On some Sundays I am going to choose a Psalm and write down some brief thoughts on it.
Today is appropriately looking at Psalm 1 for our first week of this series.
This is one of my favourite Psalms probably helped by the fact that there was a song based on it that we used to sing many years ago and that has helped me to learn some of the verses.
For me this Psalm falls into three parts:
V. 1-3
the man who is blessed
V. 4-5
the ungodly man
V. 6
the comparison of the end of the two men
The Man who is Blessed.
Firstly we know he is blessed because of what he does not do.
Secondly we know he is blessed by what he does.
Thirdly we see what the blessing will be like - good foundation, strength, fruitfulness, good life.
The Ungodly Man.
Firstly we know he is the opposite to the blessed man.
Secondly we know that his future is not good - not with God.
The End of the Two Men.
God respects and recognises the Blessed man.
The Ungodly man will perish.
There is no sugar coating - we are one or the other and it is not decided by man but by God.
Hence it should be God we are honouring in life and not trying to please man or be liberal or go with the times or be swayed by the majority or indeed be goaded into compromise by the minority.
And how do we know what is of God and what is not of God?
By delighting in God's Word and thinking on it all the time so we can use it as our guide & measuring rod.
It is important we know what the definition of the ungodly is
but
the one we need to focus on is the man who is blessed.
but
the one we need to focus on is the man who is blessed.
We need to avoid the pitfalls
but
most importantly
we need to turn ourselves to the word of God.
but
most importantly
we need to turn ourselves to the word of God.
Update:
My husband was preaching on this Psalm recently in church and around that time he put the words of it to music to help us all get the words into our minds and thoughts because we all know that singing is a great way of memorizing.
Below I've included a video we then recorded that will help anyone to sing along - this and other videos of worship songs can be found on his You Tube Channel Apostolic Worship
This day and age people don't realize the end of the ungodly man
ReplyDeletevery true Alicia they don't take the Bible seriously
DeleteI love this psalm Sandra and your comments are spot on here. This psalm is so simple and straightforward it leaves us in doubt about the consequences of the path we choose. The blessings in verse 3 really delight me and I love the imagery too "like a tree planted by rivers of water that brings forth fruit in its season. his leaf also shall not wither and whatsoever he does he will prosper." Wonderful promises.
ReplyDeleteIt is ideal as the first Psalm I think to immediately face the reader with the plain facts
DeleteThis is great. In our world of "tolerance," it is all to easy to forget that which is holy and godly and that which is not. And, at the end of the day, as you said, it is God who decides.
ReplyDeleteTrue we neglect being Godly or even learning to know what is Godly
DeleteThis is one of my favorite chapters. My siblings and I memorized it while growing up and I taught to my son when he was younger. This chapter reminds me of the phrase "dynamite comes in small packages" while this chapter is small, it plainly tells what can be expected. Thank you for linking up with Thankful Thursdays.
ReplyDeleteIt sure can hit home it we want it to
DeleteGreat breakdown of a wonderful Psalm. I will look forward to your Sunday's! Following you from the Weekend Brew ♥
ReplyDeleteThank you, this Psalm sets the stage for the rest
DeleteThank you! I love how you are going to look deeper into the Psalms. I love how you broke down Psalm 1 and I look forward to more. Thank you for sharing this at The Weekend Brew.
ReplyDeleteLove this psalm! Thanks for sharing with the Pinterest Love Weekend Pin-It Party :)
ReplyDeleteI know that I am probably going to say this nearly every week (I am such a sucker for the Psalms) but this is one of my faves, especially the part about the tree planted by the water.
ReplyDeleteI love you are working your way through the Psalms. I especially like when you said this: There is no sugar coating - we are one or the other and it is not decided by man but by God. Such a powerful true statement. Psalms1:1-3 are some of my favorites - God is telling us exactly what we need to do to be in His favor and receive His blessing. stopping by from women with intention
ReplyDeleteThe Psalms are so filled with godly counsel and this first one sets the stage for the entire book. I love that you are taking one each week and will ponder it and share with us what God shows you, Sandra.
ReplyDeleteThankful you are my neighbor at Reflect today.
Caring through Christ, ~ linda
Like so many, I love this Psalm. Thank you for sharing. Joining you from Reflect today.
ReplyDeleteGreat series on the Psalms. Looking forward to continuing this study.
ReplyDeleteBrilliant- simply explained yet a powerful truth!
ReplyDelete