The Blessedness of Delight

Introduction and Central Idea…

Where is this Psalm located within the context of the Book of Psalms? The beginning! It is the first psalm! Now, let’s say we all piled into a bus and took a trip over to Cornerstone University to visit one of my Bible professors, Dr. Adams, and we put him on the hot seat. The burning question all of us are thinking is, “Dr. Adams, what is the purpose of Psalm 1?” He would probably strike his beard, put his hand on his hip and tell you and me that what we are getting ourselves into tonight is like the preface, the introduction, the welcome sign at the entrance for the Book of Psalms.

If you’re like me, then whenever you read a book there is always that little snippet of a section you like called the “Introduction.” Why is that? It gives us the reader’s digest version of the book! Everything that I absolutely need to know about the book is right there, making plain what is the whole point of the book. So tonight, here we are in the Book of Psalms’ introduction where the LORD plainly instructs you and me what the point of the whole book is. Everything that you and I absolutely need to know in our reading the Book of Psalms, and I would say the whole Bible, is right here!

At the core of Psalm 1, the LORD gives you and me this instruction: being blessed is the result of planting our delight in His law and meditating on His Law day and night. Being blessed is not ultimately the result of whether or not we obey the Law of the LORD but whether or not we delight in the Law of LORD.

Explanations…

“Blessed is the man…”

Now, if you and me think that the introduction to the Book of Psalms is important, how much important do you think that the first phrase is? What does the first phrase in the introduction say? What does that tell us? Right off the bat, we see that the LORD desires to instruct us on what being blessed is the result of! The LORD desires for you and me to embrace and experience and know the reality of the truth that He so wants you to be blessed. When you read in this psalm and the LORD’s definition for what being blessed comes from in comparison to what you and me so often believe being blessed comes from, it becomes so obvious that it’s not that you and me are too hard to please when it comes to being blessed, but that you and me are so often the time far too easily pleased when it comes to being blessed! That is why the LORD warns you and me like a loving father, who truly knows what’s best,

My child, “trust in [Me] with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge [Me], and [I] will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear [Me], and turn away from evil. [I promise], it will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones.” (Proverbs 3:5-8, ESV)

So before we go any further, let’s just for a moment open our hands as an outward sign of, I pray, what is going on inside our hearts. Let’s say this together to the LORD:

LORD, I trust in You with all my heart. I will not lean on my own understanding. In all my ways I acknowledge You. Make straight my paths. I am not wise. I fear You. I will turn away from evil. Heal me and refresh me as You promise. LORD, I trust in You with all my heart.

Let’s recap. What have we seen from this passage? 1) Psalm 1 is the introduction to the Book of Psalms and 2) the LORD gives you and me His instruction on what being blessed is the result from! Is it just me or does this surprise you? If this is the introduction to the Book of Psalms and the LORD desires that we embrace and experience and know His instruction on absolutely one thing, don’t you think it would have made more sense for the LORD to instruct you and me on the first and greatest commandment? It seems like we might have a problem here. So let’s think about it for a moment.

Who can tell me what the first and greatest commandment is? “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.” (Deut. 6:5, ESV) But the LORD does not instruct us on this here. Instead, He gives us His instruction on what being blessed results from. Why? The only way that I can make sense out of this problem is that Psalm 1 is an introduction giving the instruction on how you obey the first and greatest commandment! But then again, I still have to ask the question, “Why?”

Let me give you a simple example! Austin, why don’t you come on up here. We’re gonna put you on the “hot seat.” I have a few questions for you. The first one is this: Would you say that you love Sarah Grace? Then, would you say that your love for her causes you to delight in her? Does your love for and delight in Sarah Grace cause you to think about who she is and what she likes and dislikes ever? Why? Okay, then how do all these things cause you to live for her?

You see? Because Austin has love for Sarah Grace is the reason that his delight is in Sarah Grace; his delight in Sarah Grace is the reason that on Sarah Grace he meditations day and night; and all of this is seamlessly connected and is the reason that he lives for Sarah Grace and the result is that he is blessed.

How much more is it then, that when you and I love the LORD our God with all our heart and with all our soul and with all our might we can’t help but delight in His law! If we can’t help but delight in His law then surely we can’t help but meditate on it day and night! And if this is so, then we can’t help but live for the LORD! And that, the LORD says, results in blessed a man or woman![1] The LORD instructs one thing: what we delight in will be what we meditate on. The blessed man delights in and meditates on the Law of the LORD and he is blessed.

