TWO WAYS TO LIVE LIFE: AS SELECTED OR AS DIRECTED

1. Psalm-1
Devotion
Dr. Pothana

2. WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO FOLLOW DIRECTIONS?
• To Avoid Problems
• To Make Life Easier
• To Accomplish A Purpose
Thanks be to God, the LORD gives us
directions for life in His Word
4/3/2020

3. TWO WAYS TO LIVE LIFE: AS SELECTED OR AS DIRECTED
1. We can choose (select) our own
way to live the life the LORD gave
us=My Way
2. We can choose to let the LORD
to direct the life the LORD gave
us.=God's Way

4. FIRST THINGS FIRST: THE IMPORTANCE OF PSALM 1
• The Books of Psalms (a.k.a. The
Psalter) is structured around praise,
but it begins with Psalm 1 -- which is
about wisdom.
The first letter of the Psalm ( ‫|א‬ aleph)
is the first letter of the Hebrew
alphabet
• The last letter of the Psalm is the last
letter of the Hebrew alphabet ( ‫|ב‬
tav)
• Psalm aims to teach us the A-Z
(everything) about how to live life.

5. PSALM 1: TWO WAYS, TWO DESTINATIONS
1. The Way of the LORD,
conforming to God’s
character (v. 1-3)
2. The Way of the Wicked (i.e., the
Way of Self), contrary to God’s
character (v. 4-5)
3. The Way of the LORD leads to
bliss, the Way of the Wicked
leads to destruction (v.1, 6)

6. THE WAY OF THE LORD (V. 1-3)
• (v. 1) Blissedis the one who does not
walk in the counsel of the wicked
• or stand in the way of sinners
• or dwell in the assembly of mockers

7. WHO ARE THE WICKED
• Who comes to mind when you think of wicked people?

8. WHO ARE THE WICKED?
• More generally, the wicked are simply the
people who go do not walk in the way of the
LORD, but go the wrong way.
• They go their own way:
• We live in a “My Way” culture. But our way is
not necessarily God’s way

9. WHO ARE THE WICKED?
• We often want to do our own thing. We don’t want
anyone to tell us what we can and cannot do.
• Shakespeare: “to thine own self be true.”
• Today’s morality is centered not on the fulfillment of
God’s commands but on self-fulfillment.
The way of the wicked =the way of the self

10. THE WAY OF THE LORD (V. 1-3)
LAW = INSTRUCTION, DIRECTION
• Blessed is the one who delights in
the direction of the LORD
(v. 2) but whose delight is in the
law of the LORD, and who meditates
on his law day and night.
The law ( ‫הרֹוּת‬| tôrâ) can refer to
certain Old Testament Laws, to the
first five books of the Bible (a.k.a.
The Pentateuch), or to the entire
Old Testament

11. THE WAY OF THE LORD (V. 1-3)
• Whereas Eastern meditation often involves
emptying one’s mind or focusing on
one’s inner thoughts/self, biblical
meditation is focused upon God and
His Word
• Meditation includes reading, reciting,
reflecting on,
memorizing, etc. to conform one’s life to
God’s Word
• Silent reading was rare in the ancient world.
And the verb meditate ( ָּ‫ג‬‫ה‬ָּ‫ה‬ |hāgâ) is
more frequently translated “utter”,
“mutter”, “moan”, “groan”, or “declare.”
• Thus, it seems that such meditation was often
audible.
• This is why The LORD tells Joshua to
always keep the Book of the Law on his
lips.
MEDITATION ON THE LORD’S DIRECTIONS

12. THE WAY OF THE LORD (V. 1-3)
LIKE A PROSPEROUS TREE
• (v. 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.
• Grammatically, the verb can actually
refer back to the truly happy person
or to the tree.
• Vivid Imagery of a stable tree that is
fruitful because it is nourished by the
waters

13. THE WAY OF THE LORD (V. 1-3)
• What comes to mind when
we think of prosperity?
• Biblical prosperity is may
not about worldly health
and wealth
• True prosperity is about
accomplishing God’s
purpose and bearing the
fruit of a godly life

14. THE WAY OF THE LORD (V. 1-3)
• How do trees prosper? How can you tell a
successful tree from an unsuccessful tree?
• By their fruit!
• Can someone remind us of the fruit of the
Spirit?
• love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness,
goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-
control (Gal 5:22-23)
• Not to mention, the fruit of the prosperous
tree is food for others
• It seems that the prosperity in
Psalm 1 involves accomplishing
God’s purpose in a way that will
benefit others

15. THE WAY OF THE WICKED (V. 4-5)
LIKE CHAFF
Ps 1:4 Not so the wicked!
They are like chaff
that the wind blows away.
Threshing is when you remove the seed
or the edible part of a crop from the
straw or the husk. The chaff is the
leftovers
As scholars note, “The self- ambitious,
the self-serving, and the proudly self-
reliant are like chaff that the wind drives
away.” --

16. THE WAY OF THE WICKED (V. 5)
V5. Therefore the wicked will not
stand in the judgment, nor sinners
in the assembly of the righteous.
Because the wicked are so
unstable, they are unable to
stand – perhaps to defend
themselves before God
• The wicked will not ultimately
be in the congregation of the
righteous (i.e., those who
walk in the way of the LORD)

17. TWO WAYS, TWO DESTINATIONS (V. 6)
• Ps 1:6a For the LORD watches over the
way of the righteous
• Ps 1:6b but the way of the wicked will
perish
• In the Greek translation of the Old
Testament that is quoted by the New
Testament writers – The Septuagint (LXX)
– the same word for perish (ἀπόλλυμι |
apollymi) is used by Jesus in the New
Testament when speaking of the Two
Ways

18. TWO WAYS IN THE NEW TESTAMENT
• Jn 3:16f. For God so loved the world
that he gave his one and only Son,
that whoever believes in him shall
not perish but have eternal life
• Mt 7:13-14 Enter through the narrow
gate. For wide is the gate and broad is
the road that leads to destruction, and
many enter through it. 14 But small is
the gate and narrow the road that leads
to life, and only a few find it.

19. CONCLUSION: DOES IT NOT MAKE SENSE?
.
Psalm 1 is fundamental.
Fundamentally, there are Two Ways
to Live Life: As Selected (The Way of
Self) or As Directed (The Way of the
LORD).
.
According to Psalm 1, the unpopular
way of the LORD leads to true bliss --
and a more pleasant destination.