Psalms 1:2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.

2. Psalms 1:2
But his delight is in the law of the LORD;
and in his law doth he meditate day and
night.
Kondili anaa sa Kasugoan ni Jehova ang
iyang kalipay; Ug sa Kasugoan Niya
nagapalandong siya sa adlaw ug sa gabii.

3. But his:
Psa 40:8, Psa 112:1, Psa 119:11, Psa 119:35, Psa
119:47-48, Psa 119:72, Psa 119:92; Job 23:12; Jer
15:16; Rom 7:22; 1Jn 5:3
meditate:
Psa 104:34, Psa 119:11, Psa 119:15, Psa 119:97-99; Jos
1:8; 1Ti 4:15
day:
Psa 88:1; Luk 2:37, Luk 18:7; 1Th 2:9; 2Ti 1:3

4. Psalms 1:2 tells why it is that the things mentioned in
Psalms 1:1 are not present with the God-fearing. It is
because he finds his joy “in the law of the LORD” in which
he “meditates day and night” (cf. Psa 26:4-8). It is
impossible for anyone to be “blessed” without engaging in
the Word of God. Not the acting according to the law is in
the foreground, but loving the law, finding one’s joy in it.
Acting according to the law without love and joy we see
with the Pharisees. The heart of the God-fearing is
occupied with it day and night, that is, constantly,
unceasingly.

5. A godly man, that he may do that which is good and cleave
to it, submits to the guidance of the word of God and makes
that familiar to him, Psa 1:2. This is that which keeps him
out of the way of the ungodly and fortifies him against their
temptations. By the words of thy lips I have kept me from
the path of the deceiver, Psa 17:4. We need not court the
fellowship of sinners, either for pleasure or for
improvement, while we have fellowship with the word of
God and with God himself in and by his word. When thou
awakest it shall talk with thee, Pro 6:22. We may judge of
our spiritual state by asking, “What is the law of God to us?
What account do we make of it? What place has it in us?”

6. The righteous man is not described positively,
under two heads.
He delights in the Law.
(Psa 109:16, 47, 77; Rom 7:22)
He constantly mediates in it.
The "Law" intended is probably not the mere Law of Moses,
but God’s law, as made known to man in any way. Still, the
resemblance of the passage to Jos 1:8 shows the Law of
Moses to have been very specially in the writer’s thoughts.

7. Having described the character of the truly blessed man
negatively, in the preceding verse, he, in this, speaks of it
positively. The law of God may be here understood of the
whole doctrine delivered by God to his church, consisting
of doctrines, precepts, promises, and threatenings, etc.;
or more particularly of the preceptive part of it, which is
commonly called his law; and so this is recorded as the
particular character of a good man, that he takes delight,
not only in God’s promises, which a bad man may delight
in, but even in his commands, which are unwelcome and
disagreeable to the wicked.

8. But his delight is in
the Law of the Lord

9. What makes you happy?
What gets you excited? This is a good way to see what is important to you. If
personal pleasure is the only thing that makes you happy, then you are a selfish,
self-centered person. If being with your family or friends delights you, that can be
better, but it still falls short. The righteous man finds his delight...in the law of
the LORD.
What gets you excited? This is a good way to see what is important to you. If
personal pleasure is the only thing that makes you happy, then you are a selfish,
self-centered person. If being with your family or friends delights you, that can be
better, but it still falls short. The righteous man finds his delight...in the law of
the LORD.
In the meditation and study of the Law, of the Word of Jehovah, he finds full inner
satisfaction and happiness.

10. But his delight is in the Law of the Lord.
‫חפצו‬ chephtso, his will, desire, affection, every motive in his heart,
and every moving principle in his soul, are on the side of God and
his truth. He takes up the law of the Lord as the rule of his life; he
brings all his actions and affections to this holy standard. He
looketh into the perfect law of liberty; and is not a forgetful hearer,
but a doer of the word; and is therefore blessed in his deed.
His pleasure; his happiness. Instead of finding his happiness in the
society and the occupations of the wicked, he finds it in the truth of
God. The law or truth of God is not distasteful to him, but he so
delights in it as to desire to become more and more acquainted with
it, and to have its truths impressed more and more on his heart.

11. But his delight
The entire affection which a good man has for the law of
God: His delight is in it. He delights in it, though it be a
law, a yoke, because it is the law of God, which is holy,
just, and good, which he freely consents to, and so
delights in, after the inner man, Rom 7:16, Rom 7:22. All
who are well pleased that there is a God must be well
pleased that there is a Bible, a revelation of God, of his
will, and of the only way to happiness in him.

