Psalm 1

Psalm 1 is a favorite of just about everyone and one many Christians have memorized. The Psalm sets forth a series of comparisons or contrasts with the first being between two groups of individuals, those identified in verse 6 as “righteous” and those identified in the same verse as “wicked.” In all there are at least 5 comparisons that are made either directly or indirectly in this Psalm regarding those two groups.

Psalm 1, like all of Scripture, presents only 2 alternatives for one’s life because God has on only two classifications. One either belongs to Him via his acceptance of Jesus and is therefore viewed as “righteous” or one is a sinner separated from Him by sin and, therefore, viewed as “wicked.” Read Matthew 7:13-14.

The second comparison in this Psalm found in the 1st verse when the Psalm introduces “righteous” as the ones who are blessed. Implied, although not specifically stated, is that one is either blessed because he is “righteous” and doing what this Psalm describes, or one will not know that blessing. The word “blessed” is actually plural in the Hebrew and is also translated as “happy.”

Men and women will do just about anything to find happiness only to discover that nothing this world has to offer will meet that need. The Bible says real and lasting happiness is found in living God’s way. Incidentally, there are so many similarities between Psalm 1 and the Beatitudes of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount that many feel as if Jesus had this Psalm in mind when He gave us that teaching on being blessed or happy.

The third comparison is between the lifestyle of the righteous and that of the wicked with the lifestyle of the wicked being the total opposite of that of the righteous. In verse 1 the Psalmist wrote that the righteous do “not walk in step with the wicked, stand in the way that sinners take,or sit in the company of mockers.” Instead, according to verse 2, they “delight in the law of the Lord,and meditates on his law day and night.”

The idea of “delighting in the law of the Lord” is important. To the Psalmists the Scriptures centered on the Torah, that is the first 5 books of the Old Testament or as it was thought of, the law. With the giving of additional revelation by God the idea of “the law of the Lord” would have to be expanded to read, “A righteous man delights in the whole Bible as the Word of God.” That certainly stands in contrast to the individual who, if not rejecting the Bible completely, feels free to pick out what he wants to accept and then writes the rest off.

The fourth comparison is between the difference one’s lifestyle makes in the value of a life from God’s perspective. The righteous person is, according to verse 3, “like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers.” In contrast the wicked are described as “chaff that the wind blows away.” Both of those illustrations were pictures easily understood to those in Old Testament times and easily understood by anyone familiar with farming today.

The righteous individual or the Christian has a source of inner happiness, strength, peace, purpose etc. that does may not make a lot of sense in a world that sees only barrenness. In the midst of what seems like barrenness, the righteous person or Christian bears fruit that makes no sense to the world but shines as a testimony to the love and care of our God.

In contrast to that, a sinner who may appear initially to have it all together, is in the end simply chaff. The sinner’s life is worthless and will ultimately be blown away regardless of how well he supports his family and the community or how many toys he collects.

The fifth contrast/comparison notes that because the commitments and lifestyle of the righteous are radically different from that of the wicked, their ultimate ending is different. Verse 6 records that the “the Lord is watching over the way of the righteous” but for the wicked, their end is destruction. Read John 3:36.

In a world that seeks happiness at any cost and in just about every conceivable way, the Bible is clear that true happiness is found in a right relationship with God with a vital part of that relationship being right living described in verses 1 and 2.  True happiness is found in avoiding sinful ways while delighting in God’s Word and following it in every aspect of life. That is the source of real happiness and the goal each of us should have. 

Psalm 1

1. Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers,

² but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day  and night.

³ That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers.

⁴ Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away.

⁵ Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.

⁶ For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.

Joshua 24:12-18: A Father’s Role

Very few Bible characters are as challenging as Joshua. His exploits, recorded largely in the book that bears his name, are always exciting and challenging. Among other characteristics, we see him as a family man who took seriously his responsibilities as the spiritual head of his family.

A Godly father’s motivation: 24:12-13: Joshua saw God as a gracious God who had blessed him as well as Israel in so many marvelous ways that it would have been all but ludicrous to do anything less than make God the center of his life and the life of his family. 

God had been so good to the Israelites so Joshua, serving as God’s spokesman, reminded the people of God’s great mercy and provision. Read Joshua 24:12-13

Israel had done absolutely nothing to deserve Canaan, but God gave them the land anyway. Skim through Joshua and see over and over how God worked in miraculous ways as He gave His people the Promised Land. All they did was walk around Jericho and the city was theirs. The Israelites lived in cities they had not built and in homes that that were already there. They ate food they had not planted. The land was so rich in crops, yet the Israelites simply walked in and claimed it as God had promised.

How much more motivation do we have to follow God when we remember God’s great love in providing us with salvation and then blessing us in so many other marvelous ways. Read Romans 5:8 and Ephesians 2:4, 5.

That loving provision is certainly a powerful motivation to lead our children in the ways of righteousness. How can we not want our family to love and obey a God who loves us that much?  

