Blessed Are The Righteous Series

Blessed Are The Righteous

The Blessings of Psalm 1:1-6

Psalm 1:1-6 holds truths for the child of God which will brighten their day, guide their life and set a destiny for their future. “Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the Lord and on His law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers. …the LORD watches over the way of the righteous.”

“Blessed” (???????? -?aš·rê) meaning a joyfulness expressing confidences the Lord is watching over His children. The “righteous” (??????? ?addiyq) referring to people who are hungry to conform to God’s standard for living. (Baker, W., & Carpenter, E. E. (2003). The Complete Word Study Dictionary: Old Testament, Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publications) The Bible says, “Blessed is the man who finds wisdom, the man who gains understanding.” (Proverbs 3:13)

The child of God who does not seek counsel from those who do not know the ways of the Lord will be blessed. This passage of Scripture is not saying that we do not seek help from people who are not saved. We certainly can seek counsel from people in the medical field, instructions from people who are successful in the fields we may be interested in or get direction from those who have proved faithful to their dreams. Christians are not to seek counsel from a world view when it comes to morality. For example: Do not seek the world view on marriage, sexuality, on how to treat people who do us wrong, the way to do business, the manor of how to talk, live and approach your dreams.

The promise of blessings finds its foundation upon our attitude and hunger for the Word of the Lord. Meditation upon what is written in the whole counsel of God’s Word determines the decisions’ a person makes which in hand determines the consequence’s the person must live with. Constant meditation on the Word of God characterizes the life a Christian will live.

The child of God who can say, “Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long” (Psalm 119:97) enjoys the Lord’s oversight regarding his life. The child of God who lets the teachings of the Lord guide his entire life, will flourish in the trials and blessings of life. In the trials of life, trusting the truths of God’s Word will grow our faith, make us stronger and enable us to seek the Lord in all things. In the blessing of life, obedient Christians will use all the Lord gives them for His glory, for the well-being of the children of God and for the good of all mankind. Notice the text says, “He will prosper in whatever he does.” In failure those who will prosper ask, Lord, what are trying to teach me? They petition the Lord for His intercession and wait for His deliverance. In blessings they see all they have as coming from the Lord. They seek His guidance, trust in His protection and enjoy His enablement.

Psalm 1 gives instructions for the righteous and teaches of the sure blessings to come. It also warns of the out come of the wicked, they will perish, the lives they live will bring an eternal curse for generations. Which will you choose? What are you experiencing today and what path will you choose for tomorrow? Jesus said, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” (Matthew 5:6)

Sir Ernest Shackleton, author of The Heart Of The Antarctic tells about how he and three companions attempted to travel to the South Pole. They set off with four ponies to help carry the load. Weeks into the trip the ponies died, rations ran out and they turned back towards their base with their goal not accomplished. Their travel time was 127 days. The journey back was time spent on talking about food – elaborate feasts, special delights and lavishing menus. As they staggered along not knowing whether they would survive, every waking hour was occupied with thoughts of eating. (Galaxie Software. (2002) 10,000 Sermon Illustrations. Bible Studies Press.)

In Deuteronomy chapter 8 we read of an exhortation “to follow the commands [God] was giving” through Moses. (Deuteronomy 8:3) Moses reminds the people of God how the Lord led them “in the wilderness [for] forty years, to humble [them] and test [them] [so they may] know what was in their heart, whether [they] would keep His commands or not. …[He] let them hunger and fed [them] manna which [they] nor did [their] fathers [know], that [they] might know that man does not live on bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.” (Deuteronomy 8:2-30) Mankind without the proper feeding upon the word of God will surrender to the sinful flesh of his heart which will lead to his eternal destruction. Christians hungry for all the blessing of the Lord, spend every waking moment meditating upon the elaborate feast of God’s Word. Is your life guided by the truths spoken by Christ? He said, “It is written! Man shall not live on bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” (Matthew 4:4)