In the previous blog post, we saw that the person that is under God’s blessing does not “walk in the way of the wicked, Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers.” Those are characteristics that negatively define the righteous man. The first three lines of Psalm 1 tell us what the blessed person does not do. We can turn them around and make them positive. The blessed man walks in the way of the righteous, stands in the path of the godly, and sits in the seat of believers. This person follows the advice of the saints, and rejects the counsel of the wicked. This person observes the ways of the godly, but is not associated with the wicked. This person learns from believers and not from the scoffers.
The blessed person does these things, because he drinks deep of the Word of God. “But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night” (Psa 1:2). This blessed man discerns righteousness and unrighteousness, because he holds everything to the teaching of Scripture. He delights in the law of the LORD. This is a person who has faith in the salvation of the LORD. He trusts that God will be true to His promises. And the blessed man delights in God’s law. Literally, he delights in the Torah. Of course, the first five books of the Bible are known as the Torah. But Torah means instruction or precepts. Abraham was said to have kept God’s Torah (Gen 26:5). Speaking of the Passover, God said “it shall be for a sign unto you upon your hand, and for a memorial between your eyes, that the LORD’s law (Torah) may be in your mouth: for with a strong hand the LORD brought you out of Egypt” (Exod 13:9). When the Israelites complained that they wanted food, God told Moses, “Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day, that I may test them, whether or not they will walk in My instruction (Torah)” (Exod 16:4). This word is used more than 40 times in Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. It is in the instructions and precepts of God that the righteous person delights. “I love your law” (Psa 119:113b). Why? Because “Your law is truth” (Psa 119:142b). Thus, the righteous person loves the instructions that God has revealed to us in His Word. That is why God’s word is so precious to us. Because it reveals His instructions to us.
The righteous so delights in the Word of God that “he meditates in it day and night.” To meditate does not mean to empty our minds. In biblical terms, it means the opposite. It means to fill our minds with truth by repeating the truth over and over. The blessed man does not fill his mind with the teachings of man. He fills his mind with the teachings of God. He repeats the Words of God over and over to himself. And he doesn’t do this for a small portion of his day. He does not allocate fifteen minutes to this. He meditates on the Word of God “day and night.” This is poetic language that describes the idea of constantly. The righteous person constantly meditates on the Word of God. Perhaps the Bible is not always open, but the words are constantly running through his mind. In this way, he stands firm again the scoffing of the wicked.
Let us always be meditating on Scripture, savoring every word over and again. In doing so, we will find ourselves much enriched. We will find our prayers more enriched. Our speech will take on the flavor of God’s Word. And our thoughts will be more like God’s thoughts.
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