Joshua went on to tell the Israelites that because of God’s love and provision, they need to set Godly standards for their families. Read verse14.

Joshua gave two characteristics of a godly family. Godly families “fear the Lord” and “serve Him faithfully.”  To “fear the LORD” means to honor Him. Fearing God as a family is recognizing who God is and how we are to behave because of that. It means we are seeking to live as God would have us live because He is worthy of that kind of family life. Who He is should be reflected in every aspect of family life from the priorities placed on every aspect of life, to the way we treat one another.

To “serve” the LORD primarily has the idea of worship. We read over and over that the Israelites were not to serve idols but only the Lord (Deuteronomy 4:19). Not to “serve” meant they were not to worship them. Given all God has done for us He is certainly worthy of our worship, which includes, in addition to Sunday worship, family devotions and the rightful place for God in every aspect of family life.

They were do that with all faithfulness. They were not to give God half-hearted worship, but they were to give Him their whole lives. God has always required that kind of commitment and service from His people: Read Matthew 22:37.

For the Israelites to truly fear and serve God, they had to “Throw away the gods your forefathers worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. While God is rich in mercy toward us and wants to bless us and our families He will not do so as long as we want Him plus other gods of our own making. To be the people God wanted the Israelites to be they had to turn away from idols. They had to reject the influence of idols in their lives. In order for us to lead our families properly we need to rid ourselves anything we trust in or depend upon in addition to God. One cannot lead his family righteously if he is knowingly following idols or living in sin. 

Now no one ever suggested that living such a life was going to be easy. Read verse 15. 

All of us, including our children, face many challenges with many contemporary gods vying for our attention. That means that we, like Joshua, must decide who we will follow.

God has never forced people to accept or obey Him. It becomes our responsibility as parents to lead them into the truth and work with them by way of example and instruction so they can make the right choices.

It is not easy but at the same time if we are faithful there is no reason to despair. When truth and lies are placed side by side and the presentation of the truth has been bathed in prayer to the Holy Spirit, then honest hearts will most often choose truth. The challenge is not “How can we raise children in a pluralistic world?” but “Are we placing truth in front of our children?” The Psalmist reminds us of the importance of keeping before our families the truth when he wrote in Psalm 119:9, “How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word.” Read Deuteronomy 6:6-7. We must not minimize the importance of making sure our children know the truth of God. 

Note one more truth. A Godly father leads his family by example and by assuming responsibility for the family. Joshua pledged himself to leading his family by making a personal commitment to being the father God wanted him to be. Joshua declared: “As for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.” Joshua promised to serve the Lord himself before he pledged to lead his family. Of course, Joshua could not lead his family in doing what was right unless he himself was doing what was right.

There is the important principle to note here. If we want to lead our children into righteousness, we ourselves must seek to walk righteously before God. We find that principle throughout Scripture. Read Acts 20:28, and I Timothy 4:16. We should never minimize the importance of making sure our children know the truth of God in practical ways day by day and not just on Sunday. 

Seeking to live righteously as godly fathers means we must also take the position of spiritual head of the home and lead our family in the right way. Note that Joshua didn’t open his family’s spiritual future to discussion. It was not a majority vote or a compromise to keep everyone happy. Joshua understood that as a man it was his responsibility to determine the direction for his family. God has given to us as men the awesome and exciting responsibility of leading the family.

I don’t believe that Joshua was trying to use his authority simply to dictate to the family nor do I sense he was ordering his wife and kids around.  It was a decision he hoped and prayed would be made as a family because of his example and commitment. He was using his position as father to help his family move closer to the Lord and in turn closer to all God’s love wanted to do for them.

Is there more you can do to lead your family in doing what’s right?  What a powerful gift it would be to your family if you re-committed yourself today to being the spiritual head of the family. God has offered so much to us why would we not want to see our family drawn closer to Him? Let’s recommit ourselves as grandfathers and fathers to that role and moms, recommit yourselves to both allowing and encouraging fathers to have that responsibility. Society today is continually trying to redefine family roles but as Christians we follow not the trends of that society but the Word of the Lord.

Ephesians 4:25-32 Put Off/Put On!   Part 2 Insert

Beginning in Ephesians 4:25, Paul listed 5 areas of everyday life that ought to reflect our walk with Jesus. Paul noted an area that we should avoid and then gave the counter part that should be seen in each of us. We have been looking at it under “Put Off, Put On.”

In verse 25 Paul wrote, “put off falsehood” and then noted, “speak truthfully to your neighbor.” In other words, “stop lying and start being a person whose word can be counted on.”

In verses 26-27 Paul wrote, “In your anger do not sin” and went on to note that even when we exhibit righteous anger, we must not hold onto that anger long enough for it to “give the devil a foothold.” If you have legitimate cause to be angry, be sure that anger does not fester to the point where it lashes where it should not.

In verses 28 Paul wrote that Christians should “steal no longer,” with the counterpart being, “work, doing something useful with their own hands.” In other words, honestly work so you can earn sufficient income that you do not need to steal to meet your needs.

