Psalms 1:3

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!