Psalm 1:1-3 - Delighting in the Lord and Avoiding the Progression of Sin.

Psalm 1:1-3 - Delighting in the Lord and Avoiding the 
Progression of Sin. 

Psa 1:1-3 (KJV)  Blessed is the man that walketh not in the 
counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth 
in the seat of the scornful. 2 But his delight is in the law of the 
LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. 3 And he shall be 
like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his 
fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he 
doeth shall prosper. 

Psa 1:1-3 (CWK)  Happy is the man who doesn't listen to those 
who are evil or go where they go. Happy is the man who delights in 
God's law and thinks about what God said. He's like a tree next to a 
stream of water, bearing fruit even when there's no rain. Whatever he 
does will prosper. 

The verbs "walk," "stand," and "sit" (1:1) describe the 
successive steps of a person's involvement with evil. [New Bible 
Companion] 

Walketh, ... standeth, ... sitteth. The three words portray in 
climactic order the successive steps in a life of evil: (1) going in the 
general direction of those who are alien to God, conforming to worldly 
customs; (2) stopping to associate with rebels under the spell of sin, 
dallying with temptation; (3) definitely joining the group of sinners, 
settling down in disregard of light. [SDA Commentary] 

Note the progression of evil from mere association to 
identification to fixation. [Believer's SB] 

The great lesson to be learned from the whole is, sin is 
progressive; one evil propensity or act leads to another. He who acts by bad 
counsel may soon do evil deeds; and he who abandons himself to evil 
doings may end his life in total apostasy from God. "When lust has 
conceived, it brings forth sin; and when sin is finished, it brings forth 
death." (Adam Clarke Commentary) 

His Delight; his will, desire, affection, every motive in his 
heart, and every moving principle in his soul, are on the side of God 
and his truth. He takes up the law of the Lord as the rule of his 
life; he brings all his actions and affections to this holy standard. 
He looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and is not a forgetful 
hearer, but a doer of the word; and is therefore blessed in his deed. He 
not only reads to gain knowledge from the divine oracles, but he 
meditates on what he has read, feeds on it; and thus receiving the sincere 
milk of the word, he grows thereby unto eternal life. This is not an 
occasional study to him; it is his work day and night. Since his heart is 
in it, the employment must be frequent, and the disposition to it 
perpetual. (Adam Clarke Commentary) 

All the kids called him "Grandpa." He was a plumber with an 
eighth-grade education. But no one was more articulate about Jesus Christ 
than Grandpa Craig. 
Kids from all over spent a lot of time with Grandpa--eating 
popcorn in his living room, having Bible studies, praying, just 
"shooting the breeze." No matter where the conversation wandered, though, 
Grandpa would always bring it around to Jesus. 
Whenever we were talking about school or dating or the future, 
Grandpa would say, "That reminds me of something Jesus said....." or, 
"That's just like when Jesus......" and he would reveal new insights to us 
about Jesus. 
Grandpa's life was filled with the reality of Jesus' presence. 
On Saturday afternoons, we would sometimes take long walks with 
Grandpa. He would point to the countryside and say, "Now, that's Jesus' 
way of showing us how much he loves us. He made all these things for 
us to enjoy." 
Grandpa saw Jesus in everything around him. "See how the sun 
goes down so faithfully every evening?" he would ask. "That shows how 
faithful Jesus is to us. Just like the sun, he never lets us down." 
When anyone wondered how to act toward a new kid in school, 
Grandpa would ask, "How would Jesus act if he were in school?" Problems 
with parents? "What would Jesus do in your shoes?" His advice was 
always simple: "Focus on Jesus. Figure it out from there." [Youth SB] 

Make Christ first and last and best in everything. AH106