1:3:
“And he shall be like a tree planted…”:
• Not a wild tree, but…”planted”, chosen, considered as property, cultivated and secured from the last terrible uprooting, for. “every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up.” Matt. 15:13. CHS
• The Psalmist here illustrates… in what respect those who fear God are to be accounted happy, namely, not because they enjoy an evanescent and empty gladness, but because they are in a desirable condition. There is… an implied contrast between the vigor of a tree planted in a situation well watered, and the decayed appearance of one which , although it may flourish beautifully for a time, yet soon whithers on account of the barrenness of the soil in which it is placed. JC
• When the Psalmist undertakes to describe a blessed man, he describes a good man; for, after all, those only are… truly happy, that are… truly holy. Nay, goodness and holiness are not only the way to happiness (Rev. 22:14 Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life.) but happiness itself. The more we converse with the Word of God the better furnished we are for every good word and work… it is the planting of the Lord and therefor He must in it be glorified. MH
“By the rivers of water.”:
• So that if even one river fails he should have another. The rivers of pardon and rivers of grace… of the promise and… communion with Christ, are never-failing sources of supply. CHS
• God’s children are so moistened ever with His grace, that whatever comes unto them, tends to their salvation. 1599 GB
• He is placed by the means of grace [and] from these a good man receives supplies of strength and vigor, but in secret undiscerned ways. MH
“That brings forth fruit his fruit in due season.”:
• The man who delights in God’s word, being taught by it, brings forth patience in the time of suffering, faith in the day of trial, and holy joy in the hour of prosperity. CHS
• [What is] meant nothing more than that the children of God constantly flourish, and are always watered with the secret influence of divine grace, so that whatever befall them is conducive to their salvation; while on the other hand, the ungodly are carried away by the sudden tempest, or consumed by the scorching heat. JC
• His practices shall be fruit abounding to a good account. It is expected from those who enjoy the mercies of grace that, both in the temper of their minds and I the tenor of their lives, they comply with the intentions of that grace, and then they bring forth fruit. [It is] brought forth… in due season… when it is most beautiful and most useful, improving every opportunity of doing good and doing it in its proper time. MH
“His leaf also shall not whither.”:
• He shall neither lose his beauty nor his fruitfulness. CHS
• That this profession shall be preserved from blemish or decay. If the Word of God rule in the heart, that will keep the profession given, both to our comfort and to our credit, the laurels thus won will never whither. MH
“And whatsoever he shall do, shall prosper.”:
• Blessed is the man who has such a promise as this. But we must not always estimate the fulfillment of a promise by our own eyesight. How often, my brethren, if we judge by feeble sense, may we come to the mournful conclusion of Jacob, “All these things are against me!” For though we know our interest in the promise, yet are we so tried and troubled, that sight sees the very reverse of what the promise foretells. But to the eye of faith this word is sure, and by it we perceive that our works are prospered, even when everything seems to go against us. It is not outward prosperity… it is soul prosperity [which the Christian] longs for. It is often for the soul’s health that we should be poor, bereaved, and prosecuted. The trials of the saint are a divine husbandry, by which he grows and brings forth abundant fruit. CHS
• It is the… blessing of God alone which preserves any in a prosperous condition. JC
• Whatever he does, in conformity to the law, it shall prosper and succeed to his mind, or above his hope. MH
Personal Summary:
We are chosen by God, not of our merit but of His own accord Eph. 2:8-9, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” We are then purchased through the blood of Jesus Christ Eph 1:14, “Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.” Finally we are planted in this world and fed holy nutrients by the word of God and through the often imperceptible workings of the Holy Spirit. We belong to God and He sustains us in our walk, which produces joy and genuine happiness in our lives. For what can make a Christian happier than being fed the word and then living in the knowledge that we are pleasing our Lord? All other things that we find joy in are mere shells of emptiness when compared to the sanctified joy a Christian feels when they walk closely with the Lord.
The Lord has many things He uses to grow us and mature us in our walk. All of them are used for His glory and our good though and in that we must give thanks Rom. 8:28, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” Trials are not the least of these. Difficulty in our lives is a river of grace that grows and matures us. For who can say that in living with ease they strive for something more? In that ease they find solace and become complacent in their lives. But that which we do not have is what we strive for. And while striving for it, even though it does not yet appear, God uses it to create discipline and patience in our lives Jas. 1:2-4 “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.” No matter what we are going through, good or bad, we must keep our entire focus on the Lord and stay vigilant in reading His word and living for His glory.
