Blessed is the One
Text: Psalm 1
Core Idea: Psalm 1 promises that there’s a path to deep and endurable happiness. How can we be on this path? By delighting and meditating on the Word, for it will transform us into a people of stability, growth, and fruitfulness. Then, this year, let’s immerse ourselves in the Word and look to the One who gave up His life to bless us.
INTRODUCTION
Happy New Year, Lighthouse! It is delightful to see you. I’m so thankful that we can begin the new year worshiping together – especially with our Tugboat and Anchor friends. I know I say this often, but I never say it lightly when I say that our children are a blessing from God. When I see our children and youth raise their voices to sing to God and pray, when I see our children run around the gym, when I see our youth hang out in the hall after the service, I’m reminded of God’s faithfulness and love for our church because they truly are the future of our covenant community. Then, as we aim to grow deeper in our love for God this year, let’s also be intentional in helping the next generation to love God more and more so that they, too, will see and taste that the Lord is good. That is my prayer for us this year. Well, today, we’ll take a short break from our sermon series on the Book of Genesis and look at Psalm 1 because I think it contains an important truth that all of us should give full attention to as we begin this new year. Then, with that in mind, please turn your Bibles to Psalm 1. And I will invite Grace to the front so that she can read the passage for us.
1 Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, 2 but whose delight is in the law of the LORD, and who meditates on His law day and night. 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. 4 Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away. 5 Therefore, the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. 6 For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.
Thank you, Grace, for reading the passage for us. And children, I hope you enjoyed that video – a great overview of the whole book. One of the things that stood out to me is the fact that many of these psalms were written to express to God all kinds of human emotions. Growing up, I thought that I had to suppress my negative feelings because they often led me astray from God. So, for example, my anxiety caused me to doubt God’s love for me, my anger caused me to hurt the people I love, my shame caused me to hate myself, and my fear caused me to turn to the things that I thought could give me security instead of turning to God. But what psalms have taught me is that emotions are not hindrances but instruments that can help us draw closer to God. So, if I use the same examples, when I feel anxious, it could be an opportunity for me to cling to God with greater intensity. When I’m angry, it could be an opportunity for me to learn how to let go and trust Him. When I’m ashamed, it could be an opportunity for me to preach the gospel to my soul – reminding myself that I am forgiven and accepted as a child of God. And when I’m scared, it could be an opportunity for me to reflect on God’s wonderful promises in the Bible. All that to say, it’s okay to be honest with our emotions. In fact, the Book of Psalms will help us do that. So, next time you read a psalm, don’t read through it too quickly – slow down to wrestle with the emotions expressed there. Let the Word of God speak not only to your mind but your heart as well.
Now, Psalm 1 is unique in that there are no expressions of emotions, commands, or prayers. Instead, it casts a vision – a vision of life that all of us would desire. I say this because of the first word in the psalm. The word “blessed” in Hebrew literally means “total fulfillment or complete well-being” – which is why some translations actually say, “Happy is the one.” In other words, the psalmist is saying, “Do you want to be happy? Do you want to experience a life of blessedness? Then, listen to what I have to say.” I hope that this is grabbing your attention because let’s be honest – there’s no one here who doesn’t want to be happy. In fact, happiness could be the very reason for everything we do in life. Think with me. What determines the choices you make every single day? For example, what do you want to eat for lunch later? Why did you think of that dish over others? Because you believe that that dish will make you happy – satisfy you. Let’s say that you have some time to yourself after service today. What would you like to do? You could exercise, read a book, watch a movie, take a nap, spend time with friends or family – the list can be endless. But you’ll probably choose to do something that will make you happy. Think about the paths you’re on in life. Why did you choose the career that you’re in? Why did you get married to that person? Why did you decide to have a child? Because you thought it would bring you happiness. Now, some of you might say, “Well, I didn’t want to do this. Life just happened.” But the truth is that it was still your choice. You could’ve chosen not to go to school, not work, and not get married – but you did. Why? Because you concluded that not doing these things would make you more miserable. This is why we’re choosing to endure the hardship that comes from our choices. Why do we spend hours studying in the library? Why do we consume ourselves with work? Why are we patient with our children? Why do we work out and push ourselves hard when our bodies are screaming to stop? Because despite the pain and stress, we believe that happiness can be found at the end of that tunnel. One more thing. What are your longings and desires for 2025? Some of you may want to get into the school of your choice, get a promotion, get healthier, get married, travel the world, or retire early. But my point is that at the end of