When I think of your rules from of old,I take comfort, O LORD. Psalm 119:52 ESV In general, our roots are shallow. How many know the names of their great-great-grandparents? How many walk about with a knowledge of family history and the weight of a family legacy? In the modern West, we tend to live …
for the LORD knows the way of the righteous,but the way of wicked will perish. Psalm 1:6 ESV After all has been said in the first five verses of Psalm 1, this sixth and final verse gives us the fitting concluding contrast between the blessed and the wicked. The blessed, here synonymously called the righteous …
After five sermons upon the Passover night and its deep significance to Israel going forward, the narrative of Exodus now follows the Israelites as they make their way out of Egypt. Here the stubborn, hard-heartedness of Pharaoh will cause the king to chase after his runaway slaves. Though triumphant for a moment, the Israelites will …
Continue reading The LORD Will Fight for You | Exodus 13:17-14:14
Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment Psalm 1:5 ESV After giving a three-verse portrait of the blessed, the psalmist gave a terse contrasting image of the wicked. Unlike the blessed, they do not delight in and meditate upon God's Word; thus, they are not rooted in eternal truth like trees beside streams …
but are like chaff that the wind drives away. Psalm 1:4 ESV After three verses of describing the blessed man, verse 4 then presented us with this psalm’s great contrast by simply declaring, the wicked are not so. When reading each characteristic of the blessed man, we can simultaneously understand that the wicked are not …
Continue reading Like Chaff That the Wind Drives Away | Psalm 1:4
planted by streams of water Psalm 1:3 ESV Verse 3, as noted previously, is the psalmist’s continued description of the blessed man. Through the metaphorical imagery of a tree, he is able to give us vivid conception of the stable and steady growth of him in whom the LORD delights. This verse then builds upon …
He is like a tree… Psalm 1:3 ESV Moving into verse 3, the psalmist continues his description of the blessed man, the one who is favored by God, with this simple comparison: he is like a tree. While the psalm will elucidate further on this figure of speech, it is worth pausing here to consider …
and on his law he meditates day and night. Psalm 1:2 ESV We last observed that those who are blessed by God do not merely avoid the corrupting influence of the wicked; instead, they are enraptured by a delight in God's law, His holy Word. Their greatest joy is hearing the voice of the Blessed …
but his delight is in the law of the LORD Psalm 1:2 ESV The first verse of Psalm 1 described to us what the blessed man, the one who dwells under the favor of God, is not. Particularly, the psalmist noted that he does not keep company with the wicked. Whether walking, standing, or sitting, …
Continue reading His Delight Is in the Law of the LORD | Psalm 1:2
Psalm 1 is a well that does not run dry. For many who grow up in the faith, it is among the first passages of Scripture that they memorize, but even still, its six short verses quite easily bear the weight of a lifetime of meditation. Indeed, in calling us to meditate on God’s law …
Continue reading Rooted & Unwithered: Meditating Through Psalm 1
B. C. Newton 