The Importance of Being Rooted

In my daily reading the other day, I went through Psalm 1. This Psalm is a relatively familiar one, but I continue to be struck by the portrait, or model, given to us in vv. 1-4, of a "blessed" man, and the contrasting "wicked."

¹ Blessed is the man

    who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,

nor stands in the way of sinners,

    nor sits in the seat of scoffers;

² but his delight is in the law of the Lord,

    and on his law he meditates day and night.

³ He is like a tree

    planted by streams of water

that yields its fruit in its season,

    and its leaf does not wither.

In all that he does, he prospers.

⁴ The wicked are not so,

    but are like chaff that the wind drives away. (Psalm 1:1-4, ESV)

So here we've been told that the blessed man:

• does NOT
  
  • walk in the counsel of the wicked
    
  • stand in the way of sinners
    
  • sit in the seat of scoffers
• DOES
  
  • delight in the law of God
    
  • meditate on his law day and night

It's valuable, when reading this, to understand a couple of things...

First, that "the law of God," a term used frequently throughout the psalms, refers not simply to the Ten Commandments, which is what people today commonly think of whenever they read or hear the term. Actually, within the context of the Old Testament, "the law of God" referred to all of the written words of God that were maintained and considered to be Holy Scripture at that time. So to the author, "the law of God" would be the equivalent of the modern Christian Bible.

Second, that wisdom literature commonly delivers information in "black and white" terms (e.g., Jesus talks of the wide path that leads to destruction, and the narrow path that leads to life - there is no third, medium path - you're on either one path or the other) – there is no gray area here.

In this instance, the message being delivered is that we are either delighting in and meditating on the Word of God, or we will stumble into "the counsel of the wicked… the way of sinners… the seat of scoffers" (v. 1).

The psalmist goes on to compare the man who is blessed to "a tree planted by streams of water that yields fruit in its season and its leaf does not wither" (v. 3). Clearly, if we are the tree in this analogy, then the Word of God serves as our "streams of water." This picture is frequently given throughout the Bible – God is the source of life, often symbolized by water, an absolute necessity for life.

This is crucial for us, not only to observe, but to respond to: if, as Christians, we are not planted firmly and rooted deeply in the Word of God, we will dry up, shrivel up, bear no fruit, and be effective in nothing. An apple tree planted in the middle of the desert will not survive, will offer nothing valuable to anyone, and will be good for nothing (except for burning; see Matt. 3:10).

The psalmist says it like this: "In all that [