Psalm 1:1-6, “They are like trees planted by streams of water…”Today’s scripture is Psalm 1:1-6, given to us through the lectionary reading assigned for today. It is about two kinds of people: blessed and wicked, righteous and sinners, those who will enter Heaven and those who will not. Again, not all enter the kingdom of God; not all are God’s people. There is a distinction between “blessed” and “wicked” in the eyes of God.Our text starts like this: verse 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,” Blessed is the one who does not go along with the wicked or take a stand with the wicked or remain where the wicked stand and believe. At this point, a question arises: how do we know who is blessed or wicked? What is the standard by which one can categorize who is who? The answer lies in vss. 2 and 3, “But whose delight is in the law of the Lord,and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season.” Those who know the scripture not just with the head being informed by but live out the scripture to the point that they bear the fruits of the Holy Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control in season. When they need to be loving, they bear the fruits of love; when they need to be patient, they bear the fruit of patience, even in extreme situations or circumstances. They are God’s people who recognize God’s word as the truth that cannot be changed and revere and uphold it to the point that they “delight in the Law of God and meditate on it day and night.” What does it mean to be delighted and meditate on God’s Law, day and night? It is to have a desire and a longing to know more about God’s words. We have a bible study on Wednesday night, and those who come to the bible study hate missing any session; that is being “delighted in the Law of God. “Meditate” means constantly engaging to the point of talking to oneself, musing, wondering, and thinking deeply about something; it means continually “dwelling on” it. It lays hold of us so that it captures our thinking and finds its way into our choices and decisions. In other words, when we go against God’s words, the word becomes alive in us correcting. I often think about my mother, who passed away four years ago; I wish I could have been a better daughter, loving her more instead of hurting her. Yesterday, I remembered when my mother asked me to do something I did not want. She asked me to cancel the money my brother borrowed from me to buy his condo. I thought it was not fair that my mom would ask me that. I said, “No.” She did not push me further. However, God’s word kept coming back to me, “Obey your parents, for this is right.” It won’t let me rest until I correct myself and do what my mother asked me to do. To make a long story short, it was my brother who helped me buy a property in Korea later. My mother wanted to teach us to help one another as a family in times of trouble and need instead of borrowing like strangers do with each other. “Meditate” on the Word of God means that we take the Word of God that we hear and read, mull it over in our minds, and then digest it to mold our character after Christ’s character. Sometimes, we need to preach to us like the Puritans did. When we feel down and disappointed, the Word of God comes to us, “Rejoice in the Lord, be thankful at all times,” then we are to repeat the word of God and command ourselves in a way preaching to us to do as the scripture says. We inject the word of God into our thoughts as we make decisions, admonish and instruct our souls to choose the right things, and walk down the right paths. That is what “mediates” means. How do we come to that level? For one thing, we must have a desire to know the Word of God, which does not come overnight or will happen naturally. It might never come if we wait for the moment to feel like reading the scripture. It takes discipline; it takes our effort. Even if we do not feel like reading the scripture, we must force ourselves to read the Bible until it becomes delightful by experiencing the power of the word of God little by little over time. Do you know that God cannot contradict Himself and His words? If we pray and claim the Word of God, which became a part of us and molded us, God cannot deny our prayers. Delighting in and meditating on God’s words is crucial because it connects us to God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, the key to salvation and eternal life. We note from verse 3 that the person who delights and meditates on the word of God is likened to a tree planted by streams of water. The word “planted” originally means “transplanted.” From this, we know that the person who meditates on the Word of God has changed from being wicked, from being who did not delight and meditate on the Word of God, to a person who does, like a tree that was transplanted from a place that was not by streams of water to a place by streams of water. Do we get it? It is not about preference or an option if we want to live in God, –like a tree planted in an arid place, in a desert in which a tree will end up dry and die, is transplanted by streams of water so that it can prosper. In other words, a person who does not meditate on the words of God will not survive since it is not connected to the source of life, the water. Literally and figuratively, without water, anything that is alive temporarily will die. Water, the Word of God, signifies several things in the Bible: one, it signifies “Salvation or eternal Life.” Isaiah 12:3 says, “With joy, you will draw water from the wells of salvation.” In John 4:14, “Whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life”. Revelation 21:6 says, “To the thirsty, I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment.” Two, the water also signifies the Spirit of God. John 7:37, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water. Here, “rivers of living water” refers to the Spirit as it is explained in John 7:39. Three, water signifies God and the lamb of God, Jesus. Jeremiah 2:13, “for my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters…” Rev. 22:1, “the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb.” The Word of God brings us to the presence of God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, our Salvation, and our Eternal life. Without reading the scripture, without meditating on the words of God, and being connected to the living God, there is no way we can survive in this sin-sick world that is against God. If there are no words living in us, becoming the living principles in our lives dictating our actions in life, we cannot help but walk in the path of the wicked, stand in the way of the sinners, and sit in the company of mockers of God. There is no such thing as a neutral zone in Christian life; it is either or. If we do not meditate on God’s words, we cannot help but live and are dictated by worldly principles by which we “walk,” “stand,” and “sit.” Everywhere we turn, we hear and are informed by worldly and ungodly principles from literature, newspapers, TV, radio, talk shows, advertisements, psychologists, and people around us. A long time ago, I heard a woman telling her neighbor, “My therapist says that when you consider divorcing your spouse, don’t ever go to your pastor. You have your reasons why you want to get a divorce, but your pastor will discourage you from getting a divorce.” if that therapist identifies the pastor with biblical principles, what does that tell us? Isn’t that how the Bible is treated these days, just another book one can dismiss? What does the world counsel us to do if we do not feel anything toward our spouses if we find someone who makes our hearts beat again and makes us feel lively again? Isn’t it ‘follow your heart’? ‘You have one life to live!’ Do we have one life to live on earth only? Do we believe that there is a life after death and that we are to stand before God being accountable for our actions?Hear the Word of God: The person who delights in and meditates on the Word of God, “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. Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away. Therefore, the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.” Let those who have ears, let them listen! The Word of God for the people of God! Amen!
2024-09-22