all those wishes is our yearning for happiness. Then, it really isn’t an exaggeration to say that our pursuit of happiness is truly dictating and determining how we live today. If this is true, let me ask, “How’s that going for you today? Are you honestly happy?” The paradox of happiness is that in all our seeking of happiness, we don’t seem to find much of it. It’s not that we’re not trying hard enough. The opposite is true. We’re giving it all. But many of us are still unhappy, dissatisfied, and discontent in life. Does this describe you today? You long for that happiness – and you’ve given it all. But you continue to find yourself in this endless cycle of pursuing and failing. And it’s making you exhausted, hopeless, and even bitter toward God. In fact, some of you concluded that you’ll never be able to attain happiness – which is causing you to be apathetic in life. Friends, if this is true, could it be that the problem is not that our efforts are not good enough but that we continue to seek happiness in the wrong places? It’s not that we need to try harder, but maybe we need to search for it in the right place. Psalm 1 wants to tell us where we should look. Then, let me share three things:
· TWO PATHS
· MEDITATION
· TWO DESTINIES
1) TWO PATHS
Verse 1, “Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers.” The psalmist first describes the blessed one in negative terms. First, the blessed one doesn’t walk in step with the wicked. Walking in step has this idea that you’re moving together. You’re imitating them. You’re adapting the rhythm of their movements. Why? Because you’re listening to their advice. Because you think that their thoughts and visions for life will lead to happiness. That’s literally what the word “in step” means in Hebrew – it means “counsel.” Then, the psalmist is basically saying, “Don’t take advice from those who are wicked. Don’t let your understanding of happiness come from those who are morally backward – those who think that evil is good and good is evil. Don’t be influenced by those who are firmly set in the ways of this world because their ways will always disappoint you. They may satisfy you for a bit, but in the end, they will always let you down.” Second, the blessed one doesn’t stand in the way that sinners take. Standing in the way has this idea that you’re siding with them – you’re following their paths. Then, the psalmist is saying, “Don’t be like those who are constantly missing the target (that’s literally what “sinner” means). Don’t do what they do. Don’t talk the way they talk. Don’t laugh at what they laugh at. Don’t be drawn to their ways because their ways will lead to destruction.” Lastly, the blessed one doesn’t sit in the company of mockers. Sitting has to do with fellowship. You sit to eat. You sit to talk. You sit to connect. In other words, it has to do with finding a community you want to belong to. Then, the psalmist is saying, “Don’t identify with those who are so jaded that they’re constantly judging and criticizing others. They won’t make you happy – they’ll just make you miserable, ungrateful, and judgmental.” All that to say, the point is that happiness will not be found in the ways of the world. Now, this is a hard truth to swallow because if we’re honest with ourselves, we find the ways of this world actually really attractive. We want to be successful like them. We want to be influential like them. We want to be rich like them so that we can have the means to do whatever we want, whenever we want. We believe that happiness lies out there – we just have to go get it. But the psalmist is saying, “You’ll never be happy if you follow their path because nothing of this world is eternal. The things of this world that you’re so desperately running after will one day pass away. In fact, death will rob you of those things. So, don’t invest your life in those things because there’s no lasting joy there.”
Then, what’s the defining mark of a deeply happy and blessed person? Verse 2, “But whose delight is in the law of the LORD, and who meditates on His law day and night.” In other words, blessed is the one whose heart has been captivated by what God has to say. The psalmist invites us to have our minds be transformed by God’s truth, God’s promises, and God’s vision for life. This person loves the Word, desires to know the Word, longs to be shaped by the Word, and makes every effort to live by the Word – it’s the source of their joy, strength, and comfort. Then, let me ask you, “Who is influencing your life today? Who is dictating and guiding the steps of your life?” The truth is that the world is constantly trying to indoctrinate us. We may think that platforms like Instagram, YouTube, or TikTok are harmless, but they’re actually instructing us, catechizing us on what we believe about money, success, happiness, and, really, every aspect of life – which, by the way, is the reason why we as parents should continue to guard our children from what they’re watching and listening. We may not see it right away, but the seeds are being sown by the musicians they listen to and the videos they watch – and one day, it will bear fruit and impact the way they perceive life. There’s no middle ground – our minds will either be shaped by the values of this world or the truth of God. You’ll either love the world and hate God’s counsel or hate the world and love God’s counsel – there are only two paths. Then, let me ask you again, “What is shaping your worldview today? Who is counseling your children? What delights you more – the counsel of the world or the counsel of God?” The psalmist makes it clear that a life of blessedness can only be found when we root ourselves in the Word of God. Now, if the blessed one delights and meditates on the law of the LORD, how do we do that? What does it mean to meditate? That leads to our next point.
