Everyman’S Bible Commentary: Psalm 1–21, Volume I

By Kenneth D. Becker

Authored ebook Revolutionary Revelation: Study of John

Everymans is a unique Bible comment for literally every man. Becker takes the technical Bible commentary and writes, rewrites, and further writes three times on the same passage while guarding against redundancy. With a nontechnical writing style, Becker seeks to attract a wide audience to the most beloved of Old Testament books, the Psalms. His fresh insights, frequent metaphors and figures, and everyday language invite the reader to enjoy reading about the Bible.

Retired pastor, missionary, English teacher, having spent 20 some years in each and more than 60 years in the preaching ministry. Living in Jeffersonville, IN, with wife. Have 4 children, 9 grandchildren. BA in Bible and MA in Christian Education from Bob Jones University. Edited two books in a new translation for The Common Bible, Inc.,, including the Majority English Bible New Testament and Johns Gospel and Epistles.

Looks very useful! This is a user-friendly commentary that anyone can use containing rich insight emphasizing what God is communicating and the appropriate faith response. Thanks for the excellent contribution!

John R. Van Gelderen

President

Revival Focus Ministries

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Feb 7, 2017
• ISBN: 9781512772173

Kenneth D. Becker

Retired pastor, missionary, English teacher, having spent 20 some years in each and more than 60 years in the preaching ministry. Living in Jeffersonville, IN, with wife. Have 4 children, 9 grandchildren. BA in Bible and MA in Christian Education from Bob Jones University. Edited two books in a new translation for The Common Bible, Inc.,, including the Majority English Bible New Testament and John's Gospel and Epistles.

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Copyright © 2016 Kenneth D. Becker.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Scripture quotations taken from the Majority English Bible copyrighted 2013 by The Common Bible, Inc. Used by permission. The Common Bible, Inc.

Scripture taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

Scripture quotations marked NKJV are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NASB are taken from the New American Standard Bible©, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 byThe Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

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ISBN: 978-1-5127-7216-6 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5127-7218-0 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-5127-7217-3 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2017900900

WestBow Press rev. date: 02/06/2017

Contents

Overview

Psalm 1 Two Men Contrasted

Psalm 2 Against the Lord Psalm

Psalm 3 Against Me Psalm

Psalm 4 Answer Me, O God

Psalm 5 A Model Devotional Prayer

Psalm 6 The Saint in Sickness

Psalm 7 Help for the Helpless Saint

Psalm 8 Man in His Created Splendor

Psalm 9 Victory Over Adversaries

Psalm 10 The Dismayed Saint in a Wicked World

Psalm 11 Unshaken Faith

Psalm 12 The Diminishing Presence of the Godly

Psalm 13 A Restless Soul

Psalm 14 The Secular Psalm

Psalm 15 Requirements for Heaven

Psalm 16 The Believers’ Covenant Relationship

Psalm 17 A Cry for Justice

Psalm 18:1-24 Deliverance from All Enemies

Psalm 18 Part II: Excessive Provisions. (18:25-50)

Psalm 19 The Glory of God

Psalm 20 Encouragement for the Beleaguered

Psalm 21 Criteria for Summa Joy

Overview

We introduce you to Everyman’s Bible Commentary. The title purposefully invites all readers. Although only ministers usually read Bible commentaries, though a Sunday school teacher receives very little help from the typical commentary, and the average Christian may not even be tempted to read one, many Christians do desire Bible knowledge and a guide to Bible truth on their level of comprehension.

Everyman’s seeks to address a need for a common commentary, one that is not technical but practical and useful. We have designed this series for all Christian believers, whatever their level of maturity, even for unbelievers who are curious, so that all may have access to an understandable and attractive presentation of the scriptures. Yes, the usual audience of Christian workers and ministers will not be neglected either.

Bible Texts

This commentary is based on a twofold text. The primary one is the Majority English Bible (MEB), (iUniverse, Bloomington, IN), produced by The Common Bible, Inc., and the sponsor of the Everyman’s series. The Majority English Bible is a unique merging of twenty acclaimed English Bible translations (seventeen in the Old Testament). We liken it to a super-Bible, in that its text is determined by the majority reading of translations with all the scholarship behind them from the King James Version (1769 revision) to the New International Version, a period of more than two hundred years of Bible translation history. All quotations and highlighted text come from the MEB, unless identified differently.

