Praying Psalm 1

“A Happy Woman”

Are you happy?

Read Psalm 1:1-2

¹Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
²but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night

What does this happy person do?

He does NOT: Walk, stand, sit. Poetically, this intensifies where the person is. He is not with these people!

BUT he does this: delights and meditates – day & night ALL the time – it is part of you.

What is the Torah of YHWH?

Torah means "Law" - 1^st 5 books of OT laws AND promises. It is so much more than the 10 commandments. Rather, Torah is the story of God and his loving instruction.

Yahweh (YHWH) means "LORD" - This is the all-capital-letter name of God. This is the name He gives Moses at the burning bush ("who shall I say sent me?"). This name comes from Hebrew verb "hayah" meaning "to be". YHWH is actually a verb, an action - God names himself by His works/acts.

Read Psalm 1:3-4

³He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers.

 ⁴The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away.

Describe the “happy” tree.
 It is transplanted, not just planted (which is a different Hebrew word). The roots go to water (hmmm. living water?). It does what a tree was created to do, produce. AND it's alive forever?? ALWAYS prospering. Wow, do real trees DO this??

Describe the wicked.
Opposite – They're dry, not living, blown away, gone. This was a huge fear for the Hebrew culture, that they would not be remembered.

Read Psalm 1:5-6

⁵Therefore the wicked shall not stand (jussive) in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
⁶for the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.

 What is the unhappy conclusion for the wicked?

They will not stand before God. AND they won't stand with righteous, either - THEY ARE ALONE.

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR ME?

Who would you rather be, the happy, or the wicked?
 Why? This Psalm is a description of a happy/wicked person. It showcases the beauty of the righteous.

Is Christ happy?
He is the ultimate happy man. He was/is the Word through and through, day and night. He is THE tree of life (check out Revelation) from which all water flows. His way was always the way of His Father in heaven, and God was pleased.

Are you happy?
 YES, happy is NOT a feeling. You, like the happy tree, were transplanted (by another) given life by water, bore fruit, and will do it FOREVER. Happiness is living where YOU were planted by God, in Christ.  Day & night, Christ's Word is in you; it was poured over you in Baptism; it is fed to you in His body & blood. Happy women are sustained in the "way of the righteous," namely, the redemptive acts of Christ and graceful acceptance by God.

PRAY:

 Our Father who art in heaven.

What does this mean? God would thereby [with this little introduction] tenderly urge us to believe that He is our true Father, and that we are His true children, so that we may ask Him confidently with all assurance, as dear children ask their dear father.