provides the source of new life.
The result: God will bless and prosper you. Not only is the believer blessed by God, in Christ but also with all blessings. Because, “Whatever he does prospers” What an awesome promise! It’s almost too outrageous to believe it.
Does prosper mean that we're going to be rich and have every want taken care of? I think not. It is the prosperity of your soul that no matter what takes place - you will be ok. Often it is for the health of the soul that we find our income inadequate; often it is for the health of our soul that we suffer grief; often it’s for the health of the soul that our family life is in upheaval; often it’s for the health of our soul that we are harassed by life and circumstances. The worst things that can happen to us are often the best. There are often blessings wrapped up in the misfortunes of a righteous person.
The prosperity that the Psalmist is speaking about is this: “that people who trust God have discovered the resource for sustaining their lives under any circumstance.” They are experiencing life the way it was meant to be. On the surface it may look like the world is falling down around our ears, on the other hand, the believer is blessed with all blessing.
I pray that as you allow yourselves to be "planted by streams of water" that your soul would prosper in all ways. May this prayer from 3 John be your prayer also...
Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul. (3 John 1:2 ESV)
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