Learning Priorities and Studying Wisdom in the Psalms
There's a lot of different wisdom within the Psalms. But Psalm 1 is a great, great launching point. Wisdom says, regardless of what obstructions are in your way, I want to invite you to see what is true. God's word in wisdom and the wisdom of the Psalms invite us to see things the way they really are. Without all the obstacles, without all the obstructions. To see that obstacles are truly obstacles to our lives. To see that reality and knowing reality is really a good thing.
“Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, 2 but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. 3 That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers 4 Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away. 5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. 6 For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous,but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.”
Verse 1
Psalm 1 points us to two ways of living. There's the way of the blessed and the way of the wicked. There's a way that leads to prosperity, and there's a way that leads to poverty.
What is truth? It's God's perspective on things. Wisdom is seeing things from God's perspective. Wisdom is seeing things in light of God's perspective. Wisdom is seeing things with a relationship to God's perspective. In other words, if you don't have a relationship with the giver of life, you probably have a misdirection in the goal and purpose of your life. You'll miss out. The giver of life has given you a purpose, a goal and a calling, and if you miss that, then indeed, you'll miss out. You'll miss out on not just what is wisdom, not just growing a great long beard and going up to a tall tower and telling other people great little pithy tweetable sayings. You'll miss out on what is truly good.
We have a perspective on things that's distorted. Sometimes when sin enters our lives, we don't have a perspective on what our lives are like, we just go, well, I don't even want to know. I don't even want to bother with what's true. I don't even want to bother with pursuing wisdom. I don't want to bother with what's finding out what's good. It's not worth my time. I'll find something else. Rather than saying, no, I need to push through the obstacle. I need to get the obstacle out of my way, and I need to find what is truly good. What is God's understanding? What is His perspective? What's His wisdom? God gives us His wisdom in His word, and it often comes to us in the Psalms, speaking about God's law, God's word, and God's ways.
Focus on God
In Psalm 119, verse 97, we're told, “Oh, how I love your law. I meditate on it all day long. Your commands make me wiser than my enemies, for they are ever with me. I have more insight than all my teachers, for I meditate on your statutes.”
What is the focus? Why is it that the psalmist can say they're wise? It's because of the focus of their meditation. It's the focus of what they're learning. It's the focus of their study. It's the word of the Lord. It's the law of the Lord. That wisdom isn't just knowing a lot of things, or even always making good decisions. But wisdom is knowing the word of the Lord and obeying the word of the Lord. Wisdom is keeping our feet away from evil paths. Some of us, as we look to God's word, say, oh my goodness, God's word is an obstruction to my wisdom. It just seems like it's a burden. It seems like it's so much. It's so difficult to read through, or it's difficult to understand. And yet, wisdom starts with reading and praying to God for understanding. Wisdom starts with spending time in God's word. Keep it simple. Go back to God's word. Wisdom is seeking God's perspective on reality and He hasn't hidden it. He's given it to us. Don't let the world confuse you or inform you. Let God's wisdom and God's word inform you. And illuminate you.
Meditate on God’s Word Day and Night
In Psalm 1, we're told about meditating on God's word day and night. The Psalmist here is talking about what we are thinking about day and night. What is our mind focused on while we go about our daily work? Regardless of where you're at, you're invited to know God's wisdom. Whether you're driving a harvester, commuting to work, downtime during lunch, or sporadic moments here and there, God's word comes to us and invites us to know what's wisdom and what's perspective on reality. Then God's word invites us to obey it. To seek God's perspective and to obey.
The reality of the situation is that our lives are in God's hands. Now that's one of the most un-American things that I can say I know. We all like independence. We all like being rugged and on our own. That's America. It is some of the most pervasive foolishness of the world that sends our way that says it's your life and you're in charge of it. That's not the truth of the matter. That's not your experience of the matter either, is it? If it's your life and when you make choices, things would just happen for you, right? That's not our experience. At least that's not my experience. The reality is is God is largely in charge. That he has called you and he has places for you to go. He has jobs, families, work and relationships for you to be in. He also sends you with wisdom. He doesn't send you out on your own, unequipped or unable to do what he's called you to do. Every single thing that God has ever called you to do, he's called you to do it and he's equipped you with tools for the job. Every single time. The Lord gives his people great wisdom.
God's wisdom speaks out to us and calls to us and says, blessed is the one, and wicked are not so. So we're given a comparison. We're given a path. We're given two options. The way of the righteous. The way of the blessed. The way of the good. And the way of those who will come under judgment. The way of those who will suffer. Not just in this life but eternally. Sometimes wisdom means truly discerning something. Sometimes wisdom means saying no to something. Every time you say no to one thing, it means you're saying yes to something else.
Verse 2
We're told the delight of the one who's blessed is in the law of the Lord. In the word of the Lord. That we delight in God's word. Now again, that doesn't mean that we all need to quit our day jobs and do Bible study 24-7. We need to spend time together in God's word and even on our own in God's word. And then we go and we do the different things that God has called us and gifted us to do. Wisdom calls to us and invites us to live a truly good life. The world's definition of a good life is very different from God's definition of a good life.
Do you think Jesus lived a good life? When he was hanging on the cross, believe that. Do you think he was living his best life now? He lived in obedience to the Father. The word tells us that living in obedience to God is a good thing. What a different perspective, huh? What a different reality than what the world says. What a different invitation. Because the invitation of God says, look, if I call you to suffer, then I will also empower you to persist through the suffering. The world doesn't say that. The world says, flee from suffering at all costs. Our God says I will go with you. What a God we worship. What a different God than the world. What a different way of wisdom than the world.
Verse 3
What do you do with a tree that doesn't yield fruit? Take it down. But a tree that yields its fruit in its season, that's a delight, isn't it? It takes a long time, a lot of care, a lot of work, but it is a delight. The Lord delights in his people empowers them, and grows them. Wisdom calls to us to grow like a tree planted by streams of water, and to yield fruit in season, to be wise, and follow, and to obey God.
The world says, regarding decisions and decision-making, it's my life. The believer says, is this what God is calling me to? What has God said in his word? What are his expectations? Regarding evil and temptation, the world says, indulge yourself. Why not? You deserve it.
But the believer keeps in mind God's justice and keeps in mind the reality that short-term gains of evil do not compare with the long-term eternal gains of righteousness. Regarding the word of the Lord, the way of the fool, the way of the world says, what a boring book that's out of date. But the Christian says, this word from the Lord is a source of joy, it is not a burden. It's a source of delight, showing us what's truly good, and what's truly godly. We've all got a lot of stuff on our plate. We've got family, self-care, loved ones, ambitions, our wants, and in the midst of all of this, God invites us to pursue wisdom in his word. Such that no matter what else is going on in your life, what other priorities, what other calamities, what other suffering, what other joy and celebrations, there is wisdom to be found in God's word. The word of the Lord is a powerful two-edged sword that will cut you to the heart if you can just stay awake and be disciplined enough to read it.
So I want to encourage you this week, to spend some time in God's word. It is a joy, it is a delight. You might say, not when I read it, it's boring and a slog! You have never read Deuteronomy in February! I want to encourage you. God has not left us alone without instruction. So you're left with two options. Either you believe that his word is ineffective, and so you won't read it because it's just not effective for you. Or you'll believe that God's word is filled with wisdom. And that it is a treasure worth mining. That it's something worth pursuing. Even if you don't understand it right away. You pray and go to God and you say, God, I don't get this passage, why is this here? I got questions about it.But I'm going to keep reading. Because God, you promised that your ways are good, so teach me your ways.
As we dive in and as we live our lives, with all of our different circumstances, with all of our ups and all of our downs. We should pursue wisdom. We should pursue God's word and God's ways. As he's revealed them to us in his word. Such that we might obey his ways.