2) MEDITATION
Verse 2, “[Blessed is the one] who meditates on His law.” Did you know that the word “meditate” in Hebrew literally means “growling or moaning”? For example, Isaiah 31:4 says, “As a lion growls [the same word for ‘meditates’], a great lion over its prey – and though a whole band of shepherds is called together against it, it is not frightened by their shouts or disturbed by their clamor – so the LORD Almighty will come down to do battle on Mount Zion and on its heights.” Here, Isaiah uses an image of a lion to describe God. What’s interesting is that this lion is growling or “meditating” on its prey so much that even though there’s a group of shepherds shouting and threatening, it’s not disturbed or distracted. The lion is so focused on its prey that nothing will divert its attention. In the same way, that’s what it means to meditate on the law of the LORD – we’re so focused on the Word that nothing will cause us to take our eyes off of it. Our minds are not divided – that’s all we’re thinking about. We’re not thinking about all that we need to do that day while reading the Word. No, we’re asking questions to go deeper, processing it, chewing over it over and over again so that it becomes part of us. So, for example, if you read that you’ve been forgiven by the Lord, how should you respond when you’re wronged? If you read that you’re loved by the Creator God, how should you respond when you’re rejected by the world? If you read that Christ died to save you from the power of sin, how should you respond when you’re tempted to sin? You’re taking the truth and talking to your soul about it – preaching and reasoning with your soul. That’s what meditation is. Tim Keller said, “Meditation is making a principle a reality – intellectually and emotionally.” Now, in the same breath, he used an image of a tree and a pipe to explain this idea. When water goes into a pipe, what comes out the other end is water. But that’s not what happens with a tree. When a tree draws water through its roots, what comes out of its branch isn’t water but fruit. Then, using this idea, Keller taught that when we truly meditate on the Word, it’ll produce a life that’s transformed. Because of the truth, we’ll think of life differently. We’ll no longer see marriage the way the world sees it. We’ll no longer see work the way the world sees it. We’ll no longer use money the way the world says we should. We’ll no longer think of sin the way the world perceives it. Every aspect of our lives is constantly being re-interpreted by the truth of God until it changes us completely. That’s what meditation is.
Then, when should we do this? The psalmist tells us that we should do it day and night. Now, we could take this to mean that we should think about the Word all day. I mean, we should. The Word should occupy our minds so much that it operates as a filter through which we see everything in life. But I think it’s a lot more practical than that. I think he means it literally – that we should meditate on it day and night, in the morning and evening. In fact, this could be a great New Year’s resolution for you this year – disciplining yourself to open the Word when you wake up and before you go to sleep. You don’t have to read a lot – you could start by reading just one chapter or one psalm. And keep this up for at least three months. Now, I’ll be honest – sometimes, it’ll move and inspire you, but other times, it’ll feel really dull. But no matter how you feel, choose to anchor yourself to the Word – be eager to be in the Word. That is my personal challenge to you. And as you do this, I’ll be praying that you’ll start to delight in the Word – even more so, that it’ll begin to transform you.
Now, at this point, some of you may be wondering, “Why would meditating on the Word bring blessings to my life? What does ‘delighting in the Word’ have anything to do with my happiness?” Let’s answer this by looking at verse 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.” The tree described here is not like other trees in that it’s planted along the streams of water – which means that it can draw up water anytime it wants to. It will never be thirsty even if there’s no rain. Regardless of the weather, even in drought, it has everything it needs to grow and be fruitful. Verse 4, “Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away.” For those of you who may not know what chaff is, it’s the empty husk – the part that covers the grain. I have a picture to show you. When you put the grains in the basket and toss them in the air, the chaff will come off and get blown away by the wind, but the grains will fall to the ground because they’re heavy. Then, unlike the tree, there’s no stability in chaff because there’s nothing that’s rooting it down to the ground. There’s no growth because there’s no life – it’s just an empty covering.
Then, here’s what we learn from this metaphor – two things that happen when we meditate on the law of the Lord. First, we’ll become a person of stability. Think with me. When the world talks about happiness, it often refers to being in favorable circumstances. “Good things are happening in my life – therefore, I am happy. My business is going well. I’m doing well in school. I’m healthy. I look good. I bought a new house and a new car. I’m dating. So, I’m happy. But when bad things happen, I’m not happy.” Then, the psalmist is telling us that those whose happiness is rooted in worldly things are like chaff – they’re constantly shaken by their circumstances. There’s no stability. But for those who delight in the law of the Lord, circumstances will not rob them of their happiness because they have direct access to the source of lasting joy – namely, God Himself. Janet Stuart said, “Joy is not the absence of suffering but the presence of God.” Brothers and sisters, is this true in your life today? I pray that it is. I pray that what makes you happy, strong, and unshakable is not your circumstances (a good job, a good marriage, or a good academic standing) but your relationship with God because this is how we attain a joy that lasts forever.
