“Blessed”
“How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked,
Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers!
But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night.
He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, Which yields its fruit in its season And its leaf does not wither; And in whatever he does, he prospers” (Psalm 1:1-3)
The Bible calls some people “blessed.” Why are some people blessed and others not? Why is the man mentioned in Psalm 1 blessed? On the surface, it might seem that the man is blessed because he does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, stand in the path of sinners or sit in the seat of scoffers. Is he blessed because his delight is in the law of the LORD and due to the fact that he meditates in it day and night? I suppose you could make a case for this. But I suggest that the word blessed involves a cause and effect relationship.
Why doesn’t the man walk in the counsel of the wicked, stand in the path of sinners or sit in the seat of scoffers? Is it because he meditates in God’s law day and night? In other words, is it a simple formula that one can follow with guaranteed results? If we meditate in God’s law day and night, will we then avoid destructive behavior? I suggest that the Bible is not teaching this at all. Such simplistic teaching leaves out the key truth that is foundational to a correct understanding of this passage and others that speak of those who are “blessed.” It puts the cart before the horse.
Wrapped up in the word “blessed” is the idea that God is the One who is causing it all. A man cannot bless himself. To be blessed, God must do the blessing. “But without any dispute the lesser is blessed by the greater” (Hebrews 7:7). Upon this foundational truth we can conclude that the only reason the man does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, stand in the path of sinners or sit in the seat of scoffers is because God has blessed him. The only reason he meditates in God’s law day and night is because God has blessed him. If God had not blessed him, none of this would happen. He would definitely walk in the counsel of the wicked, stand in the path of sinners or sit in the seat of scoffers. He would definitely NOT meditate in God’s law day and night.
As a result, we can know that all praise belongs to God who blesses because all that is good originates from Him alone, not us. We have nothing to boast about. We cannot say that the reason we do not walk in the counsel of the wicked, stand in the path of sinners or sit in the seat of scoffers is because we are diligent to meditate in God’s law day and night. If it weren’t for God alone, we would never think about His word at all. So, whenever you read the word blessed in the Bible, remember to give the credit to God who blesses, not man who receives the blessing.