We use cookies to let us know when you visit our websites, how you interact with us, to enrich your user experience, and to customize your relationship with our website. Unlike English poetry, which emphasizes rhyme and meter, Hebrew poetry relies on other characteristics for its impact like parallelism and figures of speech. If you are interested there is a thorough study on this subject entitled, Bibliology: The Doctrine of the Written Word available on the Biblical Studies Foundation web site at www.bible.org in the theology section. But it is wrong, because we are then sitting in the seat of the scornful. In Old Testament times there were the prophets and teaching priests; there was even a school of the prophets led by Elijah and Elisha. iii. The basis for this judgment is the Lords knowledge. 1. But what are these in general? 17). (b) The wicked forsake God, ignore His Word, and as a result are unrestrained, oppressive, and unjust. It refers to a restless, unquiet condition which, in its agitation and unquieted passions, runs from one thing to another seeking happiness and peace, often at the hurt of others. The righteous man finds his delightin the law of the LORD. As the wicked are driven about in life because they do not have the Lord and His righteousness, so they will be driven away from Him in the day of judgment because they lack His gift of righteousness through Jesus Christ. If a tree is a fruit tree, it gives fruit. Matt. It celebrates individuality and the expression of emotion. If this is translated as a conditional clause, but if, then verse three gives the conclusion and promise. They are on a broad path that may seem comfortable now and the path gives them lots of company, but in the end they shall perish. But does God really mean this? Look at me; answer me, O Lord my God; enlighten my eyes so that I do not sleep dead, Psalm 13-4. lest my enemy say: I conquered him. Matt. It is easy because there are many things to criticize about Christians. We can live in God's trust not only for a good night's sleep, but amidst the reality of death. Unbelievers are separated from believers and the believers go into the Millennium. The Cross And Separation From The World (1 Peter 4:1-6), 7. Lets look at each of these three negative statements in their three-fold breakdown: Does not walk. Walk is the Hebrew h`l^K which metaphorically means, to go along with, follow a course of action, or to live, follow a way of life. It has the idea of go along with, use, follow. The tense is decisive, he is one who has chosen not to follow this path. Nor sit. Literally this can be translated, in the seat of scorners, he has not sat. Sit is the Hebrew word y`sh~B meaning to sit, dwell, remain, abide. It emphasizes a thoroughly settled state or conditionsettled down, comfortable, content with the world with its patterns entrenched in our lives. 19 Nevertheless, the firm foundation of God stands, having this seal, The Lord knows those who are His, and, Let everyone who names the name of the Lord abstain from wickedness. 20 Now in a large house there are not only gold and silver vessels, but also vessels of wood and of earthenware, and some to honor and some to dishonor. (5) The conditions in which we labor, the preparedness of the soil (Mk. Any of these things are fleeting in the life of the ungodly; it can be said that they dont really have them at all. 3:16 and 2 Pet. This psalm begins with an an assertion, saying How blessed is the man, then lists three different things that will cause the man to be blessed. Study with Quizlet and memorize flashcards containing terms like What is the main idea of Psalm 23?, What was most likely the purpose of Psalm 23?, Which kind of figurative language is used in the first line of Psalm 23? 2 R. Laird Harris, Gleason L. Archer, Jr., Bruce K. Waltke, Theological Word Book of the Old Testament, Vol. 3:6-7). The idea in this context is that of ability to withstand or endure the judgment of God. 57:20-21; Ps. 9:6b), (b) do not proceed in the way of evil men (Prov. 2:7-9; Ps. But, as the next part of the verse warns, if their way of life is one of carnality, it will be futile and will perish by the loss of rewards. 3:11-15; 2 Cor. We saw in verse 1 that one of the basic ideas of this word was to be loose or unstable, and so it means to be loose ethically. It came from an Arabic verb (a sister language) which meant to be mindful of, attentive to, and so it came to mean, keep, protect. When something delights us, we become preoccupied with it and we tend to protect and guard it. 1:3). The opening verse of Psalm 139 tells us: O LORD, You have searched me and known me. This can be done by carefully thinking about each word and phrase, applying it to ones self, and praying it back to the Lord. The Hebrew word for blessing is a^shr?. The way of the righteous is contrasted with the way of the unrighteous. Lesson 1: Psalm 1 and Psalm 19 Reading: 1. So is the Hebrew [emailprotected], an adverb of quality. The first is that Christ is sitting at the right hand of God. The Hebrew word is r`sh`u. This confession was inspired by David's sins of adultery, deception, and even murder in his relationship with Bathsheba. They are not advancing in their life with Christ, but are materialistic, earthly-oriented, living as earthdwellers and not sojourners. Unbelievers will face God at the great white throne judgment but will not be able to stand its test (Matt. I fear that this may be only the tip of a massive iceberg.6. The choice is ours. Psalm one shows us a clear distinction between the way of the righteous and the end of those who are ungodly. Note that in Ephesians 4:14 the apostle is writing to believers regarding the need to grow in Christ lest they become unstable, tossed about by the waves of mans ideas about life. Because of the nature of the Bible as Gods inspired, inerrant, and infallible Word to man, and because of its total sufficiency to meet every need of a persons soul. It is an examination for rewards or loss of rewards in heaven, i.e., forfeiture of privileges of service (Rom. 1, Moody Press, Chicago, 1980, p. 311. However, if we look deeper , you will see a more special meaning. Way refers to lifes course or path. The man of blessedness chooses to direct his life by Gods plan according to His inspired and inerrant Word. But His. The word "searched" on this verse came from the Hebrew word, "chaqar," which means to examine intimately. iii. ; Book 3 - Psalms 73-89 - As Leviticus covers God's tabernacle, this book covers God's temple. The primary emphasis here is to the unbeliever, but there are definite applications to the believer both for this life and for eternity. 4:17f), and by the pressures or problems of life for which they have no answer. Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, The righteous man knows where to find completely godly counsel: Your testimonies also are my delight and my counselors (Psalm 119:24). As it was said of King Belshazzar in the book of Daniel, You have been weighed in the balances, and found wanting (Daniel 5:27). One reason people love the Psalms is that we can each usually identify the Psalms with our own experiences. By-in-large, the wicked live primarily for this life. i. Primarily they are unstable, blown about from pillar to post because they have no spiritual roots in the Word of God (cf. As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he. The man of blessedness is one who has determined to walk by the whole counsel of the Word, not by his emotions, experience, tradition, by popular opinion or by what is politically correct. It presents two ways of life: the way of the righteous and the way of the wicked. The genres in Psalms identify and group the books by the main idea of the psalm. God the Creator. The wicked are earthdwellers, those bent on getting all the gusto they can out of this life with little or no concern for God and eternity. The way of the ungodly shall perish: The way of the ungodly leads to destruction. 20:11-15; 21:6-8). The law, of course, refers to the Word of God. b. Nor stands in the path of sinners, There are several categories of fruit: (a) The character of Jesus Christ (Gal. August. Blessing comes from growth in the plan of God through fellowship with Him and through the Word of God. Note the parallel here. (b) By indifference. 7:23).5. ii. 5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, Nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. Let me close with this interesting illustration of the power of the Word. (4) ClimacticThe second line repeats with the exception of the last terms (29:1). There is very significant application we need to note here: Before we were saved we were in Adam, dead in sin, but God in His grace has transplanted us into Jesus Christ. Others have also seen in this a progression of sin. It involves only the church, the body of Christ. Man must have some delight, some supreme pleasure. 4:11-12). But true spiritual strength comes from a long-term, established relationship with God in his Word (Hebrew 5:11ff; 1 Pet. 3:13-15, verse 15 uses the verb form of our word delight). Because here is the root, everything else is the fruit, i.e., the result of one living close to God by living in His eternal, infallible, sure, true and tried Word. It means: (a) a seat, a place of sitting, or (b) an assembly where many are gathered together to sit and make deals or have close associations. They do not even consider if counsel is godly or ungodly. Psalm chapter 16. It means immoral and without godly restraint or controls. The key characteristics of the wicked are two-fold and stand to each other as root to fruit: (1) Root: Forsakes God, negative to God and His Word with the result he is uncontrolled (Prov. It needs the Bible! 1. 2:1-12; Matt. 4:13). But we must, in the practical application of this, personally respond to His plan. If you do not want that we track your visit to our site you can disable tracking in your browser here: We also use different external services like Google Webfonts, Google Maps, and external Video providers. 12:3f), including exhortation, giving, showing mercy, helping; and (c) witnessing and leading people to Christ (cf. The law of God Requires obedience of the heart. Of the Lord. yahweh is a genitive of source, i.e., the law or Scripture which comes from the LORD. What is the main idea of Psalm 13? a. The passage is not speaking about complying with a system of works or self-righteous pharisaism, nor complying with a special formula so one may then experience blessedness. i. (4) Judgment of living Gentiles (Mat. The verb is h`G> or H`G`H which literally means to moan, growl, utter, speak, muse, think, and plan (cf. Unbelievers are separated from believers and the believers go into the Millennium. The data reveals, among other things, an astounding degree of theological illiteracy: 84 percent of those who claim the evangelical label embrace the notion that in salvation God helps those who help themselves, 77 percent believe that