The Bible Bloke

The first Psalm ends with a categorical statement: Defy God and “perish.” Yet here, the Nations seek to do just that. It is clear from the outset that the Psalmist does not understand the rage of the nations. Why? The gravity of the question is important. Why do you question God? Let’s take a moment to understand the position of the Psalmist. If we are to understand it is Kind David who is speaking here, then his question resonates all the more as he is in a position to understand the weight and role of kingship. Without The Lord he, David, would not be king. Everything he has is the result of the actions of God. His relationship with God, his heart, his thoughts, his frustrations, his prayers are on the page for us to read, so that we may feel a deep empathy for this man, who came from such humble beginnings. It is no wonder then that the question has extra weight. Why? It is asked by a king who understands the full weight of earthly sovereignty, a king who had rivals who wanted to ...

Hot on the heels of Psalm 1, with the chaff hardly having settled, and the fate of the wicked stated plainly with the use of the word “perish,” the focus of Psalm 2 shifts from the condition of the individual to that of the national and perhaps even the global situation. The word used for “nations” is goy. The meaning here is “a troop of animals” or “a flight of locusts.” In considering the word in this context I for one am reminded of the plagues of Egypt, firstly because what we have is a challenge against God’s authority, His Sovereignty, which is the crux of the confrontation between Pharaoh and Moses. God wins by such a display of power that nothing Pharaoh does or indeed can do has any hope of success. Of course not, he has set himself against the Creator, against God Almighty. The nations in Psalm 2 are in a very similar position. Set against the Sovereignty of God it’s hardly a surprise that their efforts are “vain.” At the end of Psalm 1 there is a solid atmosphere of judgm...

Charles Wesley wrote: “Thy faithfulness, Lord, each moment we find, So true to Thy word, so loving and kind; Thy mercy so tender to all the lost race, The vilest offender may turn and find grace.”  I have been struck this week by the faithfulness of God. Even though I may wobble in my orbit, He is there to make any correction necessary. To keep me turning around His axis. When we are on our own we are lost, we have no direction do we? Every sideways glance is a slight against us. At least that’s how we might perceive it. But it’s not. Not when God is in charge. And it’s never too late to look for that course correction! “The vilest offender may turn and find grace.” I am reminded here of the story of Nicky Cruz, who came to Christ from the worst situation. He was a murderer, a drug taker, a gang leader, his mother and father were Satanists. And yet The Lord embraced him, showing Love and Grace. God’s great mercy was the catalyst that took Nicky Cruz from the very gates...

Before we move on to the next Psalm which will expand our vision to more distant horizons, it seems fitting to come back to the very first verse of the first Psalm and ask the question who is this "blessed man."1 First impressions would tell us that he is a symbol of universality, a representation of the generic believer, whatever that might be. Relying on first impressions the idea of, the meaning of the word “blessed.” This is the ‘man’s’ clear state of being. Is this the same man that David is referring to in Psalm 32 verse 1? Here the man’s transgression is forgiven, whose “sin is covered.” Surely this can happen only through Christ? This is where I get caught on thorns for I have to read this in terms of my 21st century context. I have to ask: Don't the Psalms predate Jesus? So my question is how can I hope to find Christ here? To find an answer to this point of tension we need to think about the nature of Scripture: God breathed, inspired by the Holy Spirit, ...

So what does Psalm 1 tell us about God?  The water that flows by the tree today is not the same water that flowed past it yesterday although it has the same source.  The chaff that was winnowed out yesterday is not the same as the chaff that needs winnowing today!  The blessed man did not follow the path of the wicked yesterday, but the temptation for him to do so is there today!  The mockers haven't moved on. Their voices are still in his head. They are still beckoning to him.  Think about the Lord's Prayer. It's not something that should be prayed once and that's it, we have lifetime blanket covering!  Not so.  It is something we need to pray each and every day. Deliver us from evil. Protect us O Lord from the evil one and his schemes. Satan want's nothing more that to trap us and trip us up, to bring us into the company of the wicked so that we turn away from God.  Like the tree, goodness is something that grows, each day, fed...

In thinking about this first Psalm, and how it relates to all the Psalms that follow it, we must be mindful of two things.  The first is the joy of the man who delights in the Lord. It's that joy which wells up from the deepest heart-space, filled with the presence of Christ.  The other thing is the disposition of the wicked, the sinners and the mockers.  Good character is rewarded. As readers we feel a deeper sense of empathy for the upright man, the blessed man, rather than for the wicked.  When I read this Psalm I feel uncomfortable, as I would if I passed these people on the street and heard their jibes and felt the sting of their criticism.  But why do I need to feel anything other than the delight the Lord has promised? These sinners offer nothing of any value. After all they are likened to chaff that is to be winnowed away from the grain.  We have to put aside first impressions, for we are told first up what the good man isn't. What doe...

"The wicked are not so but they are like the chaff which the wind blows away..." Psalm 1:4 Some trees drop their their old leaves in a soft carpet on the ground around them. Any quiet breeze will stir the leaves which shift and settle, as if rearranging themselves before sleep. It's a restful image, giving a sense of reassurance, just as the strong tree imagery in Psalm 1 verse 3 allows us to focus on the strength of the Lord. There is no hint as to what kind of tree the Psalmist is referring to, what is important is the strength and vitality of the image being given to us as readers.  The following verse explodes the serenity with a starkly contrasting image. The wicked of verse 1 are spoken of as chaff that, like a pile of dead leaves, is taken by the wind and blown away. The strong tree that is fed and watered by the Living Word of God, who is Jesus, produces fruit in season. The wicked, want nothing to do with the living, sustaining God. They are spoken of ...