12. What is this law?
The Hebrew word ‫תורה‬ tô rah, properly means instruction, precept; and then, an
injunction, command, law, in the usual sense of the word. It was applied particularly to the
Pentateuch, or law of Moses, as containing the first written and recorded laws of God; and
then the word came, in a more general sense, to be applied to all the books of the Old
Testament, as being an exposition and application of the law.
The Hebrew word for law, torah, implies all teaching that comes from God. The law is also
God’s demand to live by His commandments to be justified thereby (Lev 18:5).
Here the word undoubtedly refers to the written revelation of the will of God as far as it
was then made known. On the same principle, however, the declaration here made would
apply to any part of a divine revelation; and hence, the sentiment is, that a truly pious
man finds his highest delight in the revealed truths of God. This is often referred to as
characteristic of true piety. Compare Psa 19:10; Psa 119:97, Psa 119:99.

13. What is this law?
Throughout Psalms, the phrase law of the LORD is used to describe God’s entire
word, not only the “law” portion of the first five books of the Bible.
However, the psalmist is not speaking here of the deadly effects that the law has
for every person because he cannot keep it. He is speaking of the life-giving
aspects of the law. He who walks with God and lives in fellowship with Him
because he has new life, finds his deepest joy in always being engaged in the
teaching of God, for this gives him the deepest happiness. The righteous man is
delighted with the word of God!

14. And in his Law doth he
meditate day and night

15. The intimate acquaintance which a good man keeps up with the word of
God: In that law doth he meditate day and night; and by this it appears
that his delight is in it, for what we love we love to think of, Psa 119:97.
To meditate in God's word is to discourse with ourselves concerning the
great things contained in it, with a close application of mind, a fixedness
of thought, till we be suitably affected with those things and experience
the savour and power of them in our hearts. This we must do day and
night; we must have a constant habitual regard to the word of God as the
rule of our actions and the spring of our comforts, and we must have it in
our thoughts, accordingly, upon every occasion that occurs, whether night
or day. No time is amiss for meditating on the word of God, nor is any
time unseasonable for those visits. We must not only set ourselves to
meditate on God's word morning and evening, at the entrance of the day
and of the night, but these thought should be interwoven with the
business and converse of every day and with the repose and slumbers of
every night. When I awake I am still with thee.

16. In his Law doth he meditate day and night;
The word ‫יהגה‬
, jehgeh, implies that he exercises a deep, serious,
and affectionate thoughtfulness about it; and by this it appears that
his delight is in it, for what we love, we love to think of.
In eastern meditation, the goal is to empty the mind. This is
dangerous, because an empty mind may present an open invitation
to deception or a demonic spirit. But in Christian meditation, the
goal is to fill your mind with the word of God. This can be done by
carefully thinking about each word and phrase, applying it to one’s
self, and praying it back to the Lord.

17. On his law, or his truth. “He doth meditate.” The word used here,
‫הגה‬ hâgah, means properly to complain, to mutter; then, to
speak; then, to utter in a low complaining voice, as is often done by
a person in deep meditation; hence, in the usual sense, to meditate
on anything; to think of it. So Jos 1:8 : “Thou shalt meditate
therein (the law) day and night.” Psa 77:12 : “I meditate on all thy
work.” Pro 15:28 : “the heart of the righteous meditateth what to
answer.” The meaning here is, he thinks of it; he endeavors to
understand its meaning; he has pleasure in reflecting on it. It is not
a subject which he puts away from him, or in respect to which he is
indifferent, but he keeps it before his mind, and has satisfaction in
doing it.

18. In his Law doth he meditate day and night;
The righteous man ponders the word of God. He does not just hear it
and forget it; he thinks about it. Christians should meditate on God’s
word!
Constant meditation in God’s Law has characterized all saint.
Blessedness is obtainable in two ways: negatively, we may avoid the
society of the irreligious; positively, we must enter the company of
prophets and kings, of psalmists and historians, and especially of God
Himself, speaking in Scripture. Do not simply read the Bible; meditate
upon it. Better one verse really masticated than a whole chapter
bolted. The godly man beholds in the spiritual law the declaration of
the Divine nature, which is essential love, and he delights in that law
after the inner man.