“The wicked are not so…”

I’m going to just shoot straight with you here and get to the point. You want to know what it means to be wicked in sight of the LORD? Don’t delight in His law. Being wicked is not something you do but has everything to do how you feel. Things like murder or theft or lying don’t make a person wicked. These things are just the effect that no delight in the law of the LORD and meditation on His law day and night causes. “For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7, ESV) What does He see on your heart? Meditations day and night on your delight in a celebrity or an athlete? Does He see meditations day and night on your delight in your video games or your boyfriend or girlfriend? What does He see on your heart? Does He see a picture of a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season whose leaf does not wither or does he see a picture of worthless “chaff that the wind drives away,” that will not stand in the judgment and will perish?

Conclusion…

If I’m honest, apart from the mercy I have received and the grace of our Lord that has overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus, the Lord would see nothing on my heart but “foolishness, pride, slander, envy, sensuality, deceit, wickedness, coveting, adultery, murder, theft, sexual immorality, evil thoughts.” (Mark 7:21-22 [in reversed order], ESV) Apart from the mercy I have received and the grace of our Lord that has overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus, the Lord would see a wicked man. He would see that I do not delight in the law of the LORD and that on His law I do not meditate day and night. Therefore, I will not stand in the judgment; I will not stand in the congregation of the righteous; I shall perish, and apart from receiving His mercy and His grace overflowing for you with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus, the same goes for you too. Is that not the worst news ever?

But can I tell you the best news ever? 2000+ years, however many months, however many weeks, however many days, however many hours, minutes, and seconds ago in history Jesus Christ “died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures…he was buried…he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.” (1 Corinthians 15:3-5, ESV) What then? Repent from being like worthless chaff! Put the full bank account of your heart and soul and might’s delight in this good news!

The Lord loved you and me first therefore, love Him with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might! Delight in His law and on his law meditate day and night! Be blessed.

---

[1] Think of love for the LORD with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might as the parent of delight in the law of the LORD who is the parent of meditation on the law of the LORD day and night who is the parent of obedience to the law of the LORD who is the parent of a blessed man or woman! This leads us to the final part of our time in Psalm 1.

Oh Martha...

" ...Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, 'Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.' But the Lord answered her, 'Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.'" (Luke 10:38-42, ESV)

Fewer things in my life make me feel like I'm wasting my life more than when welcome God and I'm reading in His Word yet everything within me is reading over the to-do lists, the scripts that I've written in my mind regarding circumstances or relationship issues going on or when I'm thinking to myself, "How can I use this for others in shepherding them in their walk with the Lord?" All of these things are not bad. In fact, it might even be a good thing for me to ask myself how I can be using these things for others.

Yet, living a life of constant service is a life that does not fully recognizing Jesus Christ for Who He is. Living a life of constant service is a lie from the pit of Hell that tells Christians that God wants my service. What a lie! If God wanted man's service, He would not have sent His Son to serve and not be served. A life of constant service that neglects sitting at the feet of Jesus, like Mary, is a life that does not recognize Jesus, the Living Word, as "more to be desired...than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb." (Psalm 19:10-11, ESV)

What is your life's gold rush? What is your life's sweetener? Is your life's gold rush after the Mountain from which all the golden nuggets came from? Or just one golden nugget offspring? Is your life's sweetener the honeycomb from which all the drippings came from? Or just a single dripping?

O God let us not be Marthas who welcome you into our homes but do not recognize Who you are as the Living Word, the One from Whom we all find our life, the One through Whom we live and the One to Whom our lives are lived. May we welcome you in and sit at Your feet. Amen.

Three Times...

"And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, 'My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.'" (Matthew 26:39, ESV)

"Again, for the second time, he went away and prayed, “My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done.”" (Matthew 26:42, ESV)

"So, leaving them again, he went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same words again." (Matthew 26:44, ESV)

"Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it [Paul's thorn in the flesh] should leave me." (2 Corinthians 12:8, ESV)

Before Jesus was betrayed by His own disciple, Judas Iscariot, He asked God His Father three times to make another way possible for the forgiveness of sins and the restoration of fellowship between God and all people who trust in Jesus' death and resurrection for that forgiveness. The little that I know about the agonizing, human-apostacizing pain and shame of Roman crucifixion gives me no question as to just why Jesus would ask for His Father to make another way possible this forgiveness and restoration to be possible.