Side by side with it will be a literal text composed for this study of Everyman’s; but the literality does not extend to grammar and syntax, only to diction. Deeper textual studies do not fit our purpose. The MEB text also serves as the foundation for the exegetical comments in Level 3. The King James Version (KJV) set the standard and pattern for later versions, especially in The Psalms, primarily through the Hebrew’s simple, direct diction. Thus, the MEB and many versions may sound like the KJV. We observe also that the KJV translators seemed to stress the poetic aspect, sometimes at the expense of literal wording, as the KJV translators lived in an era of unparalleled poetic expression in the English language. Consequently, as later versions are often guided by former versions, they frequently followed the KJV, thereby creating a new word usage for some Hebrew vocabulary. Our word studies in Level 3 will display these nuances. This does not suggest, however, that the familiar Psalms are not literal translations.

Our reverting to a traditional literalism in the Hebrew language lends more color to an already beautiful text. We have followed a popular patriarch of Hebrew-English dictionaries, Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance, as the authority for traditional literalism. References to Hebrew words will be identified by Strong’s transliteration and number.

The Commentary

The commentary itself will be presented on three levels: the practical or devotional (how the Bible can be understood), the expositional (how the Bible can be taught), and the exegetical (what the words mean). Most commentaries major on one or two purposes, thus limiting their effectiveness only to the ministering class; but Everyman’s allows the average Bible reader to discover valuable treasures too.

Created in the image of God, we all have a tripartite nature: body, soul, and spirit. Good non-biblical literature serves the physical or the mental and emotional natures of man—the body and the soul. The Bible alone has the capability of ministering to his spirit. A healthy soul, which includes the intellectual and emotional state, does not replace a healthy heart, which effects a relationship to God. The two are not the same or interchangeable. Both must be nourished and enlivened for a holistic life. Everyman’s undertakes the broad task of ministering to the whole man.

Level One: The Practical

The practical section is targeted to the average Christian who seeks more personal application from his reading of scripture. Also, the unbeliever will find things here to introduce him to the central message of the Bible, that being Jesus Christ and His redemptive work. We trust he will acquire a thirst for more of the scriptures, especially the New Testament, and thereby become acquainted with the Savior of mankind.

The practical often leads to the devotional. Isn’t that usually the reason for our Bible reading? We want to get something out of it. The practical side develops our lives in the world and the devotional, our lives in God and His Son, Jesus Christ. In the practical we seek wisdom for living; in the devotional, spiritual wisdom for growth. The practical feeds mostly our physical and mental states; the devotional, our spiritual. We will endeavor to direct our thoughts toward each.

Level Two: The Expository

One is impressed by a general ineptness among good people in developing a meaningful meditation from Bible reading. The great joy of Bible reading comes from this digesting of specific words and phrases, as, crudely, a cow does her cud. In our reading, we seldom take the time or effort to stop and ask what the Holy Spirit is really saying for us. With this need in mind, we hope to stir our thoughts and imagination to search for much more help from the scripture than stock phrases or familiar verses.

The study of English literature can be helpful here. We learn how to analyze the whole, to find a major theme, major words, paragraph topics and topic sentences, introductions and conclusions. Then the historical context also throws light on the text. The historical context, based on the geography and culture of the times of the writer, can stimulate a deeper understanding of familiar verses. Altogether, we will make a special effort to investigate the meaning of the passage using our own native language plus the original Hebrew.

We keep in mind, also, that many Sunday school teachers, home study hosts, Bible fellowships and clubs can use help and encouragement. Those particularly who handle the word before others should properly equip themselves. We will try not only to further equip them but also to further strengthen their confidence in presenting the Word to others. They may use the outlines for the chapter or paragraphs or themes as an initial skeleton to flesh out their lesson or sermon.