When we live our lives like this God gives us a promise. The life that conforms with verses 1 and 2 will be fruitful and prosperous. This is not the same as the Prosperity Doctrine which thinks that God seems to exist as a personal piggy bank for them to cash in anytime they desire something or are in some particular trouble in their lives. But rather, that in living our lives set aside from the world and focused on the Lord, meditating on His word day and night, and finding our joy therein, we are given spiritual blessing. This is a treasure beyond compare. We grow, we witness, we live lives that are examples to the world, we are faithful to love God and our neighbors as ourselves, our children are saved, we gain Godly wisdom, and our entire being is set aside for God in all that we do. In this we prosper even if we are the poorest man on earth, even if we can’t get a promotion at work, or if we cannot get some material thing we have been coveting, we are successful in the only thing that matters… our walk with God. Amen!
Monday, May 31, 2010
Psalms 1:2
1:2:
“His delight is in the law of the Lord…”:
• He is not under the law as a curse or condemnation, but he is in it, and he delights to be in it as his rule of life; he delights, moreover, to meditate in it, to read it by day, and think upon it by night. In the day of his prosperity he sings Psalms out of the Word of God, and in the night of his affliction he comforts himself with promises out of the same book. “The law of the Lord” is the daily bread of the true believer. In David’s day… they had scarcely anything save the first five books of Moses! How much more, then, should we prize the whole written Word which it is our privilege to have in all our houses! But alas! What ill treatment is given to this angel from heaven! How few of us can lay claim to the benediction of the text! Perhaps some of you can claim a sort of negative purity, because you do not walk in the way of the ungodly; but let me ask you – is your delight in the law of God? Do you study God’s word? Do you make it the man of your right hand – your best companion and hourly guide? If not, this blessing belongs not to you. CHS
• In the second verse, the Psalmist does not simply pronounce those happy who fear God, as in other places, but designates godliness by the study of the law, teaching us that God is only rightly served when His law is obeyed. It is not left to every man to frame a system of religion according to his own judgment, but the standard of godliness is to be taken from the Word of God. Of the law: it ought not to be understood as if the other parts of Scripture should be excluded, but rather, since the whole of scripture is nothing else than an exposition of the law, under it as the head is comprehended the whole body. (The 1599 GB footnotes law with “in the holy Scriptures”.) Delighting: from this characterization we may learn that forced or servile obedience is not at all acceptable to God, and that those only are worthy students of the law who come to it with a cheerful mind, and are so delighted in its instructions, as to account nothing more desirable or delicious than to make progress therein. From this love of the law proceeds constant meditation upon it, which the prophet mentions in the last clause of the verse; for all who are truly actuated by love to the law must feel pleasure in the diligent study of it. JC
• This is that which keeps him out of the way of the ungodly and fortifies him against their temptations. By the word of thy lips I have kept me from the paths of the destroyer. Ps. 17:4. We may judge of our spiritual state by asking, “What is the law of God to us? What account do we make of it? What place has it in us?” His delight is in it: He delights in it, though it be a law, a yoke, because it is the law of God, which is holy, just, and good, which he freely consents to, and so delights in, after the inner man, Rom. 7:16, 22. All those that are well pleased that there is a God must be well pleased that there is a bible, a revelation of God, of His will, and the only way to happiness in Him. In that law does he meditate day and night: What we love we love to think of. To meditate on God’s word is to discourse with ourselves concerning the great things contained in it, with a close application of mind, a fixedness of thought, till we be suitably affected with those things and experience the savor and power of them in our hearts. This we must do day and night, we must have a constant habitual regard to the Word of God as the rule of our actions and the spring of our comforts, and we must have it in our thoughts accordingly, upon every occasion that occurs, whether night or day. MH
• Thou shalt bend all thy thoughts that thou mayest know God truly and perfectly, and so shalt thou also love Him. We can love God only so far as we know Him… this is the impelling, the efficient, and final cause of obedience to all other commandments of God. Z. Ursinus
Personal Summary:
How much time do we actually spend in the word? Not just reading it either but actively studying it, meditating on it, and seeking it as a guide for our lives to the glory of God. How much do we allow other things to distract us from this duty (tv, internet, music, etc.)? Yet if we read His word and meditate on it and apply it in our lives we will not only understand and perform it all the better but we will become all the more in love with it… with God Himself! How often do we feel a sense of drudgery when we are reading the bible as if it is done only because we know it is a duty? Yet the more we read the more we love what we are reading. Soon we are eager to read more and to learn more and to understand and apply it.
