Psalms 1:1

Well, good morning again. We are beginning a new series today called Songs of Summer from the book of Psalms. So, would you open your Bibles to about the middle of your Bible, to the largest book of the Bible called the Psalms? Find Psalm 1; it's where we're going to be today. If you don't have a Bible, you can raise your hand, and one of our ushers will bring you one.

As you're turning there, would you stand with me, please? We're going to be doing a series for about the next 11 weeks, focusing on some of our favorites from the Psalms. Psalm 1 is essential; you can't study through the Psalms without starting here.

There, King David writes, "Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in his law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither, and whatever he does shall prosper. The ungodly are not so, but are like the chaff which the wind drives away. Therefore, the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall perish."

Father, I pray that you would speak to us this morning, that you would meet us here in your word, which is living and powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword. By your Spirit, use this tool, this instrument of your word, to transform us by the renewing of our minds, so that we would be able to display in our lives what is your good and perfect will, and that people would see it worked out in us.

So, God, speak to us and meet us here. We ask this in Jesus' name, and all those that agreed said, "Amen."

Amen. You can be seated. We live in a day of nuance and variation. In everything, there seems to be a subtle difference or gradation, even in things that for so many years, for all of human history, were set in stone, where there was clarity. In areas like gender, which used to be clear, it is no longer clear. Now, there is a gray area.

However, where the Bible is concerned, there is clarity. Nearly all the things it speaks to have a very clear separation. Oftentimes, the Scriptures present an either/or, sometimes a very black or white concept. I guess that may be one of the reasons some people have a hard time with the Scriptures: because of the clarity. When you come to the Scriptures, the sword of the Word of God has a way of cutting through all the shades of gray that are out there. It makes the separation very clear—separations between truth and error, between good and evil. It reveals what is righteous and what is unrighteous. It reveals that there is a heaven and that there is a hell.

The passage we have before us today, Psalm 1, brings us to this clear separation again. In Psalm 1, especially the last verse, if you look at verse 6, you find that there is the way of righteousness, or the way of the righteous, and the way of the ungodly. There is no middle place to be; there is no gray area. There is the way of the righteous and the way of the ungodly.

As I mentioned just a moment ago, we will be doing a series here in the Psalms. The Psalms make up the largest portion, or the largest book, of the Bible. For the next 10 weeks, we will not look at all 150 Psalms; that would take us well into eternity, I'm sure, the way that I teach here. However, we will take 11 weeks to look at some of the standouts. When you come to the book of Psalms, it is important to recognize that this section, or this book, sits in a part of Scripture that is referred to as Hebrew poetry.

With the Book of Job, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Solomon, as well as much of the prophetic writings of the Bible, we find ourselves in the genre of Hebrew poetry. When we think about poetry, especially in the Western world, we often look for rhyming words and a certain cadence or meter in the writing. However, if you search for that in Hebrew poetry, you won't find it. Generally speaking, there are no rhyming words. Instead, Hebrew poets wrote with rhyming thoughts and ideas, utilizing a lot of metaphor. This technique is technically referred to as parallelism.

There are different kinds of parallelism. When you read through the Psalms, you encounter what is called synonymous parallelism. We will explore some of this more as we go through the Psalms. Additionally, there is synthetic parallelism, and a key type known as antithetic parallelism, which is exactly what we see in this passage. Here, we have two contrasting paths: the way of the righteous and the way of the ungodly. King David, the author of this Psalm, focuses on these two individuals or paths with that parallel mindset.

Not only are the Psalms Hebrew poetry, but they are also songs. This collection is considered the great hymn book of the nation of Israel in ancient times. Most, if not all, of these Psalms were put to music in some way, shape, or form, and they would be sung by the people. In fact, there is a section of the Psalms called the Psalms of Hillel or the Psalms of Ascent. Every time the nation of Israel would go up to Jerusalem for the Passover, they would sing these Psalms as they ascended into the city. They would memorize them through song.

How many of you know that it's often easier to memorize things when they are set to music? Sometimes, it can be hard to get certain song lyrics out of your head. The people would sing these songs. One of the ways many of these Psalms were written involved a musician like King David, who played the harp and invented various instruments. He would strum a chord on the harp, listen to the sound—whether it was in a major or minor key—and then write down the emotions or words that were evoked in their hearts. That would become the Psalm.

