Bible Study Notes
The Way of the Righteous – Psalm
1:1-6 & 19:7-10
Introduction
Does
it pay to know the Lord? Are there any
inherent advantages to being in relationship to God? Is the way of the righteous really preferable
to that of the worldly and wicked?
Answering those questions in terms of dollars and material possessions
may lead one to conclude that the righteous are suckers. The wicked seem to prosper more bountifully
than the righteous. Usually, they do not
lack the essentials of life: food, clothing, shelter, transportation,
employment, education and healthcare. In
fact, many of the worldly and wicked takes these necessities for granted. They surmise that they deserve them and work
hard to earn them. Moreover, they do not
think that God had anything to do with their blessings. The wicked generally do not consider their
riches as God given blessings. They
determine their wealth is the appropriate earnings of “rugged individuals” who
possess the ambition and strength to claim their stake in the world. How has serving God aided them?
On
the other hand, the righteous appears as weaklings who depend on faith and
religion to compensate for their shortcomings.
God is their divine crutch. The
righteous appeals to Him to explain their failures. Rather than accepting
responsibility for their lots in life, the righteous blame the worldly and the
wicked. With resentment cloaked as
spirituality, the righteous pray for the destruction of the worldly and wicked. Instead of working as hard as their fellow
citizens in the world, the righteous ask God to reverse the order of
things. Nonetheless, this comparison
forces the question. What, if any, are
the inherent benefits of the righteous?
The
psalmist assures us that the blessings of the righteous cannot be measured in
terms of the world’s wealth. With that
yardstick, one can never know the eternal riches of intimacy with God. The value of knowing God is found in the enduring
treasures this relationship gives to the believer. The wicked and worldly wise spend large sums
of their resources hoping to acquire love, freedom, peace, joy, truth, justice
and eternal life. The righteous knows
that those everlasting rewards only emerge from a sincere willingness to follow
the ways of God. Furthermore, those
benefits can never de adequately measured in economic or material terms.
After
years of personal experience in which he saw the wealth of the world and the
blessings of knowing God, the psalmist concludes that the way of the righteous
is greater. He pens this brief yet
eloquent and substantive poem as a lasting monument to the greatness of knowing
God.
Lesson
Setting
“The
psalm is a product of the sages of Israel.
It belongs to the group of ‘wisdom psalms.’ The psalm has no use in the actual worship of
the cult in Jerusalem. Modern hymnody
uses many such didactic poems, and there is no good reason to deny to hymnic
use so impressive a psalm as this one.”
[The Broadman Bible Commentary, Volume 4, pp.171-172; 1971]
Exposition
I. Delight in God’s Word (Psalm 1:1-2)
Those
who delight in God’s word find genuine happiness in life. The law of God is comparable to the advice of
the wicked. In order to know the ways of
God, believers must study His word. The
law of God most clearly reveals His character.
His infinite love for humankind, His generous grace and His enduring
truth that extends to all generations are riches deposited in the depths of
scripture. These priceless gems are
given to those who mine diligently for them.
That is what the psalmist means by meditating on God’s law. It is more than rote memorization of the
words. Here, meditation resembles a cow
chewing on its cud: chewing, digesting, regurgitating, chewing and digesting
again. Believers repeat this cycle until
their have fully comprehended the law.
More significantly, mining the law of God leads to happiness.
The
advice of the wicked shifts like shadows.
Happiness depends upon the turbulence of the market. Fashion, talk shows, polls and sales change
the definition of happiness each day.
One can barely keep up with this chaos.
You are in today and out tomorrow.
You are sought after this year because your music is hip; you are a
VIP. Next year, a new group emerges and
relegates you to the margins of society; you suddenly become nobody again. You have arrived and made it today; you live
in the suburbs and your children attend private school. A year later, a bad economy causes the loss
of your job. You may loose your house;
your children may be on the bus enroute to the neighborhood public school. How can anyone be happy in the midst of such
chaos?
The
stability of living intimately with God brings joy and peace. In doing all that He says, the believers know
that circumstances do not determine happiness.
Rather, values and outlook, based on the law of God, create the
conditions for contentment in life.
Those who meditate on the word of God day and night can only know this
delight.
II. A Tree Planted by the Waters (Psalm 1:3)
Evergreens,
located near a lake, depict the way of the righteous. These trees have an infinite supply of
water. Despite the season, they remain
full of life and color. They do not
wither in the summer; nor do they freeze and crack in the winter. They do not need spring to bud and bloom; nor
do they wait for fall to regenerate. At
all times, they prosper. What is more,
their prosperity does not depend on their surrounding situations.
Likewise,
the righteous, when deeply acquainted with God, will bear fruit in all
seasons. This relationship parallels the
evergreen and the lake. God’s character
as revealed in His word infinitely supplies the believer with enduring riches. These treasures are not market driven. The righteous have the assurance of incalculable
wealth despite their circumstances.
III. Chaff Blowing in the Wind (Psalm 1:4)
Chaff
blowing in the wind portray the life of the wicked. Ultimately, their “riches” have no
worth. From an eternal perspective,
their wealth is meaningless. Even in
this life, money may not prevent death.