Second, we’ll become a person of growth. Verse 3 – the one who meditates on the Word is like a tree “which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither.” Now, it’s important to note that no tree bears fruit all the time, as all trees bear fruit in seasons. Right? In winter, the tree is fruitless. But here’s the point – even though it’s fruitless, it’s not dead. We may not be able to see it, but it’s actually preparing itself so that it’s ready to bear fruit when the right time comes. It’s actively waiting. The truth is that, in life, we will go through seasons of fruitlessness. Troubles will come. We may not reach our goals. And we may feel like a failure at times. But if we continue to meditate on the Word, we won’t stop growing. We’ll simply use that opportunity to put down our roots deeper in the Lord so that when the right time comes, we’ll be ready to bear more fruits. This is what meditating on the Word can do to us. It’ll prepare us so that we’re growing even in times of drought and hardship. Nothing is wasted. No wonder we can remain happy in all circumstances. Now, if this is not enough, the psalmist gives us one more reason as to why we should meditate on the Word – which leads us to our last point.
3) TWO DESTINIES
Verse 5, “Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.” Here, the psalmist tells us that the one who’s like chaff, the one who’s unstable and fruitless, will not be able to stand when the judgment comes. Nothing will be able to protect them – they will receive the fullness of God’s righteous wrath for their evil and wickedness. They will be treated as the enemies of God. In contrast, it’s promised that the Lord Himself will watch over the way of the righteous – He will guide them, protect them, and walk with them, for He desires to bless them.
Now, the problem with this is that this truth is not comforting to our hearts – it’s not filling us with happiness. Why? Two reasons. First, because we are not righteous. Left to ourselves, we don’t delight in the Word of God. We’re constantly influenced by the counsel of the world, drawn to the ways of the world, and long to be part of the world. We want to be successful, rich, and powerful because we believe that that’s how we become happy. Romans 3:10-12 says, “There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.” Ephesians 2:3, “We were by nature deserving of wrath.” Then, how can this be good news? But it gets worse. Second, because the only One the Bible says is perfectly righteous walked the path of destruction. Think about it. Jesus is the only One who walked in step with God’s truth perfectly – and yet He was condemned as a criminal. He’s the only One who stood in the way of God’s truth perfectly – and yet He was humiliated and beaten by the soldiers. He’s the only One who sat in the company of the godly perfectly – and yet He was mocked and crucified on the cross. He’s the only righteous One – and yet God didn’t watch over His way. In fact, God turned away from Jesus and poured the fullness of His wrath against Him. Jesus was completely destroyed. Now, what’s surprising is that even on the cross, Jesus didn’t forsake God. Instead, He still meditated on the Word. When Jesus cried, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” yes, it was an expression of His anguish, but He was actually quoting from Psalm 22. Even in that moment of excruciating pain, He was uttering the Word of God. And yet God didn’t rescue Him. And Jesus was killed on the cross. What’s going on here? Does this mean that the psalm was lying to us? How can Psalm 1 promise that God will watch over the way of the righteous when Jesus clearly received destruction? The Bible tells us that this was actually how God was going to fulfill the promise in this psalm. 2 Corinthians 5:21, “God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.” Because Jesus took our place and died on our behalf, because Jesus took the path of destruction for us, because Jesus was blown away like chaff, we were made righteous before the Lord – and because we were made righteous, the promise in Psalm 1 became ours to enjoy. In Christ, God will watch over our way. In Christ, we will be stable, we will grow, we will be fruitful, we will be blessed, and we will be happy. All that to say, we’re blessed when we meditate on the law of the Lord because this is where we encounter the Blessed One, who alone is the source of our true happiness and life.
Then, let me quickly speak to our non-believing friends here. I want to invite you to read the Bible this year. Study it, but also allow the Word to study you. Wrestle with the Word. See for yourself who God is and what He has done for us in Christ. Find out for yourself why He’s claiming that true happiness is found in Him. If you’re a Christian, do the same. But make a plan for yourself. Don’t just say, “I’ll meditate on the Word daily.” Be specific. Find a Bible reading plan you can follow, or just commit to reading one psalm a day. But give yourself enough time (at least 10-15 minutes) to meditate on it. Don’t just skim it, but reflect and internalize it. Use the Word to talk to yourself – preach the truth to yourself. Think out the implications. But most importantly, don’t give up. Discipline yourself to do this. Invite others to pray for you and keep you accountable so that you’ll be rooted in the Word this year.
CONCLUSION
Lighthouse family, Psalm 1 promises that there’s a path to deep and endurable happiness we can experience in all circumstances. How can we be on this path? By delighting and meditating on the Word, for it will transform us into a people of stability, growth, and fruitfulness. Then, as we enter 2025, let’s immerse ourselves in the Word and look to the One who gave up His life to bless us.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1) Reflecting on your own life, have there been times when pursuing worldly happiness left you feeling empty or unfulfilled? How did you respond?
2) Psalm 1 describes two paths – the way of the righteous and the way of the wicked. How do you think the influences in your life are shaping your choices between these two paths? Are you being intentional with the things that you read, listen to, and watch?
3) What does it mean to meditate on the Word? What practical steps can you take to meditate on Scripture with focus? How might regularly meditating on God’s Word bring stability and growth in your life, even during difficult seasons?