Psalm 1 (NRSV)
Read Psalm 1 on biblegateway.com
Verse 1Happy are those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or take the path that sinners tread, or sit in the seat of scoffers;
Verse 2but their delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law they meditate day and night.
Verse 3They are like trees planted by streams of water, which yield their fruit in its season, and their leaves do not wither. In all that they do, they prosper.
Verse 4The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away.
Verse 5Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
Verse 6for the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.
Devotion
In "Fiddler on the Roof," Tevya has a sweet vision of studying the Holy Book seven hours every day. This vision is where the psalter begins. Today's text says that happy people have their delight "in the instruction of the Lord." Happy people "meditate day and night" on God's instruction. This is like the picture we shared from Jeremiah yesterday - the vision of a tree whose roots tap into living water.
There is no disclaimer in Psalm 1. The happy people just do this. Like Tevya, I have a vision of studying the Holy Book seven hours every day, but spending that much time is more like a dream than a reality. On the other hand, when I neglect the Word, I become dry like chaff. Vision is about seeing these different futures. Blessed are they who move to the vision of delight that we have in the Word and in the living water.
Prayer
Lord, give me the missional imagination to meditate on your Word and delight in your instruction day and night. Amen.