Scripture References: Psalm 1
I. The Character of the Happy Man – Continued
From last lesson: The genuinely happy person does not seek advice and counsel from people outside of God. Imagine how many Christians allow unhappy people to tell them how to be happy!
Don’t let a loser tell you how to win. So many believers are susceptible even to the deceit of the so-called “New Age” movement. It is definitely not “new.” Such hogwash started with Lucifer in the garden of Eden. Verse 1 implies that we do not “hang around” an atmosphere where people have left God out. The happy person does not spend his time seeking advice from ungodly people.
Then the blessed person does not stand “in the path of sinners.” Now it becomes worse. First, the ungodly referred to those who did not have a place for God in their lives. “Sinners” here points to those who habitually rebel against God. They are flagrantly determined to sin. The wise man will not spend his time in fellowship with such sinners.
Notice the possible digression. First of all, you have a man walking. That is harmless enough. All he does is walk, but then he stops and stands. Eventually he then sits, which may imply identification, and he joins them, as it were. Perhaps he started out just casually listening, certainly with no intent of following Satan’s path. Then he stopped and found himself enjoying the company of rebels against God.
Then there is the phrase, “nor sits in the seat of the scornful.” If you walk with and stand with that kind of people, you may ultimately join their attitude toward God. The word “scornful” should send a tinge of fear through you because it speaks of individuals who laugh at, ridicule, and sneer at God. This verse vividly deals with three steps moving away from God. First, they become careless in their contacts. They walk in areas where they should not walk, and engage in activities with ungodly people. Then the scenario worsens as they become involved with miscreants who laugh at and ridicule the very things of God.
This verse portrays for us the tragic downward path of one who associates with the wrong people and links his life with the wrong ideas of life. We should witness to those outside of Christ, by all means. That assignment is given to us, but we cannot draw our strength from people without God. The quickest way for us to become unhappy in our faith and to have our Christian joy diminished is to make our associations and attachments with ungodly people. Yes, the happy person knows there are limits to what he can do. Maybe some of you have lost your joy. One reason may be that you have become attached to people who have excluded God from their lives. There is certainly no room for happiness there.
Verse 1 spoke of the happy man’s conduct, the things he should not do, his character. Then verse 2 deals with the things he should do, and I call it:
II. The Communion of the Happy Man
This verse concerns what he dwells upon. “But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His law he meditates day and night.” This “law of the Lord” refers to the Scriptures, the written Word of God. Throughout the Bible, “the law” refers not only to the Ten Commandments and the first five books, the Pentateuch, but in the Jewish mind had reference to the written Scriptures. So, the emphasis here is on the Word of God. A happy man knows there are some things he must not do, but he is also aware of some things he must do.
The writer mentions two here. First, he delights in the Word of God. He did not consider the law to be a set of rigid restrictions that hampered and burdened him. To him the law was not troublesome and did not fetter him. Neither was the law a hard set of restraints squeezing the joy out of life. Rather, he found the Word of God a joy to his heart and a source of happiness to his heart and mind. He discovered it was wonderful to learn the Word of God and also to obey and do the Word. Jesus said: “For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” – Matthew 11:30. The happy person discovers that God’s Word is a source of endless joy and blessing. It is food and drink for a hungry, thirsty soul.
To Be Continued
FOR THE LOVE OF GOD 