Sunday Scripture

 

 It's time for another Sunday Scripture!  This is the first post of what will be an ongoing series on my simple study of Psalms.  You can see a copy of the journal here: The Book of Psalms 1-50 or you can find all the resources right here on Women Living Well, Psalms 1-50.  I'm attempting to SOAP each Psalm too, though some of them are longer so I will likely only do a selected passage from many of them. [Quick reminder that S stands for Scripture; O stands for for observation; A stands for application, and P stands for prayer.]  Each psalm's study also includes a reflection question, which I will attempt to journal an answer to.  Today's study is from Psalm 1. 

S= "Blessed is the man who walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
"But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His law doth he meditate day and night.
"And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; its leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
"The ungodly are not so, but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.
"Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. 
"For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall perish."  (Psalm 1:1-6)

O= In the Scofield study Bible, C.I. Scofield titles this psalm "Two men, two ways, two destinies."

The first man does not "walk in the counsel of the ungodly".  He also does not "stand in the way of sinners" nor does he "sit in the seat of the scornful".

Instead of doing these things, this man:

Delights himself in God's Word
Meditates in God's Word day and night.

He will then be like a tree that is ...

Planted by water
Fruitful in season
Filled with green, healthy leaves

And whatever this man does will prosper.  The LORD knows his way.

But the second man, the ungodly man,  is not like this.  Instead of being like a rooted tree, he is like chaff which the wind drives away.  He does not sit with the righteous and will not even be able to stand in the day of judgment.  The way of the ungodly shall perish.

My Bible has a note that "man" in this Psalm is "The singular Hebrew word for man ... used here to portray a representative example of a godly person."

Cross-reference for "walketh" (v.1) -- "Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men men.  Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away."  (Proverbs 4:14-15)

Cross-reference for "the counsel of the ungodly" (v.1) -- "Lo, their good is not in their hand; the counsel of the wicked is far from me."  (Job 21:16)

Cross-reference for "way of sinners" (v.1) -- "My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not."  (Proverbs 1:10)

Cross-references for "the seat of the scornful" (v.1) -- "I have not sat with vain persons, neither will I go in with dissemblers."  (Psalm 26:4)

"I sat not in the assembly of the mockers, nor rejoiced; I sat alone because of Thy hand; for Thou hast filled me with indignation."  (Jeremiah 15:17)

Cross-references for "scornful" (v.1) -- "How long, O ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity?  And the scoffers delight in their scoffing, and fools hate knowledge?" (Proverbs 1:22)

"Surely He scoffeth at the scoffers, but He giveth grace unto the lowly."  (Proverbs 3:34)

Cross-reference for "delight" (v.2) -- "Praise ye the LORD.  Blessed is the man who feareth the LORD, who delighteth greatly in His commandments."  (Psalm 112:1)

"Law" in verse 2 means "instruction".

Cross-references for "law of the LORD" (v.2) -- "The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul; the testimony of the LORD is pure, making wise the simple."  (Psalm 19:7)

"Is the law, then, against the promises of God?  God forbid; for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law.  But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe."  (Galatians 3:24-25)

Cross-reference for "law doth he meditate day and night" (v.2) -- "This book of the law shall not depart out of out of thy mouth, but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein; for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success."  (Joshua 1:8)

Cross-reference for "like a tree" (v.3) -- "For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green, and shall not be anxious in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit."  (Jeremiah 17:8)

Cross-reference for "whatsoever he doeth" (v.3) -- "For thou shalt eat the labor of thine hands; happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee."  (Psalm 128:2)

Cross-reference for "chaff" (v.4) -- "[The wicked] are as stubble before the wind; and as chaff that the storm carrieth away."  (Job 21:18)

Cross-reference for "will not stand" (v.5) -- "The foolish shall not stand in Thy sight; Thou hatest all workers of iniquity."  (Psalm 5:5)

Cross-references for "knows" (v.6) --  "I will be glad and rejoice in Thy mercy: for Thou hast considered my trouble; Thou hast known my soul in adversities."  (Psalm 31:7)

"LORD, what is man, that Thou takest knowledge of him?  Or the son of man, that Thou makest account of him?"  (Psalm 141:3)

Cross-reference for "the way of the righteous" (v.6) -- "Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in Him; and He shall bring it to pass."  (Psalm 37:5)

 A= If I'm going to be blessed I will not live my life according to the counsel of the ungodly.  I won't stand with sinners or sit with scorners.  Instead, I will delight in God's Word and spend quality time meditating on it throughout each day. This will cause me to be a fruitful, growing believer, experiencing God's blessing and continuing to grow and bear fruit even in difficult times.

P= "Lord, how I thank You for the clear instruction in Your Word!  I praise You for its guidance, its comfort, its clarity, its beauty, and that it is living and powerful and growth-producing.  I thank You for the delight it is to meditate on Your Word and for how You use that to help me grow and bear fruit, even when difficulties come.  Help me to remain strong and steadfast, rooted and grounded, and to be an encourager who helps others grow in their faith.  I praise You for all that You are doing, in the precious name of Jesus, Amen."

Reflection question for Psalm 1:  "What fruit are you seeing in your life as a result of your love for God and His Word?  Is there anything in your life that causes you not to produce fruit?

My thoughts: Here is a note from Scofield regarding John 15:8, "Herein is My Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be My disciples."

"As we bear 'much fruit' the Father is glorified in us.  The fruit may be converts (Romans 1:13); Christian character -- the fruit of the Spirit -- (Galatians 5:22-23); and conduct -- the fruits of righteousness (Romans 6:21-22)." -- C.I. Scofield

It's encouraging to me to see that there is fruit in my life, that I am exhibiting the fruit of the Spirit on a daily basis.  Of course, I have a long way to go, and of course I battle sin on a daily basis, but I'm encouraged to see some fruit, and pray that there will one day be "much fruit" to glorify God.

And there is our Scripture Sunday for today!  I truly hope it has been an encouragement to someone.