Pr 4:7, “Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.” We gain the wisdom two ways. 1) Jas 1:5, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and reproacheth not; and it shall be given him.” First we humbly come to God and ask Him to give us the wisdom through His word. We don’t do it for our benefit, although that is undoubtedly a benefit to us, we do it for the glory of God and to serve Him better in our daily walk. 2) We study His word. We cannot apply what we do not know. Thus we must study diligently and contemplate with regularity the things of God.
What we read cannot be cumbersome to us. Even when we are convicted by what we read, we read it to the betterment of our souls and thus we should delight in it. The Word should leave a sweet taste in our mouth. It should be one of the chief delights of our lives to have it. The bible, in the scheme of history, is a relatively new thing. So many have gone before us that didn’t have the benefit of the bible, some only in part, and some not at all. We have such a wonderful gift from God in that we are here to read and appreciate and apply in our lives what so many other saints before us have not had… the revealed Word of God! This is the rule of our faith given to us by God and through obedience learned therein we please Him, it is the only option for proper service to our Lord. This is what keeps us out of the seat of the scorners and on the path of righteousness. This is what sparks our joy in the Lord and in His law. Praise God that we are not left to do this on our own!
“His delight is in the law of the Lord…”:
• He is not under the law as a curse or condemnation, but he is in it, and he delights to be in it as his rule of life; he delights, moreover, to meditate in it, to read it by day, and think upon it by night. In the day of his prosperity he sings Psalms out of the Word of God, and in the night of his affliction he comforts himself with promises out of the same book. “The law of the Lord” is the daily bread of the true believer. In David’s day… they had scarcely anything save the first five books of Moses! How much more, then, should we prize the whole written Word which it is our privilege to have in all our houses! But alas! What ill treatment is given to this angel from heaven! How few of us can lay claim to the benediction of the text! Perhaps some of you can claim a sort of negative purity, because you do not walk in the way of the ungodly; but let me ask you – is your delight in the law of God? Do you study God’s word? Do you make it the man of your right hand – your best companion and hourly guide? If not, this blessing belongs not to you. CHS
• In the second verse, the Psalmist does not simply pronounce those happy who fear God, as in other places, but designates godliness by the study of the law, teaching us that God is only rightly served when His law is obeyed. It is not left to every man to frame a system of religion according to his own judgment, but the standard of godliness is to be taken from the Word of God. Of the law: it ought not to be understood as if the other parts of Scripture should be excluded, but rather, since the whole of scripture is nothing else than an exposition of the law, under it as the head is comprehended the whole body. (The 1599 GB footnotes law with “in the holy Scriptures”.) Delighting: from this characterization we may learn that forced or servile obedience is not at all acceptable to God, and that those only are worthy students of the law who come to it with a cheerful mind, and are so delighted in its instructions, as to account nothing more desirable or delicious than to make progress therein. From this love of the law proceeds constant meditation upon it, which the prophet mentions in the last clause of the verse; for all who are truly actuated by love to the law must feel pleasure in the diligent study of it. JC
• This is that which keeps him out of the way of the ungodly and fortifies him against their temptations. By the word of thy lips I have kept me from the paths of the destroyer. Ps. 17:4. We may judge of our spiritual state by asking, “What is the law of God to us? What account do we make of it? What place has it in us?” His delight is in it: He delights in it, though it be a law, a yoke, because it is the law of God, which is holy, just, and good, which he freely consents to, and so delights in, after the inner man, Rom. 7:16, 22. All those that are well pleased that there is a God must be well pleased that there is a bible, a revelation of God, of His will, and the only way to happiness in Him. In that law does he meditate day and night: What we love we love to think of. To meditate on God’s word is to discourse with ourselves concerning the great things contained in it, with a close application of mind, a fixedness of thought, till we be suitably affected with those things and experience the savor and power of them in our hearts. This we must do day and night, we must have a constant habitual regard to the Word of God as the rule of our actions and the spring of our comforts, and we must have it in our thoughts accordingly, upon every occasion that occurs, whether night or day. MH
• Thou shalt bend all thy thoughts that thou mayest know God truly and perfectly, and so shalt thou also love Him. We can love God only so far as we know Him… this is the impelling, the efficient, and final cause of obedience to all other commandments of God. Z. Ursinus
Personal Summary:
How much time do we actually spend in the word? Not just reading it either but actively studying it, meditating on it, and seeking it as a guide for our lives to the glory of God. How much do we allow other things to distract us from this duty (tv, internet, music, etc.)? Yet if we read His word and meditate on it and apply it in our lives we will not only understand and perform it all the better but we will become all the more in love with it… with God Himself! How often do we feel a sense of drudgery when we are reading the bible as if it is done only because we know it is a duty? Yet the more we read the more we love what we are reading. Soon we are eager to read more and to learn more and to understand and apply it.