19. In his Law doth he meditate day and night;
A right relation of the intelligence to the law of God. “He meditates
on the law day and night.” We must know the law if we are to
perceive its beauty and appreciate its worth, and the more we know
of it, the greater shall be our joy in it. Many skim the Bible as a
novel, when they should ponder it, and master it, line by line, like a
grammar. He who is ignorant of the Divine law, or misconceives it,
cannot know true freedom and blessedness; but he whose eyes are
opened to the deep things of the law, walks at liberty, and knows
peace unspeakable.

20. In his Law doth he meditate day and night;
“Meditation chews the cud, and gets the sweetness and nutritive
virtue of the Word into the heart and life: this is the way the godly
bring forth much fruit.” (Ashwood, cited by Spurgeon)
Many lack because they only read and do not meditate. “It is not
only reading that does us good; but the soul inwardly feeding on it,
and digesting it. A preacher once told me that he had read the Bible
through twenty times on his knees and had never found the
doctrine of election there. Very likely not. It is a most
uncomfortable position in which to read. If he had sat in an easy
chair he would have been better able to understand it.” (Spurgeon)

21. In his Law doth he meditate day and night;
As Joshua was directed to do, and David did, Jos 1:8. This is to be
understood of a diligent reading and serious consideration of it; and
of the employment of the thoughts, and of deep study upon it, in
order to find out the sense and meaning of it; and which is to be
done constantly, every day, as often as there is leisure and
opportunity for it.
He not only reads to gain knowledge from the Divine oracles, but he
meditates on what he has read, feeds on it; and thus receiving the
sincere milk of the word, he grows thereby unto eternal life. This is
not an occasional study to him; it is his work day and night. As his
heart is in it, the employment must be frequent, and the disposition
to it perpetual.

22. It is a joy for the God-fearing to read God’s Word and to
meditate in it day and night (cf. Psa 19:7-10). He has an
insatiable hunger for it and is like the believers in Berea,
of whom we read: “They received the word with great
eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily [to see]
whether these things were so” (Act 17:11). It is not a
meditation at a certain time of day, but a day and night
activity. He reads a text, takes it to his heart and carries it
with him all day. And if he can’t sleep at night, he
continues to meditate in it. Regardless of the time of day
or the circumstances, the God-fearing responds to life in
accordance with God’s Word.

23. Day and night
‘Day and night’ does not mean that the believer studies the Bible
twenty-four hours a day and stop doing other things. The believer
who finds his joy in the Word day and night can be compared to a
young man in love who constantly thinks about his beloved during
all the activities of the day. During all the activities of the day,
everything is permeated with the contemplation of the Word. What
we read of Mary, the mother of the Lord Jesus, indicates that
meaning: “But Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in
her heart” (Luk 2:19).

24. Day and night
The righteous man only has God’s word on his mind two times a
day: day and night. Not seldom and slightly, but diligently, and
constantly.
We must remember by “and in His law he meditates day and night”
that the Spirit of God works through the Word of God. We cannot
separate them. The Word of God without the Spirit of God is dead
orthodoxy, merely intellectual, without new, spiritual life. Likewise,
the Spirit without the Word is an impossibility. If that happens, the
spirit, that is, the spirit of man, will try to imitate the working of the
Holy Spirit, and that will only lead to unbridled fanaticism.

25. Day and night
That is, continually - as day and night constitute the whole of time.
The meaning is:
• he does this habitually, or he intentionally forms the habit of
meditating on divine truth, by disciplining his mind in order that
he may do it;
• he takes time to do it - designedly setting apart suitable portions
of each day, that, withdrawn from the cares of life, he may
refresh his spirit by contemplating divine truth, or may become
better acquainted with God, and with his duty to him, and may
bring to bear upon his own soul more directly the truths
pertaining to eternal realities;

26. Day and night
• he does this in the intervals of business, the moments of leisure
which he may have during the day - having thus an unfailing
subject of reflection to which his mind readily reverts, and in
which, amid the cares and toils of life, he finds relaxation and
comfort; and
• he does it in the wakeful hours of night, when sick and tossed
upon his bed, or when, for any other reason, his “eyes are held
waking.” Psa 63:5-6: “my soul shall be upon my bed, and
meditate on thee in the night-watches.” Psa 119:54: “Thy
statutes have been my songs in the house of my pilgrimage.”