These Psalms have been referred to as the book of human emotion. Many people have called this the cry of the human soul. We know that many songs we sing are filled with emotion, which is why this book is a favorite of many Christians. In fact, I've been asking people over the last couple of weeks, as I've been thinking about doing a series on the Psalms, what their favorite Psalm is. I've yet to find someone who says they don't have one. People love the Psalms because they can identify with the cry of the soul in these passages.

This is one of the reasons that when you read through the Psalms, you come across some things that cause you to pause and scratch your head, wondering, "Is this really in the Bible?" For example, when David writes some of his imprecatory Psalms or imprecatory prayers—imprecatory is a big word for prayers of judgment—he says things like, "God, break my enemy's teeth in their mouth." We can all identify with that. Sometimes we come across these passages in the Psalms that just don't seem to fit. David cries out because all of his enemies have come against him, saying, "All of your waves and billows crash over me."

In fact, the song that Andrea just sang, which she wrote, is a modern-day Psalm. It really fits the pattern of the cry of the soul and human emotion. As we read through many of these Psalms, we find that same theme. One of the great Psalms, Psalm 73, which we will actually study through in this series, is written by a man named Asaph. He considers the wicked and asks, "Why is it, God, that the wicked seem to prosper? Everything seems to go perfectly for them, while those who are righteous are failing." Have you ever been there? This passage presents real passion, emotion, and truth.

These Psalms were written by various authors, not just one person. Although most of them—75 of them—were written by King David, there were also individuals like Solomon, who wrote two of them, and the sons of Korah, who wrote eleven. Even Moses wrote one of them; Psalm 90 is attributed to him. Hezekiah wrote about a dozen, and a man named He-Man, which is a good name, wrote a couple. Ethan the Ezrahite wrote one as well. Additionally, there are a number of Psalms that are anonymous, not attributed to any specific person, but they all cry out with passion and emotion.

We are looking at these songs together, considering the truth that we find in them. As I mentioned, it is really hard to study through the Psalms, even just a small section, without considering Psalm 1. This Psalm is regarded by most as the primer of the book. Some even consider it to be the summation of all 150 Psalms, encapsulated in just these six verses.

In Psalm 1, King David, the author, uses antithetic parallelism to contrast the way of the righteous and the way of the ungodly. There is no nuance and no gray area in this passage. David is clear: there is a way of the righteous and a way of the ungodly. This is one of the reasons I believe, as I said previously, that many people have a hard time with the Scriptures.

The biggest issue that 21st-century Westerners, particularly here in the United States and in Western Europe, have with the Bible, Christianity, and God is the exclusivity claims of the Bible. The narrow path, if you will, is presented in the Scriptures. The Bible reveals that there is a broad way that leads to destruction and a narrow path that leads to life. This exclusive nature causes many Westerners to feel very uncomfortable.

Interestingly, even we Christians, who believe in, read, memorize, and study these texts, sometimes feel discomfort when we encounter such statements. There is a broad way, a wide gate, a narrow path, and a straight path. There are good trees and bad trees, good fruit and bad fruit, good soil and bad soil, wheat and tares. When faced with this either-or position, the modern American mind experiences grave discomfort because we live in a society that wants to be all-inclusive.

That's why I was amazed a few weeks ago when I saw a car in front of me with one of those coexist bumper stickers. I even took pictures while driving, which I don't recommend.

You've seen those before with all the different symbols. "Coexist," and right next to it was a Methodist sticker. I was thinking, whatever. But there's this tension, and we live in the midst of this tension.

David, the King of Israel, writes in Psalm 1, verse 1, "Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful." Blessed is the man. Now, for some people, especially in Western culture, they trip on just those first words. "Blessed is the man." They have a hard time because they see this as an exclusive blessing only for men.

Did you know that this major hypersensitivity to gender issues is pretty new? When we read "blessed is the man" in this passage, it's not saying this is a blessing only for males. This is all-inclusive for humanity. The scripture often uses the term "man" to describe all of humanity. In Genesis chapter 1, we see that from the very beginning. "In the beginning, God made man." He made them male and female. So both were included in this idea of man in that passage.