Pr 4:7, “Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.” We gain the wisdom two ways. 1) Jas 1:5, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and reproacheth not; and it shall be given him.” First we humbly come to God and ask Him to give us the wisdom through His word. We don’t do it for our benefit, although that is undoubtedly a benefit to us, we do it for the glory of God and to serve Him better in our daily walk. 2) We study His word. We cannot apply what we do not know. Thus we must study diligently and contemplate with regularity the things of God.
What we read cannot be cumbersome to us. Even when we are convicted by what we read, we read it to the betterment of our souls and thus we should delight in it. The Word should leave a sweet taste in our mouth. It should be one of the chief delights of our lives to have it. The bible, in the scheme of history, is a relatively new thing. So many have gone before us that didn’t have the benefit of the bible, some only in part, and some not at all. We have such a wonderful gift from God in that we are here to read and appreciate and apply in our lives what so many other saints before us have not had… the revealed Word of God! This is the rule of our faith given to us by God and through obedience learned therein we please Him, it is the only option for proper service to our Lord. This is what keeps us out of the seat of the scorners and on the path of righteousness. This is what sparks our joy in the Lord and in His law. Praise God that we are not left to do this on our own!
Psalms 1:1
Title
Psalms: “Praises”, instituted to praise and give thanks to God for His benefits. 1599 Geneva Bible
Psalmos – a set piece of music, a sacred ode. Strong’s Dictionary
We have now before us one of the choicest and most excellent parts of he OT, nay, so much is there in it of Christ and His gospel , as well as of God and His law, that it had been called the abstract, or summary, of both Testaments. The history of Israel let us to camps and councilboards, and there… instructed us in the knowledge of God. The book of Job brought us into the schools, and treated us with profitable disputations concerning God and His providence. But this book brings us into the sanctuary, draws us off from converse with men, with the politicians, philosophers, or disputers of this world, and directs us into communion with God, by solacing and reposing our souls in Him, lifting up and letting out our hearts towards Him. Thus we may be in the mount with God; and we understand not our interests if we say not, it is good to be here. Matthew Henry
Chapter 1
This Psalm may be regarded as the preface Psalm, having in it a notification of the contents of the entire book. It is the psalmist’s to teach us the way of blessedness, and to warn us of the sure destruction of sinners. This then… may be looked upon, in some respects, as the text upon which the whole of the Psalms make up a divine sermon. C.H. Spurgeon
… all the Godly must take on the duty of meditating upon the law of God. The sum and substance of the whole is, that they are blessed who apply their hearts to the pursuit of heavenly wisdom; whereas the profane despisers of God, although for a time may reckon themselves happy, shall at length have a miserable end. John Calvin
This is a Psalm of instruction concerning good and evil, setting before us life and death, the blessing and the curse that we may take the right way, which leads to happiness and avoid that which will certainly end in our misery and ruin. The different character and condition of Godly people and wicked people… is here plainly stated in a few words; so that every man… may see his own face and read his own doom. The division of men into saints and sinners, righteous and unrighteous... [and] by this men’s everlasting state will be determined, and the distinction will last as long as heaven and hell. MH
1:1:
• “Blessed”: See how this book of Psalms opens with a benediction… the original word was plural… hence we may learn the multiplicity of the blessing which shall rest upon the man whom God has justified, and the perfection and greatness of the blessedness he shall enjoy. We might read it, “Oh, the blessedness!” and may regard it as a joyful acclamation of the gracious man’s felicity. CHS
• It was of importance that the righteous should be confirmed in the way of holiness, by the consideration of the miserable condition of all men without the blessing of God, and the conviction that God is favorable to none but those who zealously devote themselves to the study of the divine truth. JC
“counsel of the wicked (ungodly)”:
• when a man hath given once place to evil counsel, or to his own concupiscence (lust or longing), he begins to forget himself in his sin, and so falls into contempt of God, which contempt is called the seat of the scornful. 1599 GB
• Here the gracious man is described both negatively (v.1) and positively (v.2). He is a man who does not walk in the counsel of the ungodly. He takes wiser counsel, and walks in the commandments of the Lord his God. To him the ways of piety are paths of peace and pleasantness. His footsteps are ordered by the Word of God and not by the cunning and wicked devices of carnal men. It is a rich sign of inward grace when the outward walk is changed, and when ungodliness is put far from our actions. CHS