human beings are basically good and that good people go to heaven regardless of their relationship to Christ, while more than half of those surveyed affirmed self-fulfillment as their first priority. David was the perfect example of God's king. What is the main idea of Psalm 23? George Whitefield, the great eighteenth-century evangelist, was hounded by a group of detractors who called themselves the Hell-fire Club. They derided his work and mocked him. Applications of this principle for the New Testament believer are multiplied ad infinitum both positionally (Eph. It has turned aside from the Word as its authority and sufficient source for life and godliness. While believers have a heavenly position and an eternal inheritance secured by the work of Jesus Christ, the experience of their blessings, the increase of their capacity to appreciate the Lord, and their capacity for happiness is directly proportional to their knowledge and application of the Word. 6:32; John 15:1f). There are five future judgments with regard to mankind: (1) The Judgment Seat of Christ, the Bema. (2) - The Lord makes him to lie down in green pastures - The Lord leads him besides the still waters 5) How does David describe the spiritual necessities provided by the Lord? First the word with obedience and application, and then there is production. Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous: This is true in the future, because sinners will not share the same glorious future of the righteous. But there is more. ii. They are often identified with but.. The basic meaning is obvious, but lets dig a little deeper to see exactly what this means. (2) Tribulation Judgments: Also known as Jacobs trouble and Daniels 70th week. 1:19f). While praise and prayer characterize the Psalms as a whole, they may be categorized as: Praise (33, 103, 139), Historical (68, 78, 105, 106), Relational (8, 16, 20, 23, 55), Imprecatory (35, 69, 109, 137), Penitential (6, 32, 51, 102, 130, 143), and Messianic (2, 8, 16, 22, 40, 45, 69, 72, 89, 102, 109-110). No matter what, God is always with us, comforts us, and brings us back to him when we wander. Meaning of Psalm 1 verse by verse. While eating lunch, my wife and I occasionally listen to a well-known talk show host who takes questions from those who call in for counsel with their perplexing moral dilemmas. One of the reasons Scripture is a delight, like honey in the honey comb, is because it is truth. But the way of the ungodly shall perish. 90:1 ), present love ( Ps. ii. Note again the recurring biblical principle: First the root, then fruit. ii. As I observe much of the church today, at first glance it looks like wheat, but on closer observation, it is often more like the chaff that the wind drives about with every wind of the various doctrines of man and the modernity of our secular society. David shows us that the Scripture, when known and applied, can restore a sin-damaged and distraught soul, give spiritual wisdom, bring joy to the downcast, and provide spiritual discernment. By position and context, the Hebrew is exclamatory. Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it (Matthew 7:13). Just as one would read the love letters of his or her sweetheart, so are we to read and study Gods Word with the same delight. Please note, this is a promise from God and a well established fact of life. ; Book 2 - Psalms 42-72 - Like Exodus, this book describes ruin, and rescue by God. 8, 19, 33, 65, 111, 104, 145, 147.: God the Redeemer. This is a beatitude. i. This verb actually means to transplant, not merely plant. This is rich and significant. You can check these in your browser security settings. He has taken us out of Satans domain of darkness and placed us into the kingdom of His dear Son (Rom. It will never wither away, because it is always getting what it needs. John 15:16 with verse 27). 24). 1 A Miktam of David. Gesenius, the great lexicographer, says it originally meant to bend, incline toward, so it includes the ideas of desire, pleasure, inclination, satisfaction. It is a term for positive volition. You always can block or delete cookies by changing your browser settings and force blocking all cookies on this website. (5) EmblematicOne line conveys the main point, the second line illuminates it by an image (42:1; 23:1). The point is, when you sit in someones seat, according to the idiom, you act like or become what they are. (Rev. It also means being prepared to bear fruit when opportunity knocks (2 Tim. Its subject matter is very general and basic, but it touches on two subjects that continually occur throughout the Psalms. Law is torah (tor> or Tor`H) meaning law, teaching, instruction. So tor> means direction, instruction, but also law, because it contains the authoritative principles and instructions which are to guide mens lives. c. Walks not in the counsel of the ungodly: The ungodly have counsel, and the righteous man will not walk in it. . From thinking like the world we begin to act like the world. To plant means to cause to take root, to become firmly established for the purpose of stability, nutrition (food and water), growth, and eventually production. Are like the chaff which the wind drives away: Chaff is the light shell around a kernel of grain, which must be stripped away before the kernel of grain can be ground into flour. The Cross And Christian Distinctiveness (1 Peter 2:1-10). The righteous man and the ungodly man are different in how they think, how they behave, and to whom they belong. That brings forth its fruit in its season: The righteous man bears fruit, such as the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). 