Those were two intelligent, godly men walking the road to Emmaus, but their eyes were held from recognizing Him. (Luke 24:16) As Jesus did for them, we hope to explain … the Scriptures (Luke 24:27), however familiar they may be (as in Psalms 1 and 19), so that the held eyes of the heart may be opened and a fresh and blessed insight into the word of God received.

Level Three: The Exegetical

This study is based on the conviction of the verbal inspiration of the Bible, both the Old and New Testaments. That means that the Holy Spirit inspired God’s revelation to man by planting the thoughts and guiding and sanctioning the authors’ words as though they were God’s words. Thus, the words of scripture are important.

There is a current tendency to slight words in favor of thought or message, as is evident in some modern Bible translations; but words are the foundation of thoughts, and thoughts, of messages. Thoughts and overall messages could not possibly exist without words. Words are primary, and the study of words is primary to the thought or message we seek.

Popular usage expands word meanings many ways through synonyms, idioms, colloquialisms, even slang. Since the Bible is timeless literature that rises above other literature and changing cultures, we should seldom substitute those expanded usages, or at least should use them carefully. Synonyms, while relating closely to the word meaning, bear a slightly different shade of meaning. When such variations become common in handling scripture, they eclipse the original meaning of that which the Holy Spirit sanctioned. We have often surmised that the Holy Spirit could have said it another way if He had chosen. The place for explanation is in the commentary and in expository preaching. In our explaining, we should be careful to adhere to the original wording as the basis for the thought.

Moreover, in translating, often our English vocabulary does not equal the exact meaning of the Hebrew word. Though we would wish otherwise, we must search for close English equivalents to properly express the meaning. It is best to stay as closely as possible to the original word meaning. Exegetical study will gratify that search for the closest meaning.

Further, words commonly have denotations (basic meanings) and connotations (applied meanings). A random check of our English dictionary reveals many choices of definition available for almost any word. The Hebrew also has its primary and applied meanings, both part of the complete definition of the word. Strong’s Concordance shows the many applications which the KJV translators used in translating a given word, all of which are considered legitimate English substitutes for the original word in its contextual meaning.

More pertinent, the Old Testament writers had not yet received the complete revelation or understanding of certain words that are commonly used later in the New Testament Greek. The Old Testament word often bears a preliminary meaning, while the full meaning and application remains incomplete until completed by the New Testament writers. Common examples are the words salvation/save, trust/faith, forgiveness, righteousness, et al. While we moderns will read the current Christian meaning into the O.T. word, it is instructive to understand the Old Testament as the O.T. saints did. That provides the historical context forming the foundation for the word’s richer meaning. In presenting a preliminary meaning, the O.T. words serve as gates to the full knowledge of revelation, just as the heavenly New Jerusalem opens to the saints through its twelve gates named for the twelve tribes of Israel.

This section will serve better as a reference than for reading through in noting the various directions that exegetical study can take us. All of them will be helpful to our better understanding and use of the scripture.

Old Testament Poetry

What a unique blessing awaits us in the study of Old Testament poetry! Do we realize that this written poetry is probably the first of its kind in literary history? Even the Chinese culture, which boasts of its advanced antiquity, does not have extant poetry before the era of 770 B.C., some 250 years after David! Moses, who is credited with one psalm in this book, produced the first extant written poetry in human history, commonly dated in the period around 1400 BC.

Pre-Mosaic poetry was usually verbal and took the form of proverbs or chants, like Miriam’s song (Exodus 15:21). The most ancient extant poetry was in the form of epic, that is, the glorification of some hero’s life or exploits. Moses’ and Deborah’s songs of victory are epical (Exodus15, Judges 5), and Job could be classified that way.

Pre-Mosaic writing was mostly done on clay tablets and in cuneiform script, a primitive form of writing. Only one major work, The Epic of Gilgamesh, exists from before Moses’ time with a date around 2000 B.C. However, that epic, coarse in subject matter and expression, does not reflect the beauty of the poetic language in the Old Testament. We conclude that familiar, lyric poetry originated with Biblical writers. We can consider Moses and David as the fathers of lyric poetry, which art was created by the Holy Spirit and not by man.

That statement necessitates a word about the Book of Job, one of the finest specimens of emotionalism in all of poetry. Scholars commonly date Job the historical character around the period of Gilgamesh and Abraham, 2000 B.C. Most students have concluded that Job is both subject and author of the book, since there is no viable alternative and no historical evidence found in oral or written tradition of Job’s life.

With or without tradition, this commentator believes that Job was written biographically, not autobiographically, through special revelation, and that by either David or Solomon. In I Kings 4:32 there is a hint of Solomon’s prolific literary genius, but the verse does not mention poetic books, as the Song and Proverbs, both superb poetic achievements; and we have plenty of examples of the literary genius of David, who was an acclaimed artist even before he left Jesse’s sheepfolds (I Samuel 16:18).

The Book of Job is far superior poetically to the coarse, rudimentary Epic of Gilgamesh, written during Job’s lifetime. Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible notes that Job the book, based on internal evidence, was written in Hebrew; but there were no Hebrews until Abraham (2000 BC) and no extant Hebrew writing until Moses (1400 BC). Moses’ psalms were written 600 years after Job the person.

Baker also surmised that the land of Uz (Job 1:1) is east of Israel perhaps in the region of Bashan, which Moses conquered, or maybe in the same general region of Balaam, a contemporary of Moses. Even though Job may have lived across the desert from Gilgamesh, if Job himself had been inspired to write an autobiographic epic, there should have been some relationship to the style, expression, and writing used in Gilgamesh, as style would be characteristic of the cultural period. However, the two are opposites in language, lyricism, subject, and anthropology.

Baker concludes that Job’s author is Moses. However, judged internally, the Book of Job fits most closely with the Song of Solomon, quite closely to David’s tribulation but not at all to his worship psalms, and not at all closely to Moses’ psalms of divine exultation. We see no evidence of emotionalism in Moses’ poetry except in exultation over God’s almighty power. In other words, his emotionalism is in an external celebration, not internally as with Job. Moses had plenty of occasion to emote internally, but it was not his poetic nature.

Further, several phrases in the Book of Job can be found in David’s psalms. This causes perplexity. Was David familiar with them through Solomon, who may have begun his literary pursuits before he became king; or was he familiar with a Mosaic Book of Job? Or further, did he re-use his own created phrases, a tendency traceable in his psalms? The answers to these questions cannot be established; nevertheless, they soundly put David as a prime candidate for the authorship of Job.

The fact that David is among the first in this literary genre is astonishing considering his background. Where did his poetry come from? It was not taught, nor was he able to fill his soul with the reading of it.

A poet is created; he does not learn the art, though he may learn skills in the art. A poet has a reservoir of extraordinary deep feeling in his soul and a vivid vocabulary in his mind, which are not normally found in a calloused warrior or pragmatic empire builder as David was.

No doubt David’s poetry originated in the sheepfold after a day of shepherding in the hot sun or on some solitary range, when the sheep, full from their morning grazing, lay down to rest and digest. He most likely wrote Psalm 23 as a shepherd youth. Both it and Psalm 1, perhaps others, hint of an innocent, simple kind of poetry, unaffected by the cares and stresses of life. In later years, filled with the pressures of being a hunted exile or a threatened monarch, his poetry reflects the uneasy head that wears the crown. Albeit, his depth of emotion consistently transcends that which would issue from royal decrees and judgments. We must conclude, therefore, that the Holy Spirit was his teacher in the poetic artistry and that the same Spirit set the pattern through David for later poetic expression, both Biblical and secular. Perhaps David referred to this when he declared: The Spirit of the Lord spoke by me, and his word was on my tongue. (II Samuel 23:2, NKJV)

The remarkable thing about David was that his life-long rule as a mighty king did not change what he had as a boy: an innocent, childlike, sensitive nature with deep feelings toward friend, foe, and especially God, toward right and wrong, toward justice and injustice. What an extraordinary man was David! What a wonderful saint! What a super poet!

David was not the only author of the Psalms, though in the First Book (chapters 1-41) the inscriptions credit him with all but a few psalms, and those can sound Davidic. Except for a few contributions from Moses and Solomon, temple musicians were prominent in the remaining psalms. These men were Levites, born in the temple so to speak, raised and educated in Old Testament studies, having spent their entire lives in continuous service to God in temple worship, primarily in the music ministry. Yet a prominent theme unites all 150 poems regardless of the author; this theme resounds in the angels’ song outside of Bethlehem, Glory to God in the highest!

Their poetry indeed does not sound like our Mary had a little lamb ditties. Rhyme and meter are inconspicuous in translated Hebrew writing. Their poetry highlighted other forms. First, it was poetic in parallel ideas mostly through complementary, expanding, or contrasting statements. Usually the parallelism is expressed by couplets and sometimes triplets. The Majority English Bible has mostly used couplets (that is, two harmonious lines not indented to hint an equal weight), in which the expanding or contrasting ideas are clearly discerned.

David’s psalms also abound in alliteration, another artistic device, which even expanded from words to verses in the acrostic poems built upon alphabetical sequence. Psalms 25, 37, 119 and Lamentations 1-4 are examples of this marvelous artistry. We will deal with other poetic forms as occasion arises.

Then it was prominently poetic in diction. Many figures of speech are employed, such as similes (he is like a tree planted by the streams of water), metaphors (Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron) and hyperbole (I can count all my bones; they look and stare upon me.). The poetic element is found not so much in the lyrical sound but in the exquisite imagery of the language.

The widespread use of figures of speech in The Psalms does not mean that the lines should be interpreted figuratively. There is too much of that in Bible interpretation. Of course, though we do not interpret literally in the concrete sense, we should interpret literally in the abstract sense. Breaking with a rod of iron, for example, is literally interpreted in an abstract sense as a heavy, exacting, even punitive rule over men, whose stubborn wills and recalcitrant ways will be forcibly broken to conform to the Kingdom’s high standards of righteousness. When we begin to make poetic language figurative or symbolic or even parabolic, we twist the scriptures and wreak confusion on our Bible understanding. In sum, poetic is not the same as figurative in Bible interpretation.

The Hero

Every book or story has its major character, a hero. The Psalms is no exception. However, this book does not sing about man or man’s work; instead, men produce the occasion relating to the Hero. The rest of the Old Testament is tiresomely replete with the deeds of man, some good, mostly bad. What a refreshing breeze blows in The Psalms that lifts us above the corrupted earth of man into the pristine heavenlies of God!

The heroic Person unmistakably is God, Who reigns above and below. He makes His entrance in the second verse of the book and is everywhere present to the last psalm of exultant praise to Him in benediction. This is a book of worship, praise, reverence, and devotion to the Almighty, often presented in a context of the tribulations and woes and perfidies of man.

God is identified mostly by two names: God and Jehovah. The two names may distinguish two persons of the trinity, the Father and the Son. This is not always so, as in the following: "The Lord (Jehovah) said to my Lord (Adonai - ruler, master), ‘Sit at my right hand until I make Thy enemies as a footstool for Thy feet.’" (Psalm 110:1, Hebrews 1:13) Clearly two divine persons are distinguished, as certified in the New Testament, with the Father here being called Jehovah and the Son Lord.

More likely, the names reflect the God of universal knowledge and the Jehovah of singularly Jewish devotion. When Moses worried about the Israelite’s skepticism concerning which god was authorizing him, God gave him His unique name Jehovah (I AM, Exodus 3:14, KJV) as the special name of the eternal God for the Jewish nation to identify with. From that beginning to the present, Jehovah (Yahweh) is the name they revere for their God, Whom the Gentiles identify simply as God or Almighty God.

Bible translators vary the forms in translating Yahweh: as a transliteration, Jehovah; or as Lord. Traditional Bibles used the English form LORD in capitals. That practice has changed in many Bibles to Lord, which however can be confused with Adonai (lord, master). Notwithstanding the form of the name, The Psalms abounds equally in the names of God and Lord, the hero/heroes of the book. It is from God, to God, and for God that the book comes to bless our hearts.

A Personal Note

We purposed to write in simple, non-technical language. We earnestly aimed to make the book readable to the public. If it is too simply written, please bear with it. If it is too difficult, skim over the hard passage. We pray that this simple effort will translate into rich blessing for readers. Granted, The Psalms does not need a commentary to overwhelm us with rich blessing.

PSALM 1

Two Men Contrasted

Level 1

This psalm hangs two contrasting portraits on the wall of every soul. They capture my attention because they are portraits of the same face but have a different countenance. Strikingly, one face reflects a dark and insecure mood while the other glows with an inner sheen. Then I exclaim, That’s me! I note that the portraits have name tags: "Blessed" and "Wicked." While I study the images, the lines of this psalm offer a running narrative.

Clearly these words classify the only two kinds of individuals in mankind. The blessed man is made so afterward; the wicked is so naturally, as testified by the psalmist’s silence on how he got that way. Contrary to common thinking, the description is not of a good person becoming bad but of a bad person becoming good. The blessed man (1) has made a choice for his conduct (walks not…), determined his life direction (nor stands…), and revoked his former ways (nor sits …). In the gospel of Christ that determination is called repentance and faith (believing) in Jesus Christ as personal Savior (deliverer) from sin and the wicked life. We then receive a new life and power to walk not, but we must first be converted from the wicked state to one in which God develops our blessedness.

What characterizes the blessed man cannot at all be said of the wicked: the wicked are not so. The wicked lives his life in complete disregard of and opposition to the law of the Lord, or the scripture; the blessed man meditates in His law of conduct day and night. He attends to it constantly. It is his delight to walk in it; and doing right is not burdensome, as the Old Testament saints often found in keeping their law based on righteous works. Jesus Christ eliminates the burden in his invitation: "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and My burden is light." (Matthew 11:28-30)

The substance of life is a big concern. What is life all about? The blessed man brings forth fruit. The wicked life is nothing but chaff—just a husk, a shell of what real life should be. He lacks real substance or purpose. Chaff is not useful for anything. The wind of time drives it away, first to the approaching summons of death and then to the awful destination of hell and everlasting condemnation, where he shall perish. On the other hand, the gospel assures that whoever believes in Him [Christ] should not perish, but have eternal life. (John 3:16)

Because the blessed man brings forth fruit continually, his life blesses others. He doesn’t live for himself or his own pleasure. His fruitfulness is a blessing in its season, that is, occasion after occasion. The model for that tree planted by the streams of water is paradise’s tree of life, which is planted "on either side of the river…, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month, with its leaves for the healing of the nations." (Revelation 22:2) So the psalmist tells us that the blessed man’s leaf also does not wither, a continuously green, fruit-bearing tree. Therefore, his life shall prosper. This is not a kind of prosperity through success or wealth, but through helpfulness and blessing and love given to others.

The wicked person is dependent on outside support, which is given through other’s counsel, their lifestyles (the way of sinners), and their company (sits in the seat of scorners). (1) The blessed person, on the other hand, is sustained because he is firmly planted by the streams of living water (3), fitting what Jesus said: Whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst, but the water that I shall give him shall become in him a spring of water springing up into eternal life. (John 4:14)

May God give us the desire to know and experience the blessed life and to turn from the futile and fateful way of sinners. Then we can remove the wicked man’s portrait from the soul and destroy it with a victorious exclamation, That’s no longer me!

Level 2

Introduction.

The theme of the psalm is the contrast between the blessed and the wicked person. The psalm gives equal space to both while discussing the blessed man first and the wicked last, the proper order. The blessed life is primary and far superior to the wicked one in every aspect present and future. The former receives honorable mention; the latter is an also-ran. Unfortunately, the blessed people are few, while the wicked make up the vast portion of humanity. Besides the warning to the wicked majority, the Psalm brings encouragement and comfort to the blessed minority, who may be suffering, solitary, or shaken.

