By Dan Gatlin
The Psalmist writes, "How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked. nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers. But his delight is in the law of the Lord. and in His law he meditates day and night. He will he like a tree firmly planted by streams of water which yield its fruit in its season and its leaf does not wither, and in whatever he does, he prospers" (Psa.1:1-3). This description of the righteous man tells us, in both positive and negative statements, how the righteous behaves and the results of his righteousness.
Verse I uses two literary forms. The first is called gradational parallelism. Parallelism is "the repetition of similar, synonymous, or opposite thoughts or words in parallel or successive lines (Bullinger, Figures of Speech Used in the Bible, p.349). Gradational (or synonymous) parallelism is "when the lines are parallel in thought, and in the use of synonymous words" (Bullinger, ibid.).
The second literary form is called Gradual Ascent. It is "an increase of sense in successive sentences" (Bullinger, p.429).
These techniques are easily seen in the imagery of the unrighteous man who is walking along a path, and as he observes wickedness he takes his stand with the wicked, and finally, he is seated as he takes his place with them. This pictures the progression of involvement in sin, should we choose not to repent.
The words "wicked," "sinners," and "scoffers" also describe progression into sin. While it is true that "all unrighteous is sin" (1 Jn.5:17), and that every sin results in condemnation (Jms.2:10), the writer is describing how one can become so callous to God's word that nothing can draw them to God (Heb.6:4-8). While all of us sin from time to time, but many refuse to repent (1 Jn.5:16).
But the righteous man will not take this path. His "delight" is in God's law. He is said to meditate on His law day and night. If this was true for the 0.T. righteous, how much more true is it for us today? Paul wrote, "Finally,brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things" (Phi1.4:8).
Do you meditate on God's word throughout the day, or just during Bible classes and worship services? Do you meditate on God's word throughout the day, or just during Bible classes and worship services?The Psalmist further compares the righteous man to a tree planted by a stream. Jeremiah extends this metaphor a bit: "Thus says the LORL~ 'Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind And makes flesh his strength, And whose heart turns away from the Lord For he will be like a bush in the desert And will not see when prosperity comes, But will live in stony wastes in the wilderness, A land of salt without inhabitant. Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord And whose trust is the Lord. For he will be like a tree planted by the water, That extends its roots by a stream And will not fear when the heat comes; But its leaves will be green, And it will not be anxious in a year of drought Nor cease to yield fruit " (Jere.17:5-8). This water represents God's word and the relationship that the righteous has with Him. Jesus said, "Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again; but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst, but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life" (Jn.4: 13-14). Jesus later said,
"If any one is thirsty,let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, "From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water." But this He spoke of the spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive. ...." (Jn.7:37-39). "If any one is thirsty,let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, "From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water." But this He spoke of the spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive. ...." (Jn.7:37-39).So, the child of God will flourish when engulfed in a spiritual drought. According to the Psalmist, we will "yield fruit," "not wither," and "prosper in whatever we do." We can take great comfort knowing that as our society becomes more and more wicked, we have a source of spiritual renewal (2 Cor.4: 16). And we can say, as David did,
"Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for you are with me" (Ps.23:4a).Page last updated: March 03, 2003