TEACHING NOTES Introduction Today we are beginning a series about prayer. The goal of this series is to see what we can learn about prayer by studying several famous prayers in the Bible. In each part of this series, we will first study the text to make sure we can understand what is being said. Then we will try to find out what this passage teaches us about how to pray. So, today we’ll begin with Psalm 1. ‌ One Purpose of Prayer = Alignment with God In the world of automobiles, proper alignment is vital for proper function. If the front end of a car is out of alignment, the driving experience suffers and begins to affect many other parts of the car. In the same way, we were created to be aligned with God and His Word. If we are out of alignment with God, our experience of life begins to suffer and many parts of our lives begin to fall apart. Psalm 1 is all about proper alignment with God. ‌ About the Psalms: The massive collection of Psalms in our Bibles are the recorded prayers, songs, and prophesies of ancient Israel. The Psalms were written and collected from 1400—200 BC. Anyone wanting to learn and develop a life of prayer will find a lifetime of resources in the Psalms. Many readers have noticed that the Psalms are a kind of rollercoaster of highs and lows. Some prayers are praising God for His goodness and blessing, others are lamenting God’s perceived absence, and others span the spectrum in between. The advantage is that in the Psalms there are prayers for just about any situation. ‌ The book of Psalms is actually a collection of five books: ‌Book 1: Chapters 1-41 ‌Book 2: Chapters 42-72 ‌Book 3: Chapters 73-89 ‌Book 4: Chapters 90-106 ‌Book 5: Chapters 107-150 ‌ Psalm 1:1–2 1 Blessed is the human who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; 2 but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. ‌ Blessed = Heb. ashre - blessed, joyful, state of well being. The ancient Greek translation of the Old Testament (the Septuagint) uses the word makarios, which is the same word Jesus uses at the beginning of the Sermon of the Mount (see Matt. 5:3). Originally Psalm 1 and 2 were one Psalm. Psalm 2 is about the Messiah, how the nations rage against Him, and how the Messiah will rule the nations. Psalm 2 ends with 2:12 “Blessed are all who take refuge in him.” In a materialistic culture we might expect the Bible to define “blessed” as material success. But this is not how the Bible defines blessing. The first time “blessed” appears in the Bible is in Gen. 1:22, 28. In those verses blessing is a statement of purpose from God to His creation. Therefore, blessing is not about wealth and success, but about living in your God-given purpose. ‌ When praying for blessing, are we praying for God’s blessing or worldly blessing? ‌ Walks not = Heb. halak lo - walks not, goes not, behaves not. In the Bible, to “walk” is often used as a metaphor to mean “to live.” ‌ In the counsel of the wicked = Heb. b esah rasaim - advice of evil ones. To “walk in the counsel of the wicked” is to behave according to the advice of those who are evil and destructive. We also see this in Proverbs 4:14–15 “14 Do not enter the path of the wicked, and do not walk in the way of the evil. 15 Avoid it; do not go on it; turn away from it and pass on.” Why? Because Proverbs 3:33 “The Lord’s curse is on the house of the wicked, but he blesses the dwelling of the righteous.” Jesus said in Matthew 7:13–14 “13 “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. 14 For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” As Christians, we are not to follow the ways of the world. We are to follow the Word of God and the counsel of those who follow the Word of God. ‌ Nor stands = Heb. lo amad - does not position oneself, present oneself. In a literal sense this word refers to presenting oneself before a superior. As a metaphor it refers to positioning oneself or set forth in a certain direction. ‌ In the way of sinners = Heb. derek hattaim - path, road, journey, manner, behavior. To “stand in the way of sinners” is to position yourself or set forth in the way of life or behaviors of sinners. Proverbs 1:10 says, “My son, if sinners entice you, do not consent.” You may have noticed in your life that sinners often want company. Pauls tells us in 1 Corinthians 15:33 “Do not be deceived: ‘Bad company ruins good morals.’” ‌ Nor sits = Heb. lo yashab - does not sit, dwell, cohabitate. The metaphor here refers to staying or dwelling with a group of people. ‌ In the seat of scoffers = Heb. b moshab lesim - The Hebrew noun moshab refers to a dwelling place, habitation, or home. The Hebrew adjective lesim refers to a group of prideful mockers. To “sit in the seat of scoffers” is to hang out with people who talk big and show no respect for others. The Psalmist also writes in Psalm 26:4 “I do not sit with men of falsehood, nor do I consort with hypocrites.” We’re told in Proverbs 3:34 “Toward the scorners he [God] is scornful, but to the humble he gives grace.” ‌ Walk, stand, sit in Ephesians = Paul uses the same three terms in Ephesians. He says we “once walked, following the course of this world” (Eph. 2:2), but now we are to “walk in good works” (Eph. 2:10), “walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called” (Eph. 4:1), “walk in love (Eph. 5:2), and “walk as children of light” (Eph. 5:8). Paul says we should put on the whole armor of God so we may “be able stand against the schemes of the devil” (Eph. 6:11) and “stand firm” (Eph. 6:13-14). Paul says that Jesus has been “seated at God’s right hand in the heavenly places” (Eph. 1:20) and in Christ God has “seated us with him in the heavenly places” (Eph. 2:6). It’s as if Paul took Psalm 1 and wrote a letter about how to live it out. ‌ Delight = Heb. hepes - joy, pleasure, desire, will, inclination. One connection that is often missed is that the garden of Eden literally means “paradise or delight.” In the garden, Adam