Blessed Is The Godly Man

https://bible.ryl.hk/web_en Grammar Bible (English)

https://bible.ryl.hk/web_Bah Tatabahasa Alkitab (Indonesian)

https://bible.ryl.hk/web_Esp Biblia de Gramática (Spanish)

https://bible.ryl.hk/web_Tag Gramatika Bibliya (Filipino)

https://bible.ryl.hk Chinese Bible (Chinese)

BLESSED IS THE GODLY MAN (PSALM 1)

The craziest thing happened in Hong Kong on Christmas Eve, 2014. A security van and spilled 35 million Hong Kong dollars or US$4.5 million into the eight lanes highway near the city’s financial district, but nearly $2 million was missing. Pedestrians and motorists got into a mad scramble for the 500-dollar and 1000-dollar bills from the van. A said, “There were 20 or 30 people picking up cash from the road on Christmas Eve. They looked like school kids who knew they were being naughty, but thought: “This is once in a lifetime thing.’ Everyone had the same look on their face.”

With media’s support police arrested a 43-year-old businessman and a 36-year-old cosmetologist and a 23-year-old man in Ap Lei Chau. The police Chief Inspector said, “We found the money stored under the bed at their homes. Police also arrested By some account, an estimated HKD6.3 million had been handed in the day after Christmas by 38 different people, with one person reportedly handed in HKD2 million.

Forward two months later at about 9.45 p.m. another interesting episode played out in Tai Po when a mentally ill man threw 49 HK$1,000 notes out of a flat in the building. This time, however, no one was seen picking up the money. Instead people only stood beside the banknotes, taking photographs. Onlookers watch in amazement before police officers arrive to investigate.

“Don't pick 'em up!” one witness was heard shouting as a reminder.

One onlooker later placed the money in a paper box, ready for the police. Others picked up notes, scrubbing them as if to check they were real, then put them back on the ground.

The first psalm in the Psalmist collection is one of the most popular Psalms in the Bible. It has the characteristics of a poem and is rich in imageries, parallelism, repetitions, contrast of two things and progression of three things. Most of all it is a song of praise to the Lord and the introduction of the Psalms in its entirety. Most obvious is contrast between the godly and the ungodly people’s character, their choices and consequences.

Would you consider yourself to be lucky finders of money or unlucky not to be there on Christmas Eve? Would you retain or return the money if you have the chance? What kind of a person are you? How does it govern your choices? Why does your relationship with the Lord matter?

Sin Has No Advantage

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. (Psalm 1:1-3)

An elderly man was driving his Buick down the freeway when his cell phone rang.

Answering, he heard his wife's voice urgently warning him, “Hubby, I just heard on the news that there's a car going the wrong way on 280. Please be careful!”

“It's not just one car,” said Herman. “It's hundreds of them!”

Many people do not know they are going the wrong way, many do not feel so, and worse, many more do not care.

The term “blessed” is a popular Psalmist expression. A majority, 26 of its 45 Hebrew expressions, are found in the Psalms, five of which is placed as the first Hebrew word of the chapter (Ps 1:1, 32:1, 41:1, 119:1, 128:1), a stylish literary device and title heading not employed in other books.

The blessedness of Psalm 1 is more preventive and less passive. It is both activity and attitude, within and without. Surprisingly, the word “blessed” in Psalm 1:1 is not a verb or a noun, but an interjection like “Aha!”

It implies the disposition we have, direction we take and the decision we make. People are wicked, sinners and mockers from the causes they know, the choices they make and the consequences upon others.

Walk Sit Stand

Sojourn with Others Supported by them Share with them

Socialize with them Shaped by them Surrounded by them

Mobility Merge Mindset

Go Stop Rest

Path Place Partnership

The three verbs walk, stand and sit (dwell) are all introduced by the “not” negation in Hebrew - not walk, not stand, and not sit. The first verb is not to sojourn with others, the second is not to support with them, and the third is not to share with others. We are not to socialize with them, shaped by them or surrounded with them. In movement wise, the first depiction “walk” is the mobility, the second “stand” is to merge, and the third “sit” is the mindset. Another way to put it is to go, stop and rest, or start, stop and stay; not to be in the same path, place or platform or partnership with them.