The Blessed Ones - Psalm 1

“Blessed is the man …”

There they are, the very first words of the first chapter of the longest collection of writings in the most widely read, the most widely translated, and [simply put] the most important Book in the history of mankind. You know, the one clearly titled “The Book” (well at least it was in the original language).

In Psalm 1, “Blessed” would sound more familiar to our present day ears as “How Happy!” That’s pretty much at the core of our lives, isn’t it? We gravitate towards those people and activities in life in which we derive delight, joy, satisfaction, enjoyment … all those synonyms for Happiness.

How many books have been written trying to sell the “Secrets to Happiness”? 10,000? 100,000? I decided to see if I was in the ballpark by doing this search on Amazon.com. The result?

Showing 1 - 12 of 274,559 Results
Happiness: A Guide to Developing Life's Most Important Skill
The How of Happiness: A Scientific Approach to Getting the Life You Want
Happier: Learn the Secrets to Daily Joy and Lasting Fulfillment
Stumbling on Happiness

And on and on the list went …

With page after countless page having been dedicated to the subject, can we really expect the Psalmist to reveal something profound in 6 short verses – a mere 120 words or so?

As Mr. Nance so ably reminded us this past Wed night, God is not trying to hide His Word or His Will from us, to the contrary it should be called the “Message of the Obvious”. There are no secrets to decipher, no puzzles to solve. So what message does the Psalmist have for us?

Is Psalm 1 a blueprint to Happiness?

I think we want it to be … we want to “Stumble” upon it, as one of the books listed above so enticingly promises. Don’t we just want to be able to say the right magic words or participate in the right rituals at the right times and know for certain that Happiness would be waiting in our Inbox later that day – like the confirmation email you get after you sign up on a website? And in case that piqued your interest as it did mine, I’ll save you the trouble - yes, happiness.com is already up and running.

After some reflection, I don’t believe being such a blueprint is the intent of this Psalm, despite our desires to the contrary. We are simply being told the way things are … "I am going to describe the ones who are happy". And what do we learn about them?

But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
and on his law he meditates day and night

The law is so invasive in and pervasive throughout their lives that it directs how and where they walk, stand, sit, and meditate every day and night. Hmmm … that pretty much covers the 24-hour cycle, doesn’t it? And yet somehow, it is not a burden? It is to be delighted in?

Ok, I can hear you from the other end of the internet … “But didn’t you just finish teaching a class about how Christ came to abolish the idea of Law-keeping and to firmly establish the righteousness which comes by faith?”

Well yes, I did. The texts are numerous and very direct. Here is one concise example:

But now a righteousness from God, apart from law,
has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify.
~ Rom 3:21

And yet, the Apostle Paul lets us know there was a purpose for the Law to act as a tutor, to teach us the language of covenant, the A-B-C’s of a relationship with God, if you will:

So also, when we were children,
we were in slavery under the basic principles of the world.
But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, …
that we might receive the full rights of sons.
~ Gal 4:3-5

Even though we have moved on to adulthood through Christ’s work, we don’t forget those fundamental principles we learned as children do we? Sin and its consequences, the Holiness of God, Sacrifice, Promise, Deliverance, and at the very core, Love:

The entire law is summed up in a single command:
"Love your neighbor as yourself."
~ Gal 5:14

And now that the time has fully come, we can understand and commune with the Law-giver in a way that was previously unknown. In a way that frees us from any burden to justify ourselves in His presence, because He has taken the curse of the Law on His shoulders. We are free to have direct, continual access to Him:

… we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place
by the blood of Jesus
~ Heb 10:19

And by faith we know that is where we want to be, where we desperately need to be … in His presence. How does Happiness flow from there? I honestly don’t know. I daresay it is Indescribable. Immeasurable even. It must be dynamic and unique to each of His children – in each of our specific circumstances and stages of life. I don’t think we have to know how it “works”, but rather:

He is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither.

We are simply called to put down deep roots with Him. Delight in Him and drink from His Spirit ... continually, with the full expectation that He is sufficient.

“Blessed is that man” indeed.

~ Posted by Stuart