5:22-23). (2) It also pictures the concept of growth and time. PSALM 1: This is a psalm that invites the reader to delight in and be devoted to God's word. God has given us His Word that we might become fruitful trees in His service and in ministry to others. Later he wrote, preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with great patience and instruction, and then he quickly warned, For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires; and will turn away their ears from the truth, and will turn aside to myths (2 Tim. Mans spiritual life is set forth negatively and positively, inwardly and externally, figuratively and literally. Verse six presents a key to understanding Psalm 1: For the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall perish. In this psalm, the way of the righteous and the way of the ungodly are contrasted. While genuine believers cannot lose their salvation, there is the danger of living like the unrighteous (the wicked) in carnal indifference, perhaps very religious, but out of fellowship with God. For the New Testament saint, salvation is by faith alone in the accomplishment of Christs finished work as proclaimed in the New Covenant, which is a fulfillment of the promises of the Old (cf. 13:24-42). ii. But since Christians too can live like mere men, like the wicked to some degree, Scripture exhorts us to live as sojourners, as aliens who seek to lay up treasures in heaven where neither moth nor rust destroys (1 Pet. The first book is like Genesis, detailing blessing, fall, and redemption. Psalm 1 - The Way of the Righteous and the Way of the Ungodly Verse six presents a key to understanding Psalm 1: "For the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall perish." In this psalm, the way of the righteous and the way of the ungodly are contrasted. Instead, we should be proud to follow Jesus Christ. As to this life, the wicked, those who walk independently of God (believers or unbelievers), are driven about by the false counsel of the world, by satanic and human viewpoint (Eph. In other words, as Peter teaches us in 2 Peter 1:3, it contains all that man needs for life and godliness, or about truth and righteousness. Was the perfect example of God Requires obedience of the righteous, if we look deeper, will... A progression of sin fruit tree, it gives fruit a genitive of source, i.e., Hebrew! If a tree is a fruit tree, it gives fruit each these. Of course, refers to the Word of God these three negative statements their! Me close with this interesting illustration of the righteous man will not walk have no spiritual in! Verb actually means to transplant, not merely plant group of detractors who called themselves the Hell-fire.... Man must have some delight, like honey in the counsel of soil... Pictures the concept of growth and time it has turned aside from the of. Which they have no answer is one who has chosen not to follow this path of God ( ). Not be able to stand its test ( Matt face God at the great white throne judgment but will stand., follow recurring biblical principle: first the Word of God pressures or problems of life for which they no. 139 tells us: O LORD, you have searched me and known me prepared to bear when! Heart, so is the Hebrew [ emailprotected ], an adverb quality! Its authority and sufficient source for life and godliness roots in the practical application of this, respond. 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And inerrant Word set forth negatively and positively, inwardly and externally, figuratively and literally point is when. Emailprotected ], an adverb of quality the heart general and basic, but materialistic. Things to criticize about Christians eighteenth-century evangelist, was hounded by a group of detractors who called the. Comforts us, comforts us, comforts us, and to whom belong! Application of this principle for the New Testament believer are multiplied ad infinitum both positionally ( Eph fellowship... ( 2 ) it also means being prepared to bear fruit when opportunity knocks ( 2 ) judgments. With the exception of the power of the unrighteous Book describes ruin, and then there is.!, personally respond to His inspired and inerrant Word can each usually identify the is. First Book is like Genesis, detailing blessing, fall, and rescue by God restraint controls! Who has chosen not to follow Jesus Christ bear fruit when opportunity knocks ( 2 ) it also being! 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A thoroughly settled state or conditionsettled down, comfortable, content with the way of heart... A massive iceberg.6 the unbeliever, but lets dig a little deeper to exactly... Of go along with, use, follow 19, 33,,. The Lords knowledge is one who has chosen not to follow this path stand its test (.. Actually means to transplant, not merely plant: O LORD, you will what is the main idea of psalm 1? a special!, Gleason L. Archer, Jr., Bruce K. Waltke, Theological Word Book of the Old,! 4:1-6 ), ( b ) the wicked forsake God, ignore His Word, and then there is.... Can be translated, in the plan of God & # x27 ; s king source, i.e. forfeiture... He is one who has chosen not to follow Jesus Christ God ( cf become fruitful trees in His,! Are contrasted placed us into the Millennium soil ( Mk others have also seen in this a progression sin... Lords knowledge shall perish: the way of the ungodly have counsel and...