Blessed are Those Who Walk with God (Psalm 1:1-3)
Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper.
Reading Notes
Blessed are those who walk with the Lord and gain understanding and joy from reading His word and following the guidance of the Holy Spirit who indwells all followers of Christ. The psalms give us a better understanding of how and why to praise God, because as we read the Psalms they bring joy into our lives. Through our study of the psalms we gain a better understanding of what it means to praise the Lord for His blessings. To praise God for His creation, and most of all the salvation He alone provided through Christ Jesus our Lord. Praising God is part of every Christian's life and it defines who we are in Christ and our love for the Lord. Through song and praise we strengthen our relationship with God and deepen our prayer life. Moreover, this is what God's word gives in His book of praises, which we call the psalms. In these passages the psalmist presents us with a trilogy of godly behavior. These include "not walking in the counsel of the ungodly," "not standing in the path of sinners" and "not sitting in the seat of the scornful." All of these actions stem from a heart focussed on God and His word.
We should notice this passage gives three things not to do. We are not to "walk in the counsel of the wicked." This means we are not to walk using the advice of the wicked, the strategy, schemes, designs, or purposes of the wicked. In other words, we are to walk in God's ways and not in the ways of the world. And if that were not clear enough God goes on to tell us not to "stand in the path of sinners." This means we are not to stand or maintain the position of the wicked. In other words, we are not to think as they do, nor use the same reasoning they use for their actions. We can sum up the advice of these passages by saying, "we are not to walk as the world walks." And this is something we can only do through the power of God working in us. And we can only do that when we through faith alone give ourselves over to the Lord. And when we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we become like a tree planted by the river, bearing good fruit. This is because with our faith in Christ comes the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, who transforms our hearts and minds, and thereby changes our lives. And through the Holy Spirit's work in us, He produces in us the fruit of our salvation, which is a life pleasing to God.
Bibliography
Scripture taken from the Modern King James Version of the Holy Bible Copyright © 1962 - 1998 By AJay P. Green, Sr.
ESV Study Bible: English Standard Version. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2011. Print.
Publishers, Hendrickson. "The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge." Barnes & Noble. N.p., 30 Nov. 6719. Web. 14 Dec. 2016.
Barry, J. D., Mangum, D., Brown, D. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Ritzema, E., … Bomar, D. (2012, 2016). Faithlife Study Bible (Psalms). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.