In verse 29 Paul wrote that “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths” and instead speak “only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” In other words, useyour ability to communicate in a way thathelps and encourages others. 

Finally in verses 31-32 Paul wrote, “Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.” Instead of that, Paul’s admonition was to “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” The contrast there is obvious.

Returning to verses 28, Paul wrote that they should “steal no longer,” but instead, “work, doing something useful with their own hands.” Paul was dealing with a major problem in his day and while circumstances have changed, the belief that one has the right to take or keep that which belongs to another is part of our culture. “Do not steal” is the 8^th of the 10 commandments so there should have been no reason to even write this. In Paul’s day it was part of the slave culture to assume that since one was not being paid, he was entitled to a share of whatever the owner had. Therefore, a slave felt free to take from the crops or house. Paul told the Christians that honest presented a testimony of the transformation God had brought in their lives.

No Christian should feel the need to purchase a gun and rob a bank, but too many Christians feel it is OK to take supplies from work, over state an expense account, keep anything extra a clerk gives us back by mistake, etc. Paul wrote that Christians should work honestly so they can earn sufficient that they not only do not need to steal to meet their needs but so they can share with those in need. 

The phrase “doing something useful” is literally “doing something good” with “good” denoting the quality of one’s work. Since Jesus noted that only God is good, we assume the work we do should be honoring to God and reflect His goodness. That includes how well we do the work we are being paid to do and the nature of the work. Any job that is not honoring to God or that does not reflect God’s standards is wrong for a Christian. A Christian does not belong in any profession that expects him to compromise his Christian standards.

Paul went on to give an interesting twist on working. He wrote that Christians should work, “doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need.” We obviously should work to support our family but added to that when we earn more we have more to use to help others. Read Luke 12:13-21. It is easy to miss the point of that parable and assume, like the man Jesus used as an example, a better income means more for me and my family. Paul wrote that a Christian needs to evaluate the priority he puts on things and evaluate his things against the opportunities God gives us to be His instruments of blessing to those in need. Something we can all think about.

In Luke 14 Jesus made another observation on the responsibility we have for the use of our resources. Jesus was discussing those the rich or powerful and in particular who the Pharisees invited to their home. Read Luke 14:12-14. That parable is a challenge to contemplate those we associate with and those with whom we share our resources.

Paul went to turn his attention from our hands to our mouths and wrote in verse 29, “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths” but instead speak “only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” In other words, as Christians we should useour ability to communicate in a way thathelps and encourages others. 

The picture Paul used to describe talk that is not wholesome is the same that was used to describe rotten fruit and rotten fish. Rotten food is overall worthless and may actually make one sick. Language compared to rotten food would certainly include taking the name of Jesus in vain. It would also include unkind words, untrue words, gossip, words that are rude, hurtful, or careless. Off color jokes fall into that category as does racist or sexist comments or jokes. A bit later in this same letter Paul listed a variety of behaviors that should have no place in the life of a Christian. Read Ephesians 5:4. 

In place of conversations that are not helpful and in fact are like rotten food, Paul wrote in his letter to the church in Colossae, “Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt.” (Colossians 4:6)Salt was used in preserving food, which is the opposite of letting it spoil or rot. What a difference it would make in our society if people could learn to encourage one another instead of tearing others down. Paul would challenge us to make a habit of encouraging at least one person each day by saying something special to them. We can encourage adults by telling them what their service means, what their smile communicates, how their faithfulness is an encouragement, etc.

On the surface the command to avoid unwholesome talk seems very straight forward but it may be the most difficult of Paul’s challenges to correct. Read James 3:6 and 8. Speaking wholesome words that, as Paul said are, “helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen” will take a determined effort on our part but in the end will add significantly to our testimony as Christians to the transforming power of the Holy Spirit within.

Finally, Paul wrote, “Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.” Instead of that, Paul’s admonition was to “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” The contrast there is obvious.

You’ll have to basically look at the last one on your own but just let me point out that Paul lists 6 attitude or activities that have no place in the life of a believer. He wrote that we are to put off bitterness, rage, anger, brawling, slander, and malice. Collectively they speak of doing the kinds of things that reflect varying degrees of getting upset or revenge over some way we have been treated. Paul never suggested that we might not feel, or even have in a sense reason to be, justified so he told us to put on forgiveness. 

The reason to put on an attitude and practice of being kind, compassionate, and forgiving is because our Savior has treated us that way. That approach is described in Ephesians 5:1 where Paul urged Christians to “Follow God’s example,” or as many translations have it, “Be imitators of God.” 

Use this overview of Paul’s “Put Off, Put On” to see if there are areas you need to personally work on. It may not be an issue of a major change but the tweaking of behavior that perhaps we have not thought about recently. Our goal as believers should be to constantly be growing in our daily imitation of our Savior. Growth means change and change demands work, but it is worth it. Commit to making any necessary changes in either attitude or behavior or perhaps in both. After all, Paul wants us to make a serious effort to be an imitator of our Savior.