• … he teaches how impossible it is for anyone to apply his mind to meditation upon God’s law, who has not first withdrawn and separated himself from the society of the ungodly. A needful admonition surely; for we see how thoughtlessly men will throw themselves into the snares of Satan; at least how few comparatively there are who guard against the enticements of sin. The first step to living well, is to renounce the company of the ungodly, otherwise it is sure to infect us with its own pollution. Counsel – the wickedness does not yet show itself openly. JC
• A Godly man, that he may avoid the evil, utterly renounces the companionship of evil-doers, and will not be led by them. This part of his character is put first, because those that will keep the commandments of God must say to evil-doers Depart from us (Ps. 119:115), and departing from evil is that in which wisdom begins. The ungodly are unsettled, aim at no certain end and walk by no certain rule, but are at the command of every lust and at the beck of every temptation. MH
“he stands not in the way of sinners”:
• His company is of a choicer sort than it was… he dares not herd with the multitude that do evil. CHS
• The way – customary manner of living. When a person willingly walks after the gratification of his corrupt lusts, the practice of sinning so infatuates him, that, forgetful of himself, he grows hardened in wickedness. JC
• …such as are determined for the practice of sin and set it up as their trade. The ungodly are forward to give their advice against religion, and it is managed so artfully that we have reason to think ourselves happy if we escape being tainted and ensnared by it. That he may not imitate them, he will not associate with them, nor choose them for his companions. MH
“…nor sits in the seat of the scornful”:
• Let others make a mock of sin, of eternity, of hell and heaven, and of the eternal God… [he] has too much sense of God’s presence to endure to hear his name blasphemed. The seat of the scorner may be very lofty, but it is very near the gate of hell… it shall soon be empty, and destruction shall soon swallow up the man who sits therein. CHS
• The seat – he designates the obduracy (stubbornly resistant to moral influence; persistently impenitent) produced by the habit of a sinful life. Then follows a desperate obstinacy here expressed by sitting. JC
• …those that set their mouths against heaven. These the good man sees with a sad heart; they are a constant vexation to his righteous soul. MH
Summary:
• When men are living in sin they go from bad to worse. At first they merely walk in the counsel of the careless and ungodly, who forget God – the evil is practical rather than habitual – but after that they become habituated to evil, and they stand in the way of open sinners who willfully violate God’s commandments; and if left alone, they go one step further, and become themselves pestilent teachers and tempters of others, and thus they sit in the seat of the scornful. CHS
• The sum of the whole is that servants of God must endeavor utterly to abhor the life of ungodly men. Men do not, at first step, advance so far as a proud contempt of God; but having once begun to give ear to evil counsel, Satan leads them, step by step, farther astray, till they rush headlong into open transgression. We ought carefully to avoid all dangerous society, that we may be kept unstained by its impurities. The prophet not only commands the faithful to keep at a distance from the ungodly, from the dread of being infected by them, but his admonition further implies, that every one should be careful not to corrupt himself, nor abandon himself to impiety. JC
• They are described by three characters, ungodly, sinners, and scornful. See by what steps men arrive at the height of impiety – None reach the height of vice at once. They are ungodly first, casting off their fear of God and living in the neglect of their duty to Him. When… laid aside, they come to be sinners, they break out into open rebellion against God and engage in the service of sin and Satan… at length they come to be scorners, they openly defy all that is sacred, scoff at religion, and make a jest of sin… the bad grow worse, sinners themselves become tempters to others and advocates for Baal. MH
Personal Summary:
We must delineate between ourselves and the world, we must be willing to step out and be different from them. Especially in America where that may the only and hardest thing we have to do to strive for our walk. Where being an outcast can seem like the most severe form of punishment imaginable. We must differentiate ourselves from the lost world and quite frankly from the religiously incompetent. If the world views God through the prism of today’s Christianity then it is just as lost today as it was before it looked. We do nothing to separate ourselves from the world and the church and the secular have merged into one. Reformed people are running as fast as they can to join the apostate, the heretic, and the blasphemers of our day. So that even within religious circles there is no clear difference between Godly doctrines and the doctrines of men. We have become, unfortunately, spiritually ambiguous with the secular and the liberal church alike.