Recently, a billionaire with a net worth of $400 million (cash) was not
able to defeat brain cancer. Although he
could summon the best doctors from all over the world, his wealth proved
meaningless in preventing his death. In
the same vein, the priorities of the wicked resemble the chaff tossed to and
fro by the wind.
III. The Security of the Righteous (Psalm 1:5-6)
God
privileges the righteous with peace in the midst of life’s chaos. Whereas the wicked are totally subjected to
the winds and waves of the market and other circumstances, the righteous remain
calm in those situations. The righteous
have the blessed assurance that God watches over them. They have the advantage of intimate
acquaintance with the One who orders the wind and waves. On the other hand, the wicked will reap the
harvest of their faithless deeds.
Because the wicked have ignored God and His promises, they will be
condemned by the judgment of their choices.
Ultimately, their path will terminate in destruction. The wicked will not be able to ask for the
blessings and protection that God distinctively give to the righteous. As the psalmist says elsewhere, the Lord
directs the path of the righteous. He
leads them beside the still waters and into greener pastures. In this life, He will instruct the righteous
toward the enduring and eternal riches of love, peace, truth and joy.
IV. Renewal of the Soul (Psalm 19:7-8)
The
law is God’s clearest method of helping the righteous. Through the law’s perfect counsel, the
righteous find renewal of the soul, wisdom, joy and enlightenment. The psalmist seemingly flatters God in his
description of the law. In addition to
its perfection and ability to revive the soul, the law has the power to transform
the simple into wise people. That is
truly amazing! It is the amazing grace
that God gives to the righteous through the law. Moreover, the righteous should never be
aimless and with focus in life. In
searching the perfect law of God, they discover insight for their lives. God’s instructions are clear and
trustworthy. Because they always lead to
joy and success, they flood the believer’s heart with happiness.
V. Desiring the Lord’s Advice (Psalm 19:9-10)
The
counsel and wisdom of the Lord immeasurably exceed the world’s wealth. Based upon his experience, the psalmist
concludes that “they are more desirable than gold, even the finest gold.” The reason being is God’s guidance can
produce large sums of gold and other material possessions. But, worldly wealth and advice can never
yield everlasting riches. At best, the
wicked live through a temporary and fleeting period of prosperity. In contrast, those who reverence the Lord and
willingly accept His direction realize that His favor lasts forever. His laws are both true and fair; if they are
applied faithfully, they will yield bountiful results, spiritual and
material. The psalmist likens the desire
for the Lord’s advice to craving of the honeycomb’s sweetness.
Lesson
Summary
Most
people desire happiness in life above anything else. They work like dogs hoping to obtain the
financial resources and material possessions necessary to make them happy. Some people expect that a certain job with
requisite title, salary and power will produce happiness. Others look for joy in their marriages,
friendships and social relations.
Through clubs, organizations and various community and social functions,
they pursue fulfillment. Even others
spend lots of money on self-help and self-improvement books, seminars, tapes,
discs and conferences. They search for
the secret to happiness in life.
In
today’s lesson, the psalmist assures us that the world’s allure will never
yield lasting joy. He declares that an
intimate relationship with Almighty God is the only source of happiness. The divinely directed path of the righteous
is mot preferable to the fleeting prosperity of the worldly wise. He compares the first group to trees planted
along the riverbank. These trees possess
an infinite supply of water and nourishment; thus they abidingly bear fruit
every season. Similar to the evergreen,
the righteous prosper despite the challenges of the season and their
situations. The worldly wise, however,
subject themselves to the total chaos of their choices and consequences. Like chaff blowing in the wind, the worldly
wise pursue worthless and fleeting riches.
That aimless pursuit will end in destruction and death. But joy comes to those who delight in the
perfect law of God.
Lesson
Overview
In
many corners of the Church, we hear the gospel of “good health and
wealth.” The theory says that the righteous
will not become physically ill nor acquire life-threatening diseases. Additionally, it states that the righteous
will always prosper, particularly financially and materially. That philosophy is merely a religious version
of the worldly-wise chase for happiness and riches. To the contrary, the psalmist suggests that
true riches are found in an intimate relationship with God. The relationship, end and of itself, is the reward. Prosperity for the righteous will not be
found in mimicking the behavior of the worldly-wise. Rather, the righteous should delve
unconditionally into the law of God. In
it, they will be enlightened unto the good, pleasing and perfect will of God for
their lives. Also, they will receive the
wisdom and guidance of God. This divine
direction will produce unlimited wealth, spiritual and financial. Moreover, the righteous must desire enduring
riches which can only be discovered in the Word of God.
The
Main Thought Explained
When
contrasting the way of the righteous with that of the wicked, the former group
always win. The righteous has the
advantage of providential direction and concern. The Lord vigilantly instructs them toward
love, joy, peace and wholeness. However,
the wicked are left to their devices.
They are susceptible to their own schemes and pits. Because of their limited outlook, the wicked
ensnare themselves in their own traps.
Eventually, they participate in their destruction.
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