Thoughts on Psalm 1
The Two Ways
Sunset, Loch Ness Scotland UK - taken by Julia Prümmer here.
1 How happy is the man
who does not follow the advice of the wicked
or take the path of sinners
or join a group of mockers!
2 Instead, his delight is in the Lord’s instruction,
and he meditates on it day and night.
3 He is like a tree planted beside streams of water
that bears its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither.
Whatever he does prospers.
4 The wicked are not like this;
instead, they are like chaff that the wind blows away.
5 Therefore the wicked will not survive the judgment,
and sinners will not be in the community of the righteous.
6 For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked leads to ruin.
As we enter the month of June, our wider network is reading through a Psalm a day together - it's something we actually started back in February with Matthew and then just decided to keep going, choosing a different book each month.
As a decentralised network of Microchurches it helps us maintain levels of unity together, as anyone from any of the Microchurches is welcome to read along with us and join our Whatsapp group (here), with no pressure of having to turn up to a meeting to back up the reading or anything - you simply take what the Lord has been teaching you to the others in your Microchurch & put it to action together there too!
It also helps us to provide a 'base-line' of accountability to stay rooted in the Living Word of the Lord so that this becomes the minimum amount of the Bible that you read; often in addition to something your Microchurch will be looking at and your own personal reading too; win-win.
The Whatsapp group is kind of incredible too, as you find that people spontaneously share what the Lord has been speaking to them about on there - it's a total source of inspiration.
So here we are at Psalm 1, on June 1, and I wanted to write a wee blog about it because I was totally blown away by it this morning; the beauty of the writing, the imagery, the profound truths found in it, and the deep connection between this Psalm and the book of Ephesians (I'll explain more in a second).
I can't tell you how many times I've read (and sometimes skimmed over - being honest!) Psalm 1 in the past, but today it came alive to me in a new way, and in a completely different part of the Psalm.
I'm sure we can all agree that the imagery of the tree planted besides streams of water section is epic - I love that bit and wholeheartedly agree with it; yes and amen!
But this time the Lord drew me to verse 1 this time, and took me on a journey into the poetic prophetic nature of the three warnings we should heed... let me tell you, I've learned today that this verse is not something to skim over!
I've come to realise that the Lord really seems to enjoy using numbers, especially when communicating to His people (and extra-especially in dreams - if you see a number in a dream, that is a big deal, write it down!). There are some numbers in particular that I see as being significant to the Lord. To give you some quick examples; 7 as a season, 40 as a generation, 8 as the number of eternity, 5 as the number of grace, and 3 as a representation of divine completeness, perfection and unity. (If you want to chat numbers with me sometime, let's do it!).
What does this have to do with Psalm 1? Well, the first verse is a tercet poem of sorts - a group of 3: "does not follow... or take the path... or join" - as we see the set of three warnings. Then, amazingly, the second verse is a compound tercet form where we see double the benefits and blessings of following the truth written in Psalm 1; delight, meditates, tree planted beside streams, bears fruit, does not wither, prospers.
I love this because to me it speaks of the John 10:10 super-abundance life that is offered to us as God's children if we remain close to Him, day and night - it also describes what Char & I like to call the Isaiah 61 'instead' offered by the Lord; the Lord's redemption is always more than just replacing what was stolen or taken from us - we get at least double back from Him. These 2 verses here in Psalm 1 are another example of this prophetic truth!
That's great right? But that was just the beginning for me of this exploration into verse 1 here.
I really enjoy jumping back into the original language and words used in scripture as it can be a really enriching moment of encounter with the Lord.
By the way, if you're interested in doing that it's super easy - I just head over to biblehub.com and then have a look around. You can either jump to the more intense test analysis (pictured), or choose your preferred translation and get an interactive version that lets you click on each word and see it in it's original form.
So how does Ephesians connect with Psalm 1, you may ask? Maybe it historically doesn't, but for me it really did today - and that happened as I looked at the original Hebrew words for 'follow', 'take' and 'join'.
These words connected to Walk, Stand and Sit - words to me that are very synonymous to the Ephesians; a book that is so practical in nature and incredibly equipping for the royal priesthood of all believers (ie. you and me!). I've read Ephesians so much so that I can remember large chunks of it, which is why the connection was made for me.
