Psalm 1:1-3 – Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
From the very beginning of creation, God has blessed the human race. Only after Adam chose to sin, and sin then entered the world, do we ever find the word “curse.” Adam really dropped the ball!
Genesis 1:28 – And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
Genesis 3:17 – And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life.
But it has always been God’s desire that mankind should enjoy His blessings, and in the first three verses in the book of Psalms, we learn about the kind of person that God will bless. God has said that He will bless the man who does the following:
1) Live a Life Separated from the World
Psalm 1:1 – Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
The Bible compares life to a walk. As Christians, we are to walk in light as the world walks in darkness.
Ephesians 4:17 – This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind.
Ephesians 5:8 – For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light.
The Christian life begins with a step of faith when we place our faith in Christ, and it grows as we take further steps of faith in obedience to God’s Word. Walking involves progress, and as Christians, we are to make progress by applying Bible truths to our daily lives.
Though it’s sad, it is possible for a Christian to walk “in darkness,” outside the will of God.
1 John 1:5–7 – This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
The type of Christians that God chooses to bless is those who are very careful about their Christian walk: though they are in the world, they are not of the world.
When we study the life of Peter from John 18 and Luke 22 on the night that Christ was taken by the Roman soldiers, we see Peter walking near the wrong crowd, then standing close to them, and then finally sitting down with them. Peter walked right into temptation and then three times denied the Lord!
If Christians start walking in the counsel of the ungodly—listening to and being influenced by the ungodly—like Peter, they will soon be standing in their way of life, and will finally sit right down with them; before long, they will be talking like them.
2) Live a Life Saturated by the Word
Psalm 1:2 – But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.
God chooses to bless those who live separated lives; He also blesses those who do not delight in themselves or what the world has to offer them, but who instead delight in the Word of God. Having a love for the Word of God and being obedient to it brings blessing to our lives.
Joshua 1:8 – This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.
Jeremiah 15:16 – Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts.
The people God blesses are not only those who read the Word of God daily, but who study it, memorize it, and meditate on it day and night. Their minds are focused on the Word of God. To meditate means to understand the Word, “chewing on it” and applying it to our lives, making it a part of our innermost person.
3) Live a Life that is Situated by the Waters
Psalm 1:3 – And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
Water in the Bible is a picture of the Holy Spirit of God.
John 7:37–39 – In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)
Here in Psalm 1:3, the Christian is compared to a tree that gets its water from the underground springs. This world is a desert that can never truly satisfy God’s people. We must let our “spiritual roots” grow deep into the things of Christ and draw upon the Spirit of God to bring spiritual life to all that we do.
Jeremiah 17:7-8 – Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the Lord is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.
If we desire to be blessed Christians, we must not only live a separated life from the world and be saturated by the Word, but we will also need to be situated by the water. This means we will produce fruit—the fruit of the Spirit and the fruit of other Christians!
However, we must realize that there can be no fruit without good roots. Too many Christians are more concerned about the leaves and fruit than they are about the roots, but the roots are the most important part. Unless Christians spend time daily in prayer and the Word and allow the Spirit of God to feed them from the Word of God, they will wither and become unfruitful.
The Christian who draws upon the spiritual will be fruitful and successful in life. When Christians stop bearing fruit, it is because something has happened to their spiritual roots.
Psalm 92:12-14 – The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Those that be planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing.
Luke 13:6-9 – He spake also this parable; A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came and sought fruit thereon, and found none. Then said he unto the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none: cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground? And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it: And if it bear fruit, well: and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down.
Do you know why people dry up spiritually on the inside? It’s because they spend more time on Facebook than with their face in the Good Book!
May God help us as we seek to live our lives separate from the world, saturated by the Word, and situated by the waters. As we live these truths, I’m confident that we will find ourselves living lives blessed by God!
Share this post
John Evertson, GSBC Campus Pastor
In June 2000, after graduating from Golden State Baptist College, John Evertson answered the call to pastor West Valley Baptist Church in Woodland, California. After 19 years, God moved Pastor and Mrs. Evertson to Santa Clara. Pastor Evertson is instrumental in the church and serves as the Campus Pastor for Golden State Baptist College to help guide the future servants of God. Pastor & Mrs. Evertson have four children — Josiah, Jeremiah, Joy, and Joshua.
Stay connected