Psalm 1:1-3 (NRSV)
Read Psalm 1:1-3 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.
Devotion
Psalm 1 is expansive. It invites us into the book of Psalms and provides a view of God's word. Come, the psalmist bids us, discover the blessedness of diving into Torah. The Hebrew word Torah, here translated "law," can refer to the whole of God's word in the Bible.
Psalm 1 invites us "to meditate" on Torah. We usually think of meditating as quiet and thoughtful. But the word, here translated meditate, is used to speak of the roaring of lions and the cooing of birds.
Such activity, says the psalmist, leads to more than we can imagine. When we delight in God's teaching, we become like trees, made and kept alive with roots planted by an ever-flowing stream. We are rooted in God, in God's life-giving Spirit, in God's word in Scripture and in God's word in Christ.
Once our roots are fed by this ever-flowing stream, we produce leaves and fruit. Our leaves provide shade and shelter. Our fruit nourishes and reaches out. Being rooted in the waters of God's word brings us joy and also has at its end the feeding and sheltering of the world.
Prayer
O Living Word, water our roots so that the fruit of our study might be the healing of the nations. Amen.