There are a bunch of exhortations in Ephesians about sitting, standing and walking - all very different, yet equally important postures that we should be intentional about as children of God.
Watchman Nee has literally written a book called "Sit, Walk, Stand' on these very postures found in Ephesians. He likens them to this:
- SIT - our position in Christ.
- WALK - our life in the world.
- STAND - our attitude to the enemy.
I'd encourage you to read that book, if you fancy it. But more than that, I'd say just head on over to Ephesians and spend some time highlighting/underlining when you see either sit, walk or stand - it's fascinating stuff for sure.
For me, the connection between these 3 words from Ephesians and Psalm 1 speaks to the genius of the Holy Spirit, as he authored these books hundreds of years apart from one another with such precision and connection - wow.
But these 3 words also speak so much to how we are intentionally posturing ourselves as Microchurches in the world but not of the world - Psalm 1 and Ephesians gives us so much insight into how we can live in, minister to, and remain conquerors of the world we are called to reach.
Below I've tried to sum-up, as neatly as possible, some of the verses and their equivalents - I'm sure you'll get something from the Lord out of it. And for sure this is the tip of the iceberg here... If I were you, I'd head on over to Ephesians and go on a journey with the Lord.
Bless you all,
Adam
"How happy is he/she
who does not (1)follow the advice of the wicked
or (2)take the path of sinners
or (3)join a group of mockers!
Instead, his/her delight is in the Lord’s instruction,
and he/she (4)meditates on it day and night."
1.Follow = WALK ( הָלַךְ֮ hā-laḵ)
Don't walk according to the precepts, wisdom and norms of the culture that you live in.
Your culture is set by heaven - the heavenly throne-room influences how we shape our lives.
"Therefore, I say this and testify in the Lord: You should no longer walk as the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their thoughts... For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. WALK as children of light." - Ephesians 4:5:8
Romans 12: 2 "Stop imitating the ideals and opinions of the culture around you, but be inwardly transformed by the Holy Spirit through a total reformation of how you think. This will empower you to discern God's will as you live a beautiful life, satisfying and perfect in His eyes."
2 Corinthians 5:7 "For we walk by faith, not by sight."
2.Take = STAND (עָמָ֑ד ‘ā-māḏ)
Don't stand and be lost and swallowed up in the crowd with those who are still lost.
Be with them and show love to them, but be distinct; be different - STAND OUT.
"This is why you must take up the full armour of God, so that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having prepared everything, to take your stand. STAND, therefore..." - Ephesians 6:13-20
John 17: 15-16, 18 "I am not praying that You take them out of the world but that You protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, as I am not of the world... As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world."
3.Join = SIT (יָשָֽׁב׃ yā-šāḇ)
Do not sit down in and partner with the territorial spirits of scepticism, doubt and faithlessness (ie.'mockers') that are rife in the world.
Align yourself with expectation and faith; only sit and rest in the love and rest of Abba.
"...and raised us up with Him, and made us to SIT with him in the heavenly places, in Christ Jesus." - Ephesians 2:6
Hebrews 11:1, 6 "Now faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen...Now without faith it is impossible to please God, for the one who draws near to Him must believe that He exists and rewards those who seek Him."
Psalm 23:2 "The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I lack. He lets me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. He renews my life; He leads me along the right paths for His name’s sake."
Romans 1:16-17 "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is God’s power for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, and also to the Greek. For in it God’s righteousness is revealed from faith to faith, just as it is written: The righteous will live by faith."
4.Meditates = STAY close to the Lord, day & night
יֶהְגֶּ֗ה is yeh-geh, a derivative of יְהוָ֗ה Yahweh, God's full name in Hebrew.
"But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you." - Matthew 6:33
Ephesians 5:1, 15-16, 19-21"Therefore, be imitators of God, as dearly loved children. And walk in love, as the Messiah also loved us and gave Himself for us, a sacrificial and fragrant offering to God... Pay careful attention, then, to how you walk... making the most of the time... be filled by the Spirit: speaking to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making music from your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another in the fear of Christ.