This blessing is not exclusive; actually, it's very inclusive to any and all. Notice that there's no adjective that comes before "man." There's no "blessed is the rich man," no "blessed is the tall man," or "blessed is the Jewish man," or "blessed is the Gentile man." No, it just says, "blessed is the man." Blessed is the individual. Whoever will take care to follow what is written here in this passage, well, the blessing is for them.

So, blessed is the individual. This blessing spoken in verse 1 is available to any and all because, point number 2 on your outline, God delights in blessing. This word "bless," or "blessedness," or "blessing" in some form or another is found nearly 500 times in the Bible and 93 times just in the Psalms. God delights in blessing. In fact, I'll make the audacious claim to say that God wants to bless you. God wants you to be blessed.

Now, I know that can be taken out of context, and sometimes the way in which people say that and the teaching they bring with that saying can cause some serious issues.

When you look at the Scriptures, it is very clear that God delights in blessing, and He wants you to experience that blessing—His blessing. He wants you to walk in that. Since God delights in blessing, He describes for us many times in the Scriptures how you and I can experience that blessing. In fact, I would refer to it as the blessedness algorithm.

How many of you have heard the word "algorithm" before? An algorithm is simply what is used quite a bit today by technical firms like Google and others. It is a conditional statement, an equation: if this, then that. God constantly gives us this blessedness algorithm in the Scriptures. We refer to it by the term "beatitude."

Have you ever heard the word "beatitude" before? If you've gone through the book of Matthew, you come to Matthew chapter 5, the opening of the Sermon on the Mount, where we have what we call the beatitudes. There we read, "Blessed are the poor in spirit. Blessed are those that mourn. Blessed are the meek. Blessed are the peacemakers." That passage is commonly referred to as the beatitudes. The word "beatitude" simply means a condition for blessing.

Although that passage in Matthew chapter 5, the first 13 or so verses, is referred to as the beatitudes, those are not the only beatitudes in the Bible. There are several places where we find this blessedness equation or algorithm. Here in Psalm 1, we have an Old Testament beatitude, and it is not the only one. The very next Psalm, Psalm 2 verse 12, says, "Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him." There is an algorithm for blessing: you will be blessed if you put your trust in the Lord.

Psalm 32 verses 1 and 2, which we are going to study through in our series, presents another beautiful algorithm for blessing—a beatitude. "Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven." Can I get an amen? Amen. Blessed is he! Oh, how happy—that's another way to translate the word "blessed." Oh, how happy is that person whose sins are forgiven, whose sin is covered.

He goes on in verse 2 and says, "Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity, in whose spirit there is no deceit." We could go on and on and on. There are so many of these in the Scriptures where we read, "Blessed is the..." and it is simply an if this, then that condition.

If you walk in this way, then this is what you're going to experience. There's a whole list of blessedness conditions that are given at the end of the book of Deuteronomy. The final verse presents the curses: if you walk this way, you'll be blessed; if you walk this way, you will be cursed.

If you follow the rest of the Old Testament and the history of the nation of Israel, which the Old Testament chronicles up until the time of Christ, you can see them experiment with those words in Deuteronomy. Is it really true when God says, "If you do this, you'll be blessed; if you do this, you'll be cursed"? Read the Old Testament; you don't have to stumble in the curses. You can see it worked out; it has been experimented with. In other words, it is empirically true: God's word.

So, blessed is the man. The opening of Psalm 1 focuses on the blessed man, who verse 6 tells us is also the righteous man. The blessed man is synonymous with the righteous man. The opening verses, verses 1, 2, and 3, look at the blessed man. First, in verses 1 and 2, if you're taking notes, you can jot this down: it examines the blessed man's practice. What does the blessed man do? Then, in verse 3, it looks at the blessed man's privilege or position because of his practice.

In verses 1 and 2, we have the blessed man's practice, and in verse 3, we have the blessed man's privilege or position. David speaks of the blessed man's practice. In verse 1, he discusses the negative practices, the things the blessed man does not do. In verse 2, he talks about the positive practices, the things that the blessed man does do. If you want to experience blessing, you will take careful note of what is said in this passage.

David, in his negative perspective of what the blessed man does not do, states, "Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly." We just previously studied the book of Philippians, which also discusses blessing and happiness. In Philippians chapter 3, verse 18, Paul speaks about many who walk and live their lives in such a way that makes them enemies of the cross of Christ. Paul says that those who walk or live their lives in this way brought him to tears.

