So I have chosen this year to dedicate my personal study of the Word to the Psalms and Proverbs. Today was Psalm 1. I saw a couple principles that rose to the surface.
Read Psalm 1.
RELATIONSHIPS
The first principle referred to our relationships affecting our life choices. The Psalmist is warning the reader to make wise choices as with whom they associate and spend their time. There is a progression that takes place when we make a bad decision regarding who to hang out with.
First in the progression is “WALK”. The Hebrew word for walk (hālaḵ) means to come and go. Take a moment and think about who you do life with. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I surely have – I have developed some of the habits and mannerisms of those I hang out with. As I ponder this, I realize that our choices as to the company we keep have consequences – good or bad.
The second in the progression is “STAND”. The Hebrew word for stand (ʿāmaḏ) means to tarry or delay. There is an added aspect of this “standing in the way of sinners” that describes growing flat or dull. What is coming to mind here is how who I hang out with has an effect on my conscience.
Have you ever noticed that when you are watching a movie and they are using fowl language, and when you decide to watch it anyway, by the end of the movie you aren’t wincing at each curse word like you were at the beginning? Your conscience has grown accustomed to the cursing and is less offended as time passes.
The Bible speaks of having a “seared conscience” in 1 Timothy 4:2. A seared conscience in one that has been rendered insensitive. People with a seared conscience don’t even feel conviction anymore. That is what happens when we choose to spend a lot of time with people who are not choosing to live according to God’s design. Before you know it, you’re not offended by sin anymore, and if you’re not careful, you are assimilating it as well.
The third in the progression is “SIT”. The Hebrew word for sit (yāšaḇ) means to dwell or have one’s abode. Who do you spend a majority of your time with? Who are your go-to friends who you regularly hang out with? Answer this honestly. Does the person who came to your mind draw you closer to or further away from God?
Jesus said in John 13:15, “I have set you an example that you should do as I have done to you.” And then in Ephesians 5:1 it says, “Therefore be imitators of God, as dearly loved children.”There is also a warning issued in 1 Corinthians 15:33, “Don’t be deceived. Bad company corrupts good character”.
Just as a side note — if you felt conviction about a relationship in your life that is drawing you away from God, and if you pushed it that conviction off, thinking “I won’t let that happen”, God is warning you “Do not be deceived”, it will happen.
THOUGHTS
In contrast to the progression of bad choices (walking, standing, sitting), the Psalmist says that the truly happy person (blessed) is the one whose delight is in God’s Word, and that person’s practice is to meditate on it day and night. DELIGHT (ḥēp̄eṣ) describes pleasure, joy, and extreme satisfaction. Sit in that for a minute. Ask yourself if those phrases in that definition describe your attitude toward God’s Word? If the answer is no, take time to think about what does “delight” you. Talk to God about that.
The phrase “day and night” jumped off the page at me so I dug. The Hebrew word for meditate is imperfect (never gets finished), and it means to murmur, to ponder, to muse. When I thought of “murmur”, I thought of how sometimes I will say something to myself over and over so I don’t forget it. For example, if I only need a few things at the store and I don’t take the time to write them down, I tend to repeat it over and over as I walk through the store so I don’t forget any of them. (Silly, I know; but effective! haha)
I looked up muse in the dictionary – to become absorbed in thought; to think about carefully and thoroughly. And BAM!!! Now I know why God had me dig.
So…gonna be completely transparent here. We are hosting a New Year’s Eve party this evening. My sleep last night was sporadic at best. Why? I was “musing” about my list of to-do’s for today and my worries that I will forget something. This party had become all-consuming. Thoughts of the party were present in some way in every thought yesterday and even during the night.
Now that the sting of that subsides, I find myself thanking God for that wonderful example of how absorbed and preoccupied I should be with God’s Word. I should be so invested in obeying His commands that they are ever present in my mind as I go about my day.
Just wow…huh? Does this hit you as it does me? (don’t leave me hanging here all by myself).
Well, I can see that this year in the Psalms and Proverbs is not gonna be without casualties. Haha Hang in there with me and let’s learn together.