I. The Blessed Man’s Life. (1-3)

A. His Distinctiveness. (1)

1. He Does Not Rely on Man’s Influence - walks not in the counsel of the wicked.

The blessed one has divine sources of wisdom and instruction. First, he is indwelt by the Holy Spirit: But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, Whom the Father will send in My name, will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. (John 14:26) Then, he has his Bible always available: "Now we have received not the spirit of the world but the Spirit That is from God, that we may know the things that have been freely given to us by God. These things [God’s word] we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit." (I Corinthians 2:12-13). The blessed man does not need counsel or advice from the wicked, whether in respect to marriage, parenting, financial management, career choice, changing seasons of life, proper behavior, or certainly the spiritual life. "The spiritual man judges all things, yet he himself is judged by no one. . . But we have the mind of Christ." (I Corinthians 2:15-16) In fact, the blessed man makes sure that the wicked counsel is repudiated (walks not) in favor of divine counsel. "For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, ‘He catches the wise in their craftiness.’ And again, ‘The Lord knows the reasonings of the wise, that they are futile. So let no one boast in men.’" (I Corinthians 3:19-21)

2. He does not rely on man’s lifestyles - nor stands in the way of sinners.

Way here means course or path of life. We must not imagine that he is standing around loitering. The idea is that his way of life does not correspond to the sinners’ way. Course of life relates closer to culture than to conduct. The lifestyle of the blessed is not determined by sinners or by the worldly culture. We have often heard the slogan, What would Jesus do? We also should ask, What do sinners do? to provide a definition for the way of sinners. Again, our instruction comes from the Spirit-taught Word of God. "But he who looks closely into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and continues [connotatively, stands] in it, being not a hearer who forgets but a working doer, this man will be blessed in his doing." (James 1:25)

3. He does not rely on man’s company - nor sits in the seat of scorners.

We picture a person enjoying the company and companionship of those who often mock the ways of God and glorify the ways of sinful man. The blessed one is not present in their camaraderie nor freely participates in it. They may not be mocking God or righteousness all the time, but their souls continually scoff at the things of God; they are earth bound. Their conversation may be ethically neutral, but their refusal of God’s way is not. The Preacher in the Proverbs has much to say about relationship to scorners. It is worth a study, because they are not the kind of folks the blessed want for companionship. Surely he (the just man) scorns the scornful. (Proverbs 3:34, NKJV) Do not be deceived: Evil company corrupts good morals. (I Corinthians 15:33)

B. His Delight. (2)

The blessed man has something to replace and eclipse the fellowship of scorners. It is fellowship with God and the Lord Jesus through His word. Like Adam in the cool of the day, like Enoch amid an ungodly generation, like Noah who separated from the world, the blessed people walk with God. That walk is enjoyed through the law of the Lord. How he delights in it. Thy words were found, and I ate them, and Thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of my heart. (Jeremiah 15:16, KJV) "More to be desired are they than gold, Yea, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb." (Psalm 19:10)

As a man finds time to pursue his hobby or recreation, so the blessed man finds time to pursue his walk with God. If his daily schedule is full, he still is not forced away from those periods or snippets of time in which he meditates throughout the day and night in the things of righteousness from God’s word. Of course, meditation pre-supposes that the word of God is continually read and planted in the soul. That is not done by trying to remember the passage read from one’s morning or evening Bible reading. It takes a constant re-reading, a familiarity with blessed verses or phrases, and a hearing of good preaching to plant the word in the heart. "Every scribe who has been discipled in the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his storeroom things new and old." (Matthew 13:52) Are we enjoying such sweet, soul-enriching meditations?

C. His Testimony. (3)

The godly life is not just for show, like a shapely pecan tree in an immaculate orchard. Remember what the Lord Jesus did to the fruitless fig tree? (Matthew 21:19) Indeed the blessed person’s life shall prosper, but his fruitfulness is enjoyed more by others than by himself.

1. He Is Unmovable - a tree planted.

A seasoned tree cannot be pushed over or around. It is firmly rooted and stable.

2. He Is Perpetually Sustained - the streams of water.

The blessed life should not know a dry spell or season. The life-giving, refreshing waters are always available and abundant. All one has to do is soak them up in faith: "that He would grant you according to the riches of His glory to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you being rooted and grounded in love may be able