Those who live in such a way that makes them enemies of the cross of Christ are clearly warned against. We ought not to walk in a manner that positions us as enemies of the cross. What David reveals in Psalm 1 is that we should not even take counsel from those who live in opposition to the cross of Christ. Blessed is the man who does not walk or live his life according to the counsel, advice, or instruction of the ungodly.

This brings us to an entirely different study, which we don't have time for today. Perhaps at another time, we can explore what exactly constitutes a person who is ungodly, as the Scriptures describe. There is much that the Scriptures have to say on this topic. However, David emphasizes that you will be blessed—oh, how happy you will be—if you do not walk after the counsel of the ungodly.

None of us live our lives without counsel. We are all under some form of counsel on a daily basis. Whether we are soliciting it or not, we are constantly receiving counsel. How many of you have received unsolicited counsel? We are always receiving advice. We may not always ask for it, but sometimes we imply that we want counsel. We share our problems, saying, "Oh, I'm going through such a hard time," and then we pause, waiting for others to offer their advice.

We receive counsel from various sources: the news, television, entertainment, and books. We are bombarded with messages about how we should live and what we should do. Phrases like "Follow your heart," "Just do it," and "Obey your thirst" are all forms of counsel. We cannot avoid receiving bad counsel entirely. There are times, whether we like it or not, when we encounter poor advice. For instance, "Follow your heart" is often bad counsel. The Scriptures say there is a way that seems right to a man, but the end thereof is the way of death. It may seem right at the moment, but how many counseling appointments have I had with people who followed their heart? It often leads to regret.

Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the ungodly. While we cannot predetermine the type of counsel we will receive, we can increase the likelihood of receiving good counsel by spending time with people who follow Jesus.

It is more probable, though not always perfect, that we will receive good counsel. While we cannot predetermine whether or not we will receive good counsel, we can choose whether or not we will walk in the counsel of the ungodly. David says that if you want to experience the blessedness of God, then do not walk after the counsel of the ungodly.

Solomon, David's son, who is considered by many to be the wisest man who ever lived, states in Proverbs 1:5 that a wise man will hear and increase in learning, and a man of understanding will attain wise counsel. The book of Proverbs is filled with passages that exhort us to seek wise counsel. Blessedness and happiness abide upon the one who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly.

Secondly, blessed is the man who stands not in the path of sinners. There is a well-worn path in this world, the path of sinners. Jesus calls it the broad way that leads to destruction. Most of the world is on that course; many are on that course, as Jesus says. The person who will experience blessedness does not stand in the path of sinners. They do not continue, abide, or remain in that place.

The Apostle Paul, in Ephesians 6:11, instructs Christians to stand against the wiles of the enemy, the destructive ideas and plans of the enemy. We are to stand against that, but we ought not to stand in the midst of or remain in the path of sinners. There is a progression here: blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners.

Thirdly, blessed is the man who does not sit in the seat of the scornful. He has moved from walking to standing to sitting, becoming comfortable in a position he ought not to be comfortable in. This is the ungodly, not the blessed man. The blessed man is uncomfortable in that place; he will not be seated, he will not remain, and he will not rest in the seat of the scornful.

The term "scornful," or as some translations may say, "scoffers," is not exactly a word we use on a daily basis, so we need to try and figure out what it means. The exact same word is used by Solomon in Proverbs 21:24.

He says this: a proud and haughty man, scoffer is his name. That answers it for us. What does a scornful scoffer look like? A proud and haughty man; scoffer is his name. He acts arrogantly with pride, as Proverbs 21:24 states. That is a scoffer. Proverbs 22:10 tells us that a scoffer causes contention and strife.

Have you ever met someone who caused contention, division, and strife? Oftentimes, the common denominator of someone who causes contention, division, and strife is gossip. The blessed man is the one who does not sit in the seat of the gossips, the scornful—those who cause division, arrogantly, boastful, and filled with pride. If you want to experience the blessedness of God, then do not follow this progression of walking under the counsel of the ungodly, standing in the path of sinners, or sitting in the seat of the scornful. The blessed man does not find his place there.

David moves from the negative aspects of the practice of the blessed man to the positive aspects in verse 2. He says, "But his delight, the blessed man, his delight, his joy is in the law of the Lord." His joy is in the law of the Lord. He doesn't only live against certain things, having a negative purity. Many Christians live after a negative purity where they have a lot of "don'ts" that go along with their lives.