27. And now mark his positive character. “His delight is in the law of the Lord.” He is not
under the law as a curse and condemnation, but he is in it, and he delights to be in it
as his rule of life; he delights, moreover, to meditate in it, to read it by day, and think
upon it by night. He takes a text and carries it with him all day long; and in the night-
watches, when sleep forsakes his eyelids, he museth upon the Word of God. In the
day of his prosperity he sings psalms out of the Word of God, and in the night of his
affliction he comforts himself with promises out of the same book. “The law of the
Lord” is the daily bread of the true believer. And yet, in David's day, how small was
the volume of inspiration, for they had scarcely anything save the first five books of
Moses! How much more, then, should we prize the whole written Word which it is our
privilege to have in all our houses! But, alas, what ill-treatment is given to this angel
from heaven! We are not all Berean searchers of the Scriptures. How few among us
can lay claim to the benediction of the text! Perhaps some of you can claim a sort of
negative purity, because you do not walk in the way of the ungodly; but let me ask
you - Is your delight in the law of God? Do you study God's Word? Do you make it the
man of your right hand - your best companion and hourly guide? If not, this blessing
belongeth not to you.

28. Application

29. The good man’s delight
Such delight is necessary. By “the law of the Lord” we mean religion both
experimental and practical. Now such delight in it is necessary for a Christian
man, because—
1. Without it there is no heart in religion. But the very essence of religion lies in
the heart.
2. Works and acts acceptable to God will not be produced. But it is for these that
religion is designed.
3. A man cannot be a true Christian and understand the true gospel without
feeling a delight in it. The true gospel, mark you, for there are gospels preached
by some men that no man can delight in, but the true gospel must make the
heart happy.

30. The manifestations of this delight.
1. He will continually think of the law of the Lord.
2. He will be sure to speak of it.
3. Endeavours to spread the knowledge of it.
4. And will not rest until he has brought others to delight
in it also.

31. The happy effects of this delight.
1. It will make a man bold.
2. Very calm and quiet in the day of affliction.
3. It will prepare him for heaven.
To you who have no such delight, this law of the Lord,
which was designed to be your delight, will become your
scourge. (C. H. Spurgeon.)

32. A meditative life
The meditation here commended is one thoroughly
consistent with working, active life; indeed, is for
this very thing. And the happy man is he who
through meditation on God’s law comes to live the
life of holy service.

33. The godly man’s pleasure
Note the Christian duty and holy practice of a godly man. He is much and often in
serious and Christian meditation. He is conversant with Holy Scriptures; his
meditation is concerning the “law,” that is, the heavenly doctrine which shows the
will of God and His worship, what man must and ought to believe and do to gain
eternal life. It is his daily study and continual exercise. Not that he doth nothing
else; the meaning is, he setteth some time apart daily to serve God. The godly
man, who is truly blessed and happy, doth wonderfully love, and is greatly
affected with the Word of Almighty God, and hath exceeding delight and joy in
the doctrine of God, because there is revealed the will of God, whereunto men
must be careful to frame and conform all their desires, thoughts, words, and
deeds, because herein is chalked out and declared the very highway of eternal life
and salvation. It is a special note and property of a godly man to perform
Christian duties to God willingly and cheerfully, and to make them his delight and
joy. (Samuel Smith.)

34. Bible reading characteristics:
It is read—
• Independently.
• Thoughtfully.
• Frequently.
• Submissively.
• Gladly.
• Prayerfully.
The results of such reading:
• Stability of Christian character.
• Fruitfulness.
• Freshness and beauty.
• Success in all his righteous undertakings. (J. Morgan.)

35. How does he use the Bible?
1. He studies it independently.
2. Deeply.
3. Sympathetically.
His pleasure
1. He enjoys the pleasure of congeniality.
2. Novelty.
3. Profit.
His prosperity
1. He is stable.
2. Fair and fruitful.
3. Successful. (J. Spencer Hill.)

36. The believer’s delight
1. The feeling with which the believer views the Holy Scriptures.
2. Some of the grounds which give rise to this delight in the heart
of the believer. Its own intrinsic worth and excellence. He knows by
experience its quickening and converting power. It has given and
still gives the believer light. In the Word of God he has found peace.
The Word gives the believer freedom. It consoles and supports the
true believer in distress and temptation.
3. What is the result of this delight? What effect, does this feeling
produce upon the believer’s practice? He “meditates on the law of
the Lord “day and night.” (C. R. Hay, M. A.)

37. Martin Luther said that he could not live in paradise without
the word of God, but he could live well enough in hell with
it.
“Man must have some delight, some supreme pleasure. His
heart was never meant to be a vacuum. If not filled with the
best things, it will be filled with the unworthy and
disappointing.” (Spurgeon)
If a person delights in something, you don’t have to beg him
to do it or to like it. He will do it all by himself. You can
measure your delight for the word of God by how much you
hunger for it.

38. References: