Psalm 1 (Bible Study)
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In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach 2 until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. 3 After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. 4 On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. 5 For John baptized with[a] water, but in a few days you will be baptized with[b] the Holy Spirit.”
6 Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”
7 He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
9 After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.
10 They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. 11 “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”
Matthias Chosen to Replace Judas
12 Then the apostles returned to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of Olives, a Sabbath day’s walk[c] from the city. 13 When they arrived, they went upstairs to the room where they were staying. Those present were Peter, John, James and Andrew; Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew; James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. 14 They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.
15 In those days Peter stood up among the believers (a group numbering about a hundred and twenty) 16 and said, “Brothers and sisters,[d] the Scripture had to be fulfilled in which the Holy Spirit spoke long ago through David concerning Judas, who served as guide for those who arrested Jesus. 17 He was one of our number and shared in our ministry.”
18 (With the payment he received for his wickedness, Judas bought a field; there he fell headlong, his body burst open and all his intestines spilled out. 19 Everyone in Jerusalem heard about this, so they called that field in their language Akeldama, that is, Field of Blood.)
20 “For,” said Peter, “it is written in the Book of Psalms:
“‘May his place be deserted;
let there be no one to dwell in it,’[e]and,
“‘May another take his place of leadership.’[f]
21 Therefore it is necessary to choose one of the men who have been with us the whole time the Lord Jesus was living among us, 22 beginning from John’s baptism to the time when Jesus was taken up from us. For one of these must become a witness with us of his resurrection.”
23 So they nominated two men: Joseph called Barsabbas (also known as Justus) and Matthias. 24 Then they prayed, “Lord, you know everyone’s heart. Show us which of these two you have chosen 25 to take over this apostolic ministry, which Judas left to go where he belongs.” 26 Then they cast lots, and the lot fell to Matthias; so he was added to the eleven apostles.
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Daniel 4
Introduction begin by reading Genesis 1:1-31
Most Psalms are prayers, Psalm 1 is a meditation on meditation yet was it chosen to introduce the prayers of the Psalms.
The Psalms were collected and arranged at a certain point in Israel’s history, so Psalm 1 stands as the doorway into the Psalter, the prayer book of the Bible, saying meditation is the doorway into real prayer a necessary preparation for deeper prayer.
Meditation is about focused attention and personal application.
In Psalm 77:12 and 143:5, we are called to meditate on the works of God in nature and history.
In Psalm 63:6, the psalmist simply meditates “on thee.”
Psalm 119:15, 23, 27, 48, 78, 148, exhorts us to meditate on God’s Word, his verbal revelation.
There is a middle ground between prayer and Bible study. After studying a passage, we need to meditate our hearts warm and tranquil on the truth of God. That is a doorway into deeper prayer.
Psalm 1 is the gateway to the rest of the Psalms.
Tim Keller
1. What can you learn about meditation from Psalm 1:2?
First, we see that the object or basis for meditation is “the law of the Lord,” the Word of God.
In Psalm 1, the primary concern is meditation on Scripture.
Second, we see that “delighting” in the law of the Lord is closely associated with meditation.
We do not usually think of the words “delight” and “law” in the same sentence.
Two things about meditation from Ps 1:2.
(a) Meditation is about the head and the heart. “Delight in the law” is a study, but also an internal joy and delight of the truth.
(b) You “delight in the law” if you love receiving instruction and guidance from God. Meditation, then, means applied thinking: How does this apply to me? How does this change me? Does this change me, make me different, how does this affect me?
Third, “day and night” means a pattern and discipline of meditation. It is something we decide to do and regularly whether you feel like it or not. Although there is still room for spontaneity outpoured blessing.
The Scriptures should warm our hearts. God’s words are designed to penetrate, chastise, heal, and infuse us. We read in the New Testament that the Word of God is “alive and active . . . a two edged sword” (Heb. 4:12). The Torah, in deed the whole the living word is meant to penetrate.
Sometimes that very thought spontaneously moves us into meditation and prayer.
2. What is the significance of the progression from “walk” to “stand” to “sit”?
The progression is the gradual descent into sinfulness.
Psalm 1:1 outlines three stages of moral decline and increasing stagnation:
Walking: To "walk in the counsel of the wicked" means casually listening to or entertaining worldly, ungodly ideas and perspectives.
Standing: To "stand in the way of sinners" represents a deliberate choice to linger. Curiosity turns into participation or wrong behaviour.
Sitting: To "sit in the seat of mockers, The person takes a seat, is comfortable with cynics and joins those who mocks what is good. What shapes your thinking (“counsel”) shapes your behaviour (“way”) and your attitude and heart (“mockers”).
The progression to cynicism contrasts with blessedness! Look at the beginning of v1 and v2 and, it says, “Blessed is the one who..meditates day and night.”
“Blessed” in Hebrew is more than “happy.” It is peace, fullness of life, well-being a huge promise.
The life of a godly person in verse 2, based on meditation on God’s law, contrasts with the life of the ungodly in verse 1. We will either be meditating and walking in God’s wisdom or meditating and walking in worldly wisdom.
We must be mindful of we are listening to, what we are watching and meditating on in our heads and hearts. Original sin means we will default to the “counsel of the wicked” or we will deliberately make ourselves meditate on the law of the Lord. There are the two ways or desires.
3. (a) How does tree and chaff contrast godliness and ungodliness. (b) How is a tree like a meditating person? (c) What else does this example tell you about meditation in general?
One of the most fascinating things about Psalm 1 is that it is a meditation on meditation.
(a) Tree and chaff contrasts godliness and ungodliness.
Psalm 1: 3-5 (1) A tree is useful but chaff is useless, so ungodliness is of no profit.
(2) A tree is stable and lasting, while chaff is blown around. Ungodliness leads to instability.
Chaff is blown away by the wind, so the wicked will be blown away from God on judgment day.
(3) A tree bears fruit; giving life to people and propagates trees. Chaff does not, nor has it any nutritional value. So godliness matures, nurtures, and bears life, while ungodliness leaves you empty, hungry, unsatisfied, and starving.
(b) How is a tree like a meditating person?
Ps 1:3 begins, “he is like.” ‘He’ is the one who meditates on the law day and night (v2). The tree in Ps 1:3 is an extended meditation on the one who meditates. What do we learn from this?
(1) Meditation takes time, like a tree putting roots down. Trees don’t grow overnight!
(2) Meditation leads to depth and stability. The deeper one’s “roots” in meditation, the less likely that storms will uproot you.
(3) Meditation is looking at the Word of God like a thirsty tree looks at water. Meditation goes beyond the intellect. It is a spiritual “tasting” of Scripture, delighting in it, sensing the sweetness, thanking God and praising God for what you see. More than tasting, it is “digesting” Scripture, applying it, thinking about how it affects you, and guides you in the most practical way. Meditation helps you draw strength from the Word giving hope, reminding us of how loved we are.
(4) Meditation leads to character growth — to fruit. It is not just a way to feel close to God. Real meditation changes the heart into a heart of love, joy, peace, patience, humility, and self-control (Gal. 5:22-23).m “The tree is no mere channel, piping the water unchanged from one place to another, but a living organism which absorbs it, to produce in due course something new and delightful, proper to its kind and to its time.” 2 Derek Kidner
(5) Meditation leads to stability, but not immunity from suffering and dryness. This tree only bears fruit “in season,” though “its leaf does not wither.” Yet we must not always expect meditation to lead to constant uniform experiences of joy and love. There are “seasons” for great delight (springtime blossoms?) and for wisdom and maturity (summer fruit?). There are also spiritual winter times, when we don’t feel God’s presence even though our roots are still be firmly in God. “The promised that the does not wither is not independence from the rhythm of the seasons . . . but freedom from the crippling damage of drought.” 3 Derek Kidner, p. 48.
“Whatever he does prospers,” means: “A meditating person will always grow. Sometimes it is growth internally through suffering (winter) and sometimes it is externally through success (as in springtime). But you will always grow and prosper!”
Meditation has a lot to do with the imagination. An image helps you make an abstract truth more applicable to your understanding and warming to your heart.
4. Does Jesus shed any light on Ps 1? Does Ps 1 shed light on Jesus?
Psalms 1(a) On the one hand, Jesus was pre-eminently a person who delighted in the Word and meditated on it day and night. He is the One who meditated so profoundly on Scripture that he virtually “bled” Scripture, quoting it in the most extreme moments of his life (Matt. 27:46; cf. Ps. 22:1). That is how he stood firm — how he was truly a tree “evergreen” — using the Word of God even when under satan’s fiercest attack (on the cross). Do you want to stand when all hell is against you, then put your roots into Scripture!
(b) Jesus is also supremely the One on whom we meditate. Why is his life, especially as depicted in the Gospels, such rewarding fuel for our meditations? Because he is the meditation of God! He is God’s truth become “real,” made concrete and applied. As we saw above, he is the One who enables us to stand on judgment day. He is the One who puts in us the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). We must meditate on him and with him. Then, not only will Psalm 1 come to life in new ways, but we will become unshakable trees, as he was.
2 Derek Kidner, Psalms 1-72 (Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 1973), p. 48. 3 Derek Kidner, p. 48. 4 Richard F. Lovelace, quoting P. T. Forsyth in Dynamics of Spiritual Life (Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity
