"THE TRULY HAPPY
MAN"
INTRODUCTION
1. Wherein lies the key to true happiness?
a. We live in a time where boredom, depression
and other forms of
unhappiness are rampant
b. Is there some basic principle which
determines success in finding
happiness?
2. The Book of Psalms with its very first psalm
shares with us a key
principle that can ensure true happiness...
a. Notice the very first word of the first psalm
- "Blessed..."
1) The word in Hebrew denotes the idea of "happiness"
2) The actual force of the Hebrew could be
translated "O how very
happy is the
man..."
b. Therefore this psalm describes "The Truly Happy Man"
3. In this lesson, we shall...
a. Take a close look at the first psalm
b. Seek to glean the principles necessary for
one to truly be happy
[The psalm itself can be divided into three
sections. The first section
describes...]
I. THE BLESSEDNESS OF
THE RIGHTEOUS MAN
A. WE ARE TOLD OF HIS
CHARACTER (1-2)
1. Described first from a NEGATIVE point of view
-
"Blessed is the man
that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the ways of
sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful."
a. There is value in negative commands or
statements
1) For so much that destroys happiness is the
fruit of
sinful activity
2) We ought to appreciate the value of negative
commands
a) They keep us from going astray
b) They protect from harm and misery
-- Like restraining walls along a cliff, they
keep us
from getting hurt
b. Therefore it is said that the truly happy
man:
1) "Walks
not in the counsel of the ungodly"
a) He does not take their counsel as to how to
live
b) He does not follow the advice of those who
are sinful
2) "Nor
stands in the path of sinners"
a) He does not linger where sinners are known to
go
b) For the temptation to go with them would be
great
3) "Nor
sits in the seat of the scornful"
a) He does not join himself with those who
ridicule and
mock those trying to do right
b) Which sinners often do to fortify their
conduct and
defend their actions
c. Notice the example of Hebrew poetry in this
verse
1) Hebrew poetry stressed "thought
rhyme" rather than "word
rhyme"
a) Where the thoughts are somehow related rather
than
just the words
b) Such thought rhyme was often expressed in
various
forms of "parallelism" (e.g.,
synonymous, 1:2;
antithetical, 1:6)
3) Here we find an example of "progressive
parallelism"
(walk, stand, sit)
d. This verse may be taken to describe the
journey one takes
into sin...
1) First, one going along with a crowd
2) Then, taking a stand with the crowd
3) Finally, reaching a point where sinning is
not enough,
mockery is added
2. His character from a POSITIVE perspective -
"But his delight is
in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night."
a. "His
delight is in the law of the Lord"
1) The source of his joy and happiness is the
Word of God!
2) It is truly his "delight" -
"I will delight
myself in thy statutes: I will not forget thy word."
"Thy testimonies
also are my delight and my counsellors."
"Make me to go in
the path of thy commandments; for therein do I delight."
"And I will delight
myself in thy commandments, which I have loved."
"Their heart is as
fat as grease; but I delight in thy law."
"Thy words were
found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of
mine heart: for I am called by thy name,
O Lord God of hosts. I sat not in the assembly of the mockers, nor rejoiced; I
sat alone because of thy hand: for thou hast filled me with indignation."
3) He preferred it over the counsel of the
ungodly!
b. Therefore,
"in His law he meditates day and night"
1) The word meditate means to "moan, hum,
utter, speak,
muse"
a) The picture is one of a man reading and
re-reading
half aloud to himself
b) Another word might be "ponder"
2) This he does with God's word "day and
night"
a) Not implying a monk-like existence
b) But a concerted interest which goes beyond a
casual
acquaintance
3) What it means is that this is something...
a) He does habitually
b) He takes time to do - setting apart portions
of each
day
c) He does both day and night
B. WE ARE TOLD OF HIS
PROSPERITY (3)
1. "He
shall be like a tree"
a. This figure of speech is often used in
Scripture to
describe the righteous - e.g.,
"The righteous
shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in lebanon. Those
that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our
God. They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing;
To shew that the Lord is upright: he is my rock, and there is no
unrighteousness in him."
"Blessed is the man
that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is. For he shall be as a
tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and
shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be
careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit."
b. It had special significance to those living
in arid
climates (like Palestine)
2. "Planted
by rivers of water"
a. A picture describing a person whose life is
rooted in God's
word
b. From which one receives constant nourishment
3. "That
brings forth fruit in its season"
a. Depicting a life which yields something
worthwhile
b. Providing blessings to himself and others
4. "Whose
leaf also shall not wither"
a. A tree with roots near a river is not likely
to be affected
in times of drought
b. So adverse conditions do not affect the
fruitfulness of one
whose strength comes from God's word!
5. "Whatever
he does shall prosper"
a. The figure of the tree is now left behind
b. This is a general rule, exceptions may occur
for reasons
which only God knows
c. But a life of piety will generally be blessed
by prosperity
1) For piety will heed God's directions for
success in life
2) And piety will heed God's warnings concerning
things
that waste life
[Such is the character and prosperity of the
righteous man; he is truly
happy and a blessing to others because he abides
in the Word of God. He
also becomes a monument to God's faithfulness
and the value of living
by His word.
What of those who do not delight in the Word of
God, who do not receive
the nourishment found in it? In the next two verses we are shown...]
II. THE CONDITION OF
THE UNRIGHTEOUS
A. THEY ARE NOTHING LIKE
THE RIGHTEOUS (4)
1. The phrase "The ungodly are not so" is more emphatic in the
Hebrew
a. Literally, "Not so, are the ungodly!"
b. Emphasizing that the wicked are not like the
righteous
2. The contrast as illustrated by the Psalmist
a. He does not even describe them as withering
trees
1) But rather as "chaff which the wind drives away"
2) Alluding to chaff blown away from wheat as it
is tossed
into the air
d. The illustration describes a bleak existence
1) Their life is one of futility (ending in
eternal
separation from God)
2) Their life is no substantial value, either to
be blown
away and not found, or to be burned
"whose fan is in his hand, and he will
thoroughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will
burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire."
B. THEIR SORRY CONDITION
PORTENDS NO GOOD END (5)
1. "The
ungodly shall not stand in the judgment"
a. I understand this may be a Hebraism (Hebrew
idiom)
1) Meaning that the wicked "shall not be
able to maintain
himself"
2) I.e., obliged to sit or fall down in shame
when
convicted of their guilt
b. The Final Judgment appears to be under
consideration
2. "Nor
sinners in the congregation of the righteous"
a. I.e., in all places where the righteous are
assembled, they
will have no place:
1) E.g., where they assemble to worship God
2) E.g., where they meet as His friends
3) E.g., where they together participate in His
favor
b. But especially, in the last day, when the
righteous...
1) ...shall be gathered together to receive
their reward
2) ...shall be assembled together in heaven
...the sinner has no place!
[The psalm concerning "The Truly Happy Man" ends with...]
III. A FINAL CONTRAST
BETWEEN THE TWO "WAYS"
A. THE WAY OF THE
RIGHTEOUS (6a)
1. The Lord "knows" the way of the righteous
2. The word "knows" suggests interest
in, and care for, the
person known
-- One could say: "God himself goes with
such a person throughout
his or her life"
B. THE WAY OF THE
UNGODLY (6b)
1. The way of the ungodly person "shall perish"
2. I.e., shall tend toward ruin
-- His path becomes less defined until it loses
itself (like a
trail that leads into a swamp)
Written
By Dinah Ramos
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