and Eve were in the direct presence of God. Being in the presence of God is paradise or joy or delight. ‌ The law of the LORD = Heb. torah Yahweh - instruction of Yahweh. We often think about the Torah (Genesis—Deuteronomy) as “the Law” or a book of laws. However, the Torah is a story that includes God’s laws for Israel to remain in covenant with Him. The entire story of the Torah is meant to give us instruction or teaching about God and humanity. ‌ Meditates = Heb. yegeh or hagah - to growl, mutter, read in an undertone repeatedly. When we think of meditation, we often think of yoga where people sit and repeat a humming sound. In Psalm 1 a similar idea is at work, except the sound is not humming but repeating God’s Word over and over. ‌ Day and night = This refers to repetition, but also refers to totality. To “meditate of his law day and night” is focused on God’s Word at all times. ‌ When praying for direction, are we expecting God to speak while we are still aligning ourselves with the world? ‌ Psalm 1:3–4 3 He 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. 4 The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. ‌ Tree planted by streams of water = When a tree is planted by streams of water, it has prolonged life. In other words, this refers to a tree of life. In the garden of Eden we’re told that the tree of life, or the tree of eternal life, is at the center of the garden (Gen. 2:9). We’re also told that in Eden there is a river that splits into four rivers (Gen. 2:10-14). Since this river is bringing life to Eden, we could call it “the river of life” (Rev. 22:1-5). All of this means that anyone who finds their delight in the Word of God will be like a tree of life planted by the river of life and they will have eternal life. ‌ Yields its fruit in its season = A healthy tree produces good fruit. A tree of life produces life. The Hebrew word for “yields” here is yitten, which means “to give or hand down.” Another form of this word yatan means “not easily diseased or uprooted.” If we are committed to finding our joy in God’s Word, then we will produce good works that reproduce life. Also, the phrase “in its season” implies that our good works come at the right time. ‌ Its leaf does not wither = When the leaves wither on a tree it can be a sign of impending death. Therefore, this passage is telling us that if we avoid sin and delight in God’s Word, we will live and not die. This speaks of eternal life. ‌ Propers in all he does = We must be careful with this phrase not to take it out of its context. This passage is NOT saying that ANYTHING you do will prosper as long as your read your Bible every day. The phrase “all he does” refers to the actions in the previous verses. Avoiding wickedness, sin, pride and producing good fruit is the “all he does” that propers. ‌ The wicked are not so = If we fail to live out this passage, we are being wicked. The wicked are not like the righteous. Both being wicked and being righteous has consequences. We must chose which consequences we want to experience. ‌ Chaff that the wind drives away = This metaphor comes from harvesting wheat. The produce of wheat is a kernel encased in a husk, which is referred to as the chaff. When harvesting wheat in the ancient world, the wheat would threshed to break the husk from the kernel. Then the thresher would throw it in the air and the wind would blow away the chaff. In this image, the righteous are the kernel and the wicked are the chaff. When the wicked are threshed (crushed), they are gone with the wind. When the righteous are crushed, they remain and are useful. ‌ When praying for blessing, are we seeking good things without doing good things? Are we doing the good we hope to receive? ‌ Psalm 1:5–6 5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; 6 for the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish. ‌ The wicked will not stand in the judgment = While the wicked/sinners are “standing” in this life and going their own “way,” there is coming a time when they will no longer stand. “The judgment” refers to the final day of judgment where the righteous will stand and the wicked will not. ‌ Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous = The New Testament tells us that on judgment day Jesus will present the righteous to God (Heb. 2:10-12). Those who chose to live in sin will not be included in the congregation of the righteous. By the way, in the New Testament “congregation” is the Greek word ekklesia, which is also translated as the church. ‌ The LORD knows the way of the righteous = The Hebrew word for “knows” here is yadah, which also means “to take care of.” Therefore, this line could be translated, “The LORD takes care of the way of the righteous.” It is important to remember in prayer that we are speaking to and putting our trust in a God who wants to take care of us. ‌ The way of the wicked will perish = Not only will the wicked perish in the end, the “way” of the wicked will also perish. In the new creation, both the wicked and the way of wickedness will no longer exist. There will be no way of the wicked to fall into or choose. There will only be righteousness and goodness. ‌ When praying for grace, are we living as if we will be judged? ‌Are we trusting that God knows our way and wants to take care of us? ‌ How Psalm 1 Guides Prayer: Vv. 1-2 teaches us what kind of blessing to seek. Vv. 3-4 teaches us to do the good we want to receive. Vv. 5-6 teaches us to live with the end in mind. ‌ How to Pray Psalm 1: Father, help me to seek your blessing over the blessings of this world. Lead me away from evil and show me the way of eternal life. Give me grace for today, so that I may stand righteous before you in the end. ‌ How to Respond ‌Prayer: Ask God to reveal what needs to change. ‌Repentance: Agree with God and repent of sin. ‌Worship: Thank God for what He is doing in you. ‌Communion: Take Christ in and renew faithfulness.