Yet this Psalm specifically tells us that we must change that, that we must strive for more, and that we must be willing to step out from our comfort zones and reach forward for the sake of God’s glory. MH said, “… departing from evil is that in which wisdom begins” and could he be more right? When we mingle with the world as if we are the same we become like them every time, not once (or rarely for certain) do they become like us. Why? Because they see nothing different! They see no reason in our lives to now claim the God they have sinned against and hated their entire lives. We must step away from the world and allow our light to shine as a city set on a hill that cannot be hid (Matt. 5:14). We must be on guard at work, at school, in friendships, when watching tv, listening to music, or reading books, we must not sit in the counsel of the ungodly. And what if calamity should befall us for our stepping out? Matt. 5:10-12, “Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.” If calamity is coming I say come swiftly! For our reward is waiting, and it is eternal, and it is beyond compare! But even so, not one hair on our head can be harmed aside from God allowing it in the sovereignty of his will, so we must fear not (Luke 21:16-18).
The other key factor here is what will happen when we do keep the company of sinners? It leads to evil within our lives as we have all surely experienced. As all of the commentaries stated it is not immediate. It is gradual, it sneaks up on you, and it is crafty and catches you when you are least aware. We rationalize this sin or that sin based first on the company we keep; and that may be in very trite matters. Later, we openly sin… no longer concerned with what people will think and least of all what God Himself thinks. Then in the greatest sign of sinfulness we openly advocate others to do as we have done and to walk in our sinful ways openly defying God. Many a Christian has been in these shoes, the younger you are and less mature in Christ the more apt you are to this error. We must be on guard at all times. We must focus on the Lord at all times. We must be mindful of every person and every activity we allow ourselves to be involved with. For nothing in this world is to further your walk with God apart from the things He Himself has given us. Hold on to those things for dear life! They will be the things that carry you through as you struggle through these issues and strive to be obedient and please the Lord in your life. The example and call to do so is presented in vs. 2.
Psalms: “Praises”, instituted to praise and give thanks to God for His benefits. 1599 Geneva Bible
Psalmos – a set piece of music, a sacred ode. Strong’s Dictionary
We have now before us one of the choicest and most excellent parts of he OT, nay, so much is there in it of Christ and His gospel , as well as of God and His law, that it had been called the abstract, or summary, of both Testaments. The history of Israel let us to camps and councilboards, and there… instructed us in the knowledge of God. The book of Job brought us into the schools, and treated us with profitable disputations concerning God and His providence. But this book brings us into the sanctuary, draws us off from converse with men, with the politicians, philosophers, or disputers of this world, and directs us into communion with God, by solacing and reposing our souls in Him, lifting up and letting out our hearts towards Him. Thus we may be in the mount with God; and we understand not our interests if we say not, it is good to be here. Matthew Henry
Chapter 1
This Psalm may be regarded as the preface Psalm, having in it a notification of the contents of the entire book. It is the psalmist’s to teach us the way of blessedness, and to warn us of the sure destruction of sinners. This then… may be looked upon, in some respects, as the text upon which the whole of the Psalms make up a divine sermon. C.H. Spurgeon
… all the Godly must take on the duty of meditating upon the law of God. The sum and substance of the whole is, that they are blessed who apply their hearts to the pursuit of heavenly wisdom; whereas the profane despisers of God, although for a time may reckon themselves happy, shall at length have a miserable end. John Calvin
This is a Psalm of instruction concerning good and evil, setting before us life and death, the blessing and the curse that we may take the right way, which leads to happiness and avoid that which will certainly end in our misery and ruin. The different character and condition of Godly people and wicked people… is here plainly stated in a few words; so that every man… may see his own face and read his own doom. The division of men into saints and sinners, righteous and unrighteous... [and] by this men’s everlasting state will be determined, and the distinction will last as long as heaven and hell. MH
1:1:
• “Blessed”: See how this book of Psalms opens with a benediction… the original word was plural… hence we may learn the multiplicity of the blessing which shall rest upon the man whom God has justified, and the perfection and greatness of the blessedness he shall enjoy. We might read it, “Oh, the blessedness!” and may regard it as a joyful acclamation of the gracious man’s felicity. CHS
• It was of importance that the righteous should be confirmed in the way of holiness, by the consideration of the miserable condition of all men without the blessing of God, and the conviction that God is favorable to none but those who zealously devote themselves to the study of the divine truth. JC
“counsel of the wicked (ungodly)”:
• when a man hath given once place to evil counsel, or to his own concupiscence (lust or longing), he begins to forget himself in his sin, and so falls into contempt of God, which contempt is called the seat of the scornful. 1599 GB
