A godly man, we have discovered, is one
who finds his delight in the Word of God. He starts the day reflecting on it
and ends the day musing it. While he may not be immune from evil, he has the
ability to resist the onslaught of it. That’s because he spends a great deal of
his life considering ways to live the Word of God. The phrase that’s used for ‘the
Scriptures’ in this Psalm, is “the Law of the Lord.” It refers to the whole
counsel or revelation of God. Through the Law of God, the godly man is given a
whole, yet varied, perspective to life.
Being full of God’s Word and its
principles, he is thus able to reject and not be influenced by ungodly
philosophy. To conduct one’s life based on God’s Word is certainly very
different from one that’s just following the standard of the world. To live a word-filled
life is to live a life diametrically opposite to that of the world. Realize
this, more than just giving us God-pleasing principles, the Word also has the
capacity to enable us to act so that we will indeed please God.
In
verse 3, we see what a godly life will inherit: He is like a tree firmly planted
by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does
not wither. In whatever he does, he prospers. This verse describes the
blessedness of the godly in four specific aspects. He is stable, fruitful,
glowing and contributing.
In coming
constantly to the Word of God, the godly man is likened to being planted to a
flowing stream. He gets his spiritual nutrients and resource from the Word. He found
grace through the partaking of the Word. The more he drinks the Word, the more
stable he becomes in God. Not only will he be stable, he will also be fruitful,
yielding fruit at the right season. Fruit comes by abiding in the vine. The
more we learn to drink in the Word, the more we will stay connected to God. The
connection creates the environment for the cultivation of fruit. We all know
that the fruit develops as we lead a Spirit-guided life. We will manifest the
fruit of love, joy peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness
and self-control. These are the characters of Christ Jesus our Lord. We will be
more radiant in life as we become more and more Christ-like.
The leaves that won’t wither is talking
about glowing witness. None of us would like to have a plant that has withered
leaves, a picture of lifelessness. A tree with withering leaves gives the idea
of lacking shine and glow. It’s a person devoid of the beauty of the Lord. How can
a person who lacks the shine and glow of the Lord be an effective witness? Hence
to say that a blessed man is one whose leaf does not wither, is to say that he
has a glowing witness for the Lord. That’s the advantage of being godly. Such a
person will then also be effective. A life connected with God is always vital
and exciting to be with. Effectiveness of the blessed godly man is seen in the
fact that whatsoever he does with his hand, he will find success and
prosperity. The blessedness of life is not defined by our outward
circumstances. Our joy and happiness is not in the abundance of things that we
possess. It is found in the secret of knowing Christ and loving Him. Oh, to
love Him more dearly, to see Him more clearly and to follow Him more nearly!
In Jeremiah 17:5-8, the prophet also described believers as lush trees with leaves all intact, firmly rooted and flourishing. In his description of the unbelievers, he painted them as shrub in the desert, devoid of water. We can either be a tree full of life or a shrub without life. The difference lies in how we value the Word of God. And Jesus puts it quite differently when He taught about the two houses built on different foundations. One is founded on rock. It is built by the one who hears His Word and obeys it. The house which had a flimsy weak foundation of sand is built by the one that hears the Word but refuses to practice it. Each result is very telling. What kind of life would we rather have? And the key lies in how we regard the Word of God.
In Jeremiah 17:5-8, the prophet also described believers as lush trees with leaves all intact, firmly rooted and flourishing. In his description of the unbelievers, he painted them as shrub in the desert, devoid of water. We can either be a tree full of life or a shrub without life. The difference lies in how we value the Word of God. And Jesus puts it quite differently when He taught about the two houses built on different foundations. One is founded on rock. It is built by the one who hears His Word and obeys it. The house which had a flimsy weak foundation of sand is built by the one that hears the Word but refuses to practice it. Each result is very telling. What kind of life would we rather have? And the key lies in how we regard the Word of God.
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