However, the blessed man also adds to the "don'ts" a list of positives. He says, "This is what I do. Instead of doing that, I do this." He delights in the law of the Lord, and in His law, he meditates day and night. One great writer said that the blessed man meditates upon the Lord only twice about his time on earth: during the day and during the night. He meditates upon the Word of God day and night.

Read Joshua chapter 1 later on for homework. In the first nine or so verses, God tells Joshua, as he prepares to lead the children of Israel into the Promised Land, that he needs to meditate upon the Word of God night and day, and his way shall be prosperous. You will be a blessed man or woman if you delight in the law of God and meditate in His Word day and night.

Now, as I've said before, I know that sometimes we trip over the word "meditate" because we generally have an Eastern or Asian understanding of meditation, which involves emptying your mind. However, a Hebrew understanding of meditation is about filling your mind with the Word of God. If you want to experience blessedness, this is the if-then equation of blessing: meditate on the Word of God day and night. Put God's Word into your mind and into your heart. The best way to do this is to read it, study it, memorize it, and think on it.

All of us meditate, whether we like it or not. We constantly think about things, and oftentimes our minds are unengaged from what we're doing in the moment. We find ourselves thinking about other things. So, when we look at this, we must consider: what is your delight? What do you enjoy thinking about? Where does your mind go when you're unengaged with your work or daily responsibilities? What consumes your attention? Is it politics, entertainment, sports, or is it the Word of God?

We all have this experience, and while it's not a good one, we all do it. How many of you have driven home on one occasion or another, and by the time you get home, you don't even remember the drive? You might think, "Oh, I don't even remember what happened. I hope I didn't hit anybody." This is because we can be absent-minded drivers, operating mechanically while our minds wander elsewhere. There are many people who are afraid of unmanned vehicles, vehicles that drive themselves. But listen, most of our cars are already autonomous vehicles. At five o'clock when I'm driving home, it's pretty autonomous; I'm just going through the motions while thinking about something else.

What does your mind delight in thinking about? The blessed man delights in the law of the Lord. The reason he does is that he meditates on it day and night. This is very important because, as point number three on your outline states, where your head goes, your heart will follow. This is so true: what we think about, what we feed into our minds and meditate upon, will ultimately lead our hearts in that direction. And ultimately, it will guide our feet onto that path as well.

Where the head goes, the heart follows. This is why it's so very important to have your mind gripped by the Word of God. We're not going to study through it in our series in the Psalms because it would take us forever. However, Psalm 119 constantly talks about the Word of God in your mind and in your heart, meditating upon these things, and how it will keep you on the right path. His Word is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. Where is that found? Psalm 119. How shall a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed to the Word of God, as stated in Psalm 119. We are constantly brought back to this truth.

The blessed man is described in Psalm 1, verses 1 and 2. We see his practice in those verses, and now we see his privilege or position in verse 3. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water that brings forth fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither, and whatever he does shall prosper. David moves to metaphor here. He says this is the blessed man's practice: he does not walk in the counsel of the ungodly, he does not stand in the path of sinners, and he does not sit in the seat of the scornful. Instead, he meditates upon God's Word day and night; that is his delight.

Because of that, he moves to the position, the privilege. He says he shall be like a tree that is planted—not a wild upshoot, but one that was chosen, selected, cultivated, and planted. Planted by whom? By the Lord. He will be like a tree planted. Isaiah speaks about those who are the righteous followers of God; he says they are the planting of the Lord. This blessed man will be planted by the Lord, and he will be planted by the rivers—plural—of water. If one river were to fail, he would still be amply supplied with a source of water continually. Thus, he is a tree planted by the rivers of water.

As a result of his privileged position, he produces fruit. He brings forth fruit in its season. What does it mean that he brings forth fruit in its season? Well, as it relates to the follower of God, what fruit comes to your mind when you think about the fruit of the people of God? The fruit of the Spirit, as described in Galatians chapter 5. Many of you go there as I do, and there we read of love, joy, peace, kindness, gentleness, self-control, and patience. One who brings forth fruit in its season is one who produces the right thing at the right time, in that moment when it's needed. How many of you have experienced this? I know I have. You don't have to raise your hand and out yourself.

