Monte Johnston - Psalms: How to Succeed

"It was the best of times. It was the worst of times."

"Call me Ishmael."

"Happy are those who do not follow the advice of the wicked."

What are these sentences? They are the first lines of great books. From A Tale of Two Cities, Moby Dick, and the Psalms, respectively. While the first line of the books of Psalms is not as well known as the others, it should be. For, it signals a great theme of the book, and the Psalms is a great book, one of the greatest in the history of literature. It has been as influential on the subsequent history of Western Civilization as any book out there. And, so over the coarse of the next 8 weeks we are going to explore this book, not merely as literature, which we will, but as so much more. Because it too is a great book. Think of a book that you love. Why do you love it?Probably because it speaks to your experience in some way. It expresses how you feel. Maybe it captures your wishes for how you wish your life to be. The Psalms is a book just like that, except that it cast's God's light on our experiences and transforms them.

Text: Psalm 1

This is the text.

1 Happy 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; 2 but their delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law they meditate day and night. 3 They 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.4 The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. 5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; 6 for the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish. (NRSV)

Psalm 1 stands at the beginning of the entire collection of Psalms, and so it and the second psalm, which we will look at next week, act as an introduction to the whole collection. The purpose of an introduction is tell you what will be in the book, so you can be alert to its themes and the intentions of the author. Otherwise, you might be halfway through the book before you realize what is going on. Introductions should make you a better reader of the book.

As readers, we think the easier the better. If you have done much reading of the Bible, you will have noticed that it doesn't take long to get to passages that are a challenge to understand. But this should be how we want it to be. The reason is the best books are not easy. When a book is full of great themes and all of those themes are woven together in an ingenious way, you are not going to pick it all up on the first reading. But, with each subsequent reading, you see more and more.

To illustrate what I mean, I want you to think about the easiest book from your childhood. The hands down winner would have to be, Fun with Dick and Jane. "See Dick, See Dick run. Run, Dick, run." It doesn't get easier than this. What if reading the Bible was like this? "See God. See God create. Create, God, create." You would first think, "Wow! This is so easy." But, it is not the kind of thing that you would return to again and again. After the first time, you pretty much got it. The amazing thing about Scripture is that you can return to it again and again--everyday of your life--and you will never cease to discover more and more. It is a limitless treasure. So let's go treasure hunting.

Beatitude -- A Manual for Living

The psalm begins, "Happy 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." The first thing we notice is that it says, "Happy are those..." This could also be translated, "Blessed are those who...." When you hear those words, it might make you think of the Beatitudes from Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. The Beatitudes are like a roadmap to life. They tell you the way to happiness. This is what is going on in Psalm 1, and in the rest of the book. We are being shown a roadmap to life with the way to happiness highlighted in yellow. If we follow that road, we will go the road of happiness, fulfillment and success. It will also keep us away from other things that are best to be avoided.

The psalms begins with three places that we should not go.

"Happy 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."

I hope you noticed the repetition. It is there to help get the point across. Because the psalms are poetry. They are poetic in how they are chalk-full of images, but also in their use of repetition. In English poetry, we repeat sounds, and so two lines will rhyme. In Hebrew poetry they repeat ideas. So you have to listen for ideas that rhyme. In the original Hebrew, there is walking in the advice of the wicked, standing with sinners and sitting in the seat of scoffers. What is going on here?

Bible Scholar Mark Futato comments on the progression of walk, stand, sit:

Walking leads to standing, which leads to sitting. A downward spiral is placed before us. Activity slows to passivity. Life grinds to a halt.

These three verbs are used with the three nowns counsel, way, and seat. Walking in the counsel is a metaphor for yielding to influences. Standing in the way speaks of following patterns of behavior. Sitting in the seat stands for taking on an attitude. Negative influences lead to negative behaviors, which lead to negative attitudes.

Transformed by Praise: The Purpose and Message of the Psalms, 88-89.

Scripture is warning us about the influences on our life, who we spend time with, what is influencing us. Because usually we are lured down the wrong paths slowly. It is like the tale of a frog that is put into a pot of water that is slowly being brought to a boil. It heats slowly that the frog doesn't notice until it is too late.

Abu Ghraib

Remember the Abu Ghraib. Pfc. Lynndie England pleaded guilty on May 2, 2005, to mistreating prisoners at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. England became a central figure in the scandal after photos emerged in 2004 showing her and others sexually humiliating Iraqi prisoners. One of the photos showed her holding a hooded, naked prisoner on a leash. Another showed her smiling and giving a thumbs-up, next to nude prisoners.The judge asked her about the photo that depicted her smiling. England said she replied, "No, no way," at first when a fellow soldier asked her to pose for the picture. "But they were being very persistent, bugging me, so I said, 'OK, whatever,'" she told the judge."I had a choice, but I chose to do what my friends wanted me to," England said, entering her plea.

