“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper” (Psalms 1:1-3).
Let us consider this blessed man for a moment. His faith in God is on display; it is very apparent. He believes that God is and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. How do I know that? Because this man is giving God his undivided attention.
If we narrow down his attention to the Law of Moses, we make a great mistake. This man would have been reading the Scriptures found in the first eight books of the Bible. He believed that in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth; he believed his maker was God, and he wanted to know Him, worship Him, and follow Him.
I don’t see a man here who is locked away in a monastery, or living in isolation on a hill or tucked away in a cave. I see a man who has a family and loves them; I see a man who provides for his family by working hard to support them, whatever that may look like. But I see a man who loves God the Father, and places Jesus Christ in his heart as Lord.
So how does this man come to delight in the law of the Lord, and meditate on it day and night? To begin with, he has been born again; he has been given a new heart that desires to follow hard after God. His new nature wants to seek after God and please Him; he wants to honor the Father and Jesus in all things, and has been given the Holy Spirit as his abiding Helper to do those very things.
The Holy Spirit will lead this man’s mind to see two things most needful to not only follow after the Lord but to grow in grace and knowledge of Him. That is, first, last and always, prayer and reading God’s word. This blessed man, working and taking care of his family, intentionally makes time for being alone with the Father in prayer—daily!
This blessed man has a hunger and thirst to know the Father and Jesus better, and more intimately. And he is quickly led to understand there is only one way: read, study and meditate, or ponder on the very word of God: the Bible—the Scriptures. Not a book about the Bible, not commentaries on the Scriptures, which some can be very helpful, but first and foremost the Bible itself; and not just randomly, but from Genesis 1 to Revelation 22.
The Lord Jesus summed it up in much fewer words than what I have written:
“It is written, ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God’” (Matthew 4:4).
This blessed man takes time to read God’s word daily with the intention of learning all of what God has written and revealed about Himself and His Son Jesus Christ. And then, while he is working, or enjoying being with his family, or lying in bed, he is pondering on the wonders of his Father’s love and grace to him and his family—and as he does this, he can’t help but share the Father and Jesus with his family, friends and co-workers.
This man is blessed because he delights himself in the law of Christ; Christ dwells in his heart by faith; he is rooted and grounded in love. This man is blessed because he is convinced of this truth:
“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
As he meditates on God’s word, he recognizes and refuses to walk in the counsel of the ungodly; although he loses them, he refuses to fellowship with his ungodly friends, and he walks away from those who ridicule his walk with Jesus.
This blessed man’s diligence in giving his full attention to the Lord likens him to a tree planted by a river. It’s a picture of a tree that stays healthy, green, even in times of great drought, and bears good fruit in season. And then, this blessed man is given a promise: whatever he does shall prosper.
There are many, and I’m going to call them false teachers, that lead their followers to thinking that earthly prosperity is surely a blessing from God. Earthly riches are a bait from the Devil himself to lure folks away from the true riches of what God freely offers. It makes no difference whether a man is poor, rich, or in between, the enemy likes to dangle them in front of folks, to blind them to the true wealth of God which is Christ Jesus.
Earthly prosperity is a façade; it is temporary and fleeting. Man’s life is like a vapor: he’s here today and gone tomorrow. Men sweat and toil, scheme and work all their lives to possess some of this world’s goods, only to realize that when the sun sets on their last day here on Earth, they all, rich and poor alike, will occupy a very small piece of real estate in the cemetery.
“…Whatever he does shall prosper.” The Lord promises the blessed man a prosperity that is not only rich beyond compare but is everlasting and is tucked away safely in heaven: it’s an “…inheritance that is incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you” (1 Peter 1:4).
The blessed man who delights in the law of the Lord does also enjoy a heavenly prosperity while here on Earth. As he fills his mind with the word of Christ and sets his affections and hopes on Christ, he discovers a true and lasting prosperity that the world can’t give him and that the world can’t take away.
All that this world has to offer can’t compare with the love, peace and joy that fills a man who is abiding in Christ. This is heaven’s blessed prosperity!
Brother Bill Oldham
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