But where the moment required patience, I didn't have it. The moment required self-control, and there was nothing there. With shame, I have to say there have been many times like that. The moment required love, gentleness, or kindness, and I had nothing. In and of myself, I am nothing.

But the blessed man who does not walk in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stand in the way of sinners, nor sit in the seat of the scornful, delights in the law of God and meditates upon it day and night. He will be planted by rivers of water, and as a result, he will have the right fruit at the right time. When the moment requires patience, he has it. When the moment requires self-control, it is there. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water that brings forth its fruit in its season. Notice also that his leaf shall not wither; he is never dry. Even in the hottest drought, this righteous plant is an evergreen.

Moving away from the metaphor, he says that whatever he does shall prosper. Is that not one of the most awesome promises of the Bible? How many of you would like everything you put your hand to prosper? This is the kind of prosperity theology I can get behind. Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord. In His law, he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water that brings forth its fruit in its season. His leaf does not wither; whatever he does shall prosper.

Then David turns to the antitype. With that antithetical parallelism, he now moves from the blessed and righteous man and says this in verse 4: "The ungodly are not so, but they are like the chaff which the wind drives away." Therefore, the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. The ungodly, in contrast to the righteous, are the cursed, although the word is not used; the word cursed is implied. He says they are not so. What does it mean that they are not so? Well, everything he just said about the blessed man does not apply to this ungodly individual.

If the blessed man does not follow after the counsel of the ungodly, the cursed man follows the unwise counsel of ungodly individuals. They are not blessed. They are not assured of blessing. They are not receiving and heeding wise counsel. They abide with sinners, scoffers, and scornful men. They are not planted by rivers of water. They do not bring forth fruit in its season. Instead of bringing forth fruit, he says they are like the chaff.

What is the chaff? In ancient times, and even today, they would harvest the wheat. Now we use mechanical means to do this, but in ancient times, they would harvest wheat and put it on a hard stone surface. They would come over the top of it with a board embedded with rocks, breaking up the wheat from the husk, the chaff. They would throw both up into the air, and the wheat, which was heavier, would fall to the ground while the wind carried away the chaff.

Whereas the righteous and blessed man has fruit in its season, this person is like the chaff—unuseful. Therefore, they shall not stand in the judgment. They will not be able to endure when the judgment comes.

Point number four on your outline: there is an appointed day of judgment. This is the ultimate conclusion that the psalmist of Psalm 73, which we will see when we get there, comes to about the unrighteous who seem to prosper in this life. They seem to have everything going well. However, he comes to the conclusion, "But then I went up to the house of the Lord and I saw their end."

You see, the Bible describes that there is an appointed day of judgment. This is another reason why people who do not read, study, or like the Bible do not like it. It reveals the truth that there is an appointed day of judgment. Sinful scoffers will not be able to endure it. They will not be able to stand. They will not be present in the gathering of the righteous.

He says at the end of verse five, "Nor will these sinners stand in the congregation of the righteous." They will not abide or be there. Why? Verse six states, "For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall perish—utterly and completely."

In his final words to the people of Israel, Moses, the great lawgiver of Israel, is wrapping up his message called Deuteronomy.

In the book of Deuteronomy, he says in Deuteronomy chapter 30, verse 19, "I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; choose life that you might live." You see, when we read a passage like this, we are brought to a choice.

A very simple exhortation, point number five, is to walk in the way of blessing. There are two paths. The Bible reveals them clearly, not just in Psalm 1, but repeatedly throughout other places in the Scriptures. There are two paths. Choose wisely. Walk in the way of blessing. Amen?

Would you stand with me as we close in prayer?

Father God, I thank you for your word. I thank you for these simple six verses. I pray that you would stir hearts here in this place today to even commit these to memory and to meditate upon them. Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful, but his delight is in your word. In your word, he does meditate day and night.

You make that person like a sure planting by rivers of water that will bring forth the right fruit at the right time in the right season. His leaf will not wither, and whatever he puts his hand to shall prosper. Lord, help us to walk in that kind of prosperity, studying and meditating upon your word and watching it transform us from the ungodly sinners that we are by nature to be righteous.

Thank you that by your grace, you have made us righteous through the Son of your love. We praise you and we thank you. In Jesus' name, and all those that agree say, "Amen." Thank you.