T. A. Badger, "Reservist Says Peer Pressure Led to Abuse at Abu Ghraib," The Louisville Courier Journal (5-03-05)

It was the slow but constant pressure of those around her that forced her to do things, which she probably thought she was incapable of.

Think about who you spend time with. Think about who influences you. Think about whose advice you seek. Are they going in the direction that you want your life to go? They are influencing you.

Delighting in the Lord

So if the way to happiness is definitely not found with people who have no use for God, where is it found? Happy are those who delight in the law of the Lord. The word which is translated, "law," is the Hebrew word, "Torah," and it means so much more than law. It means instruction, and guidance, and direction. Happiness and success come to those who take pleasure in God's instruction. That is what God gives us in His Word: wisdom and guidance for life. This is what we should be looking for as we go through the Psalms. God doesn't want us to stumble our way through life, tripping and falling, like trying to find the door in a dark room. In his Word, God gives us light, so we can go though life with our eyes open, avoiding the obstacles and the downfalls. We can learn to live life the way God intended. We find in his Word principles for life.

When you read the Bible and apply what it says to your life, you will find that things work better. You can find your way through difficult relationships. You can avoid the pitfalls of stupid decisions that lead to situations where you are trapped. And when you make better decisions, you just enjoy life all the more. The more instruction you get, the more you are going to want. That is why it says, Happy are those who meditate on God's instruction day and night.

Finding It for Yourself

We want to help you live a happier life. This is why we are encouraging everyone to sign up for a small group. Just like keeping company with those who have no use for God leads to an unhappy life, so spending time with other followers of Christ has a positive influence. In our groups this fall we are doing a study of the Psalms. There is nothing that is quite as good for your faith as gathering with others around God's Word, and letting him speak into your lives. It is powerful. So I strongly encourage you to fill out the form and sign up. It is a seven-week commitment, but the reward will be great--which brings us to the other image of the psalm -- bearing fruit.

The Fruit of God's Presence

In verse 3, it says those who delight in the instruction of God "are like trees planted by streams of water, which yield their fruit in its season, and their leaves do not wither. In all they do, they prosper." Those whose lives are soaked in Scripture are like a lush green tree planted by steams of water. Can we sure relate to this image with what a dry summer we have had! Any tree can be green and bear fruit when it rains all of the time. But when times get tough and the rain doesn't come, it is the tree which is planted by a stream that get still get water.

The same is true in our lives. Most people are happy when things are going great -- you get a promotion, you welcome a new grandchild, you get a big tax refund. But, happiness usually goes out the window when you total your car, you are fighting with your spouse, or your kid is doing poorly at school. Those things can suck the life out of you.

But for those who are nourished by the Word of God, he will sustain you even in the bad times. And what is more, you will bear fruit. That is to say, that God will even use those difficult seasons to do good work in you, or through you, in the lives of others.

A Tale of Two Cities

One of the most moving passages in English literature comes towards the end of Charles Dickens's Tale of Two Cities, a story of the French revolution. Each day, a grim procession of prisoners made its way on the streets of Paris to the guillotine. One prisoner, Sidney Carton, a brave man who had once lost his soul but had now found it again, was now giving his life for his friend. Beside him there was a young girl. They had met before in the prison, and the girl had noticed the man's gentleness and courage. She said to him, "If I may ride with you, will you let me hold your hand? I am not afraid, but I am little and weak, and it will give me more courage."

So they rode together, her hand in his; and when they reached the place of execution, there was no fear in her eyes. She looked up into the quiet composed face of her companion, and said, "I think you were sent to me by heaven."

Sidney Carton is the picture of one whose life bears fruit. He is giving his life for another. And even as he is about to die, he gives hope and strength to this girl, so that she will not despair. This is the life that we should desire and strive for.

In all the dark valleys of life, as well as in the high places, God our Father, the God of all comfort, in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, is at our side. And we find him and get to know him in the pages of Scripture.

the strength of character, the confidence in God in the face of sickness or death, or a strong faith in God's provision doesn't usually come in a flash, although it might be revealed to others in an instant of crisis. These are the fruits which grow over time. They are the results of seeking God day after day. They are the result of picking up the Scriptures to read.

You want the fruit in your life of faith, hope and love. You want to be happy. Happiness is found in the pages of Scripture. You may be skeptical that reading Scripture is worth it. Try it, and you will see. Try it this week. Read a psalm. Just one psalm, but read it over and over, and listen for God's voice.