Jesus wasn't stupid. He lived in a Roman Empire-dominated world where Roman soldiers ran the show and if anyone tried to take the stage away from Rome (and there were quite a few of those people in Jesus' day) or any one caused enough stirring drama on the stage, so to speak, among other ways punishment was given out...they were publicly stripped naked, beaten, nailed to a cross and then put on display along the main walk ways in town for everyone going about their business to see. Jesus, the Son of God, the Savior King Who prophets spoke about for the last 1000+ years up until His arival, knew that in order for His Kingdom to be established and for Him to rightly be the exalted Savior King He "must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again." (Mark 8:31, ESV) But Jesus still humbly prayed three times for the possibility of another way, if God His Father was willing.

FWD a couple decades after Jesus' death and, yes, resurrection, and ascension back to His throne in Heaven...

Before Paul went on in his service to his Savior King, Jesus Christ, he asked his Savior and King three times to make another way possible for his thorn in the flesh to be removed. Paul knew that he would suffer greatly in being Jesus' primary ambassador and hearald of His Kingdom to the Roman empire. Paul was not stupid. He lived in a Roman colony where Roman soldiers ran the show and zealous Jewish religous leaders hated anyone who believed that Jesus was indeed the Savior King of both Jews and Gentiles. Paul knew that "through many tribulations [he] must enter the kingdom of God." (Acts 14:22, ESV) But Paul still humbly prayed three times for the possibility of another way, if Jesus was willing.

Jesus' empathetic response,“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9, ESV)

May that be so for you and your thorn in the flesh as you serve the Savior King

In radically following Christ as He calls you and me to do so, there is never promised a life of comfort, approval by the world, or logevity of life. Rather, what is gonna happen is that you'll be faced with a life of persecution, hatred by the world and even death before we would ideally like or hope so. So, when you and I have our moment of persecution, should we follow Christ to such a moment, we will have two natural reactions towards those who and Christ through us...

1) Fight

"...Then they came up and laid hands on Jesus and seized him. And behold, one of those who were with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his ear." (Matthew 26:50-51, ESV)

2) Flight

"...Then they came up and laid hands on Jesus and seized him...Then all the disciples left him and fled." (Matthew 26:50 & 56, ESV)

Both of these reactions are a reflection of something far deeper than just our humanly natural reaction. These reactions are the fruit of the seeds of distrust in Christ's appealing before the Father as we follow Him, His sovereign purposes' fulfillment and ultimate promise of the resurrection of the dead beyond this present life. You're probably asking me, "Whoa there buddy! Where you getting this?"

Just look @ Jesus' rebuke at the man who drew his sword to try and fight for Him!

"Then Jesus said to him, 'Put your sword back into its place. For all who take the sword will perish by the sword. Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels? But how then should the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must be so?'" (Matthew 26:52-54, ESV)

When you and I should ever be so blessed as to suffer for Christ's sake and for His gospel, our natural reaction would, understandably so, be to want nothing more than to fight back and let them have it or to get outta sight and run. But! When we face such persecution and such suffering in our following Christ, let our natural reaction to them be be the evidence of a life transformed by the renewal of the mind according to God's Word. Let our natural reaction to persecution and suffering be like the One Who we are following. Let us trustingly cling on that...

1) Jesus is before the throne of God this very moment making appeals for His people in persecution and suffering:

"...Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us." (Romans 8:34, ESV)

2) God is sovereign over all and any suffering we go through in following Christ:

"I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world." (John 16:33, ESV)

3) Our suffering testifies to the world that this life is not all there is and that Christ is of greatest worth:

"If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied." (1 Corinthians 15:19, ESV)

So What?

Christ suffered and died so that He would be raised to life again by the power of the God's Holy Spirit so that the sin that God is so displeased with and hates would lose its' sting and so that death would no longer have the last laugh in the end which is to come. Our suffering and even death for Christ's sake and for the sake of His good news of a message, may we humbly suffer joyfully and cling on to Christ's words...

"Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you." (Matthew 5:10-12, ESV)

It's Been a While

"Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life;
you stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies,
and your right hand delivers me.
The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me;
your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever.
Do not forsake the work of your hands." (Psalm 138:7-8, ESV)

This psalm gives me great comfort for all that life's circumstances bring under God's sovereignty. Essentially what David said was that the troubled waters of life and wrath-pouring enemies can only do so much as far as God sees fit.

Let's not take forgranted the simple glories of what is tucked in here. Because we are promised, "the Lord will fulfill his purpose for me," you and I can confidentlty plead with the Lord, "Do not forsake the work of your hands," knowing that He answers the prayers of those that are in line with His good and perfect and pleasing will, as He reveals it from His Word.

Understanding God's Seamless Precepts and Wondrous Works

"Make me understand the way of your precepts..." (Psalm 119:27a, ESV)

As God makes me understand the way of His precepts it is right there that I can see His holy, righteous, just, merciful, gracious, loving-divine ways. I am then exposed and undone, seeing the precepts and the ways of my own life and of my own heart. His making me understand the ways of His precepts are His glorious light shining into the dark, unsearchable, never-before-seen depths of sin in my life, as exposed by the Truth; the Truth that sets me free (John 8:31-32) and the Truth which God, as He makes me understand the way of His precepts, sanctifies me in (John 17:17). It is like a steak that is marinaded over-night in the fridge and all the next day to then be grilled up for dinner. With each bite, the flavor of the marinade oozes from the steak and it is as if the marinade and steak are in seamless connection. As the marinade is so is the steak."

...and I will meditate on your wondrous works." (Psalm 119:27b, ESV)

As God makes me understand the the way of His precepts I can then meditate, or camp out in deep reflection, on His "wondrous works" that are in seamless connection with the way of His precepts.

The ultimate display of the way of His precepts and His wondrous works in seamless connection is in the Incarnate, Word-Become-Man, Jesus Christ. All of God's precepts and wondrous works were 100% embodied through Jesus Christ in His life in accordance with the Scriptures, His death for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, His burial, His resurrection on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures and His appearing (1 Corinthians 15:3-5). Therefore, it is the Truth, Jesus Christ, by Whom I am set free from the locked-up chains of sin and the prison-cell of death and by Whom I am sanctified in.

"I will run in the way of your commandments for you set my heart free!" (Psalm 119:32, ESV)

Because the Truth sets me free, I will run in the way of God's commandments. These are His commandments for all people to abide, or set up their entire residence, by now...

1. "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind." (Matthew 22:37)

2. "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." (Matthew 22:39)

Would you just look at what we are commanded to do!? "You shall love God first, supremely and foremost! You shall love people as you love yourself!" Camp out in deep reflection on the seamless connection between the way of God's precepts, or commandments, and God's "wondrous works" which were ultimately worked-out in Jesus Christ; the Incarnate, Word-Became-Man who sets you free!

Grace and peace be with you :)

Actively Passive to God

"Teach me, O Lord, the way of your statutes; and I will keep it to the end.
Give me understanding, that I may keep your law and observe it with my whole heart.
Lead me in the path of your commandments, for I delight in it.
Incline my heart to your testimonies, and not to selfish gain!
Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things; and give me life in your ways.
Confirm to your servant your promise, that you may be feared.
Turn away the reproach that I dread, for your rules are good.
Behold, I long for your precepts; in your righteousness give me life!"

(Psalm 119:33-40, ESV)

This Psalm is an example here of being "actively passive" towards God when praying. I call it "actively passive" because it takes a literal God given desire that His Spirit resuscitates in us to (actively) come to Him with longings for Him teach us, lead us and give us life in the freedom-giving slavery to His Word. It is when He does these things in our life that we are completely passive (not retaliative) to His teachings, wisdom giving and life in His Word.

Look at all the requests! "Teach me!" "Give me!" "Lead me!" "Turn my eyes!" "Give me life!" These are all things that, without God's doing, we cannot have. So even in actively comming to Him, it is ultimately God's drawing us to Him in the first place and our passivity. Either way, there's no room for anyone to get the heavenly kudos but God Himself! Any desire in us to seek Him, to learn from Him and to obey Him is all to His credit.

Let us be a paralytic in the hands of the One who holds us into motion. Let us live in the life His righteousness gives us! (v.40)