Take a moment to reflect on the first two verses of Psalm 1.
Blessed is the man
who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
but his delight is in the law of the LORD,
and on his law he meditates day and night.
When the Bible talks about “meditating,” we shouldn’t picture someone sitting in silence trying to empty their mind of everything. Actually, quite the opposite. Meditating in Scripture is all about filling my mind and actively occupying myself with the word of God. In fact, what we have translated meditates in Psalm 1:2 comes from the Hebrew word for muttering under one’s breath. Think about that. The blessed man of Psalm 1 hasn’t just read God’s word as one intellectual exercise in a crowded to-do list and then gone on about his day, leaving what he read behind, now focused on more important things. No, the word and wisdom of God has sunk like a seed into his receptive heart. He’s found it “delightful,” so delightful in fact that he’s continuing to mentally “chew” on its message and meaning, turning its value and application over and over in his mind “day and night.”
That’s an insight we need to hear in the twenty-first century and an invitation worth accepting this week. When you pull up to a stop light… when you’re standing in line at the grocery store… as you’re working on a mindless task around the house… when all grows quiet toward the end of the day… on what will you “chew”?
What would happen in those valuable moments if we left our phones in our pockets? Kept the laptop closed? Didn’t hit the POWER button on the TV? Left the speaker volume down? Actually leaned into the silence and stillness? What if we made a conscious effort to mentally “chew” on Psalm 1…
Blessed is the man
who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers…
What if the sermon we hear today isn’t just something we politely sit through and then leave behind in the auditorium in search of the next (more flashy) burst of content? What if we actually used it as an anchor-point of our week as we seek to become more and more conformed to the image of Christ?
What if we wholeheartedly sang those hymns with our brothers and sisters in Christ, then “muttered” those lyrics to ourselves for days to come?
Let them praises give Jehovah!
They were made at His command;
Them forever He established:
His decree shall ever stand.
Sing them over again to me,
Wonderful words of Life;
Let me more of their beauty see,
Wonderful words of Life.
O what wondrous love I see
Freely shown for you and me,
By the One who did atone…
Give me the Bible, lamp of life immortal,
Hold up that splendor by the open grave…
I am resolved no longer to linger,
Charmed by the world’s delight;
Things that are higher, things that are nobler,
These have allured my sight.
O to grace how great a debtor
Daily I’m constrained to be!
Let Thy goodness like a fetter
Bind my wand’ring heart to Thee.
What if we worked to meditate on those sorts of things day and night? Might we be less anxious? More focused? More hopeful? On the path to greater maturity? Wouldn’t that be immeasurably more “delightful” than most everything that crosses our screens and fills our lives with so much noise? What if…
One thing is certain. It’s the first word of Psalm 1. We would be “blessed.”
Blessed is the man
who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
but his delight is in the law of the LORD,
and on his law he meditates day and night.
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.
Let’s give our best to the Best today. In return, we’ll find plenty to chew on and delight in for the week ahead.
Happy Lord’s day.