• Here the gracious man is described both negatively (v.1) and positively (v.2). He is a man who does not walk in the counsel of the ungodly. He takes wiser counsel, and walks in the commandments of the Lord his God. To him the ways of piety are paths of peace and pleasantness. His footsteps are ordered by the Word of God and not by the cunning and wicked devices of carnal men. It is a rich sign of inward grace when the outward walk is changed, and when ungodliness is put far from our actions. CHS
• … he teaches how impossible it is for anyone to apply his mind to meditation upon God’s law, who has not first withdrawn and separated himself from the society of the ungodly. A needful admonition surely; for we see how thoughtlessly men will throw themselves into the snares of Satan; at least how few comparatively there are who guard against the enticements of sin. The first step to living well, is to renounce the company of the ungodly, otherwise it is sure to infect us with its own pollution. Counsel – the wickedness does not yet show itself openly. JC
• A Godly man, that he may avoid the evil, utterly renounces the companionship of evil-doers, and will not be led by them. This part of his character is put first, because those that will keep the commandments of God must say to evil-doers Depart from us (Ps. 119:115), and departing from evil is that in which wisdom begins. The ungodly are unsettled, aim at no certain end and walk by no certain rule, but are at the command of every lust and at the beck of every temptation. MH
“he stands not in the way of sinners”:
• His company is of a choicer sort than it was… he dares not herd with the multitude that do evil. CHS
• The way – customary manner of living. When a person willingly walks after the gratification of his corrupt lusts, the practice of sinning so infatuates him, that, forgetful of himself, he grows hardened in wickedness. JC
• …such as are determined for the practice of sin and set it up as their trade. The ungodly are forward to give their advice against religion, and it is managed so artfully that we have reason to think ourselves happy if we escape being tainted and ensnared by it. That he may not imitate them, he will not associate with them, nor choose them for his companions. MH
“…nor sits in the seat of the scornful”:
• Let others make a mock of sin, of eternity, of hell and heaven, and of the eternal God… [he] has too much sense of God’s presence to endure to hear his name blasphemed. The seat of the scorner may be very lofty, but it is very near the gate of hell… it shall soon be empty, and destruction shall soon swallow up the man who sits therein. CHS
• The seat – he designates the obduracy (stubbornly resistant to moral influence; persistently impenitent) produced by the habit of a sinful life. Then follows a desperate obstinacy here expressed by sitting. JC
• …those that set their mouths against heaven. These the good man sees with a sad heart; they are a constant vexation to his righteous soul. MH
Summary:
• When men are living in sin they go from bad to worse. At first they merely walk in the counsel of the careless and ungodly, who forget God – the evil is practical rather than habitual – but after that they become habituated to evil, and they stand in the way of open sinners who willfully violate God’s commandments; and if left alone, they go one step further, and become themselves pestilent teachers and tempters of others, and thus they sit in the seat of the scornful. CHS
• The sum of the whole is that servants of God must endeavor utterly to abhor the life of ungodly men. Men do not, at first step, advance so far as a proud contempt of God; but having once begun to give ear to evil counsel, Satan leads them, step by step, farther astray, till they rush headlong into open transgression. We ought carefully to avoid all dangerous society, that we may be kept unstained by its impurities. The prophet not only commands the faithful to keep at a distance from the ungodly, from the dread of being infected by them, but his admonition further implies, that every one should be careful not to corrupt himself, nor abandon himself to impiety. JC
• They are described by three characters, ungodly, sinners, and scornful. See by what steps men arrive at the height of impiety – None reach the height of vice at once. They are ungodly first, casting off their fear of God and living in the neglect of their duty to Him. When… laid aside, they come to be sinners, they break out into open rebellion against God and engage in the service of sin and Satan… at length they come to be scorners, they openly defy all that is sacred, scoff at religion, and make a jest of sin… the bad grow worse, sinners themselves become tempters to others and advocates for Baal. MH
Personal Summary:
We must delineate between ourselves and the world, we must be willing to step out and be different from them. Especially in America where that may the only and hardest thing we have to do to strive for our walk. Where being an outcast can seem like the most severe form of punishment imaginable. We must differentiate ourselves from the lost world and quite frankly from the religiously incompetent. If the world views God through the prism of today’s Christianity then it is just as lost today as it was before it looked. We do nothing to separate ourselves from the world and the church and the secular have merged into one. Reformed people are running as fast as they can to join the apostate, the heretic, and the blasphemers of our day. So that even within religious circles there is no clear difference between Godly doctrines and the doctrines of men. We have become, unfortunately, spiritually ambiguous with the secular and the liberal church alike.
Yet this Psalm specifically tells us that we must change that, that we must strive for more, and that we must be willing to step out from our comfort zones and reach forward for the sake of God’s glory. MH said, “… departing from evil is that in which wisdom begins” and could he be more right? When we mingle with the world as if we are the same we become like them every time, not once (or rarely for certain) do they become like us. Why? Because they see nothing different! They see no reason in our lives to now claim the God they have sinned against and hated their entire lives. We must step away from the world and allow our light to shine as a city set on a hill that cannot be hid (Matt. 5:14). We must be on guard at work, at school, in friendships, when watching tv, listening to music, or reading books, we must not sit in the counsel of the ungodly. And what if calamity should befall us for our stepping out? Matt. 5:10-12, “Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.” If calamity is coming I say come swiftly! For our reward is waiting, and it is eternal, and it is beyond compare! But even so, not one hair on our head can be harmed aside from God allowing it in the sovereignty of his will, so we must fear not (Luke 21:16-18).
The other key factor here is what will happen when we do keep the company of sinners? It leads to evil within our lives as we have all surely experienced. As all of the commentaries stated it is not immediate. It is gradual, it sneaks up on you, and it is crafty and catches you when you are least aware. We rationalize this sin or that sin based first on the company we keep; and that may be in very trite matters. Later, we openly sin… no longer concerned with what people will think and least of all what God Himself thinks. Then in the greatest sign of sinfulness we openly advocate others to do as we have done and to walk in our sinful ways openly defying God. Many a Christian has been in these shoes, the younger you are and less mature in Christ the more apt you are to this error. We must be on guard at all times. We must focus on the Lord at all times. We must be mindful of every person and every activity we allow ourselves to be involved with. For nothing in this world is to further your walk with God apart from the things He Himself has given us. Hold on to those things for dear life! They will be the things that carry you through as you struggle through these issues and strive to be obedient and please the Lord in your life. The example and call to do so is presented in vs. 2.
Introduction
I have started to undertake a study of Psalms. Initially I started to write this down for furture reference and review and for the edification of my family. If you are interested please enjoy and feel free to leave any comments you desire.
Please note that the primary aim is to consolodate my OT commentaries into what is relevant and necessary so that my family didn't have to read pages upon pages to extract what I have here. It is not all inclusive and is not intended to be. I am using primarily my Spurgeon, Calvin, and Matthew Henry commentaries because the rest I have cover NT and not the OT. I hope to get more which would then put new references on here. So if that change should occur I have been blessed with some new commentaries.
I am also using my dictionaries and study bibles to assist in the study and will include word studies where necessary or relevant beyond myself.
Abbreviations:
1599 GB - 1599 Geneva Bible
CHS - Charles Spurgeon
JC - John Calvin
MH - Matthew Henry
Thank you,
Danny
Please note that the primary aim is to consolodate my OT commentaries into what is relevant and necessary so that my family didn't have to read pages upon pages to extract what I have here. It is not all inclusive and is not intended to be. I am using primarily my Spurgeon, Calvin, and Matthew Henry commentaries because the rest I have cover NT and not the OT. I hope to get more which would then put new references on here. So if that change should occur I have been blessed with some new commentaries.
I am also using my dictionaries and study bibles to assist in the study and will include word studies where necessary or relevant beyond myself.
Abbreviations:
1599 GB - 1599 Geneva Bible
CHS - Charles Spurgeon
JC - John Calvin
MH - Matthew Henry
Thank you,
Danny
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