Psalm 1
A psalm of wisdom and confidence.
What particularly conncts with me is the image that the one who is righteous is like ”a tree planted by streams of water”. The psalm starts with “blessed are those…”, and the tree is truly blessed. It has a close supply of water which enables it to produce it’s fruit in season and keep it’s leaf green. And the righteous – “what ever they do prospers”. But does this mean that the righteous never suffer? If it does than this psalm was obviously written by someone who lived in a bubble… And here is where the image really speaks to me. It’s not that the tree will never be buffetted by bad weather or live through drought, but that the tree planted by a stream has the resources to continue through life’s difficulties, and has been prepared and strengthened for hard times ahead.
The tree reminds me of OT characters like Joseph and Daniel. The Bible records that Joseph prospered in all that he did because the Lord was with him (eg. Gen. 39:3-4) yet Joseph still faced hard times – sold into slavery, falsly accussed of rape, imprisoned etc. Daniel also had similar experiences (Dan. 6), but they each had the resources to continue through the hard times trusting in God.
In my own life I can see the things God has prospered from my hands by his graciousness, and also the hard times that God sustained me through (some hard times were self inflicted…). And I think this psalm will be a useful prayer in those situations where I’m seeking inspiration to live a holy life.
A couple of challenges from this psalm…
- Take more delight in God’s word.
- Soak it up day and night.
- Don’t buy into the ideologies of the wicked or go about life as they do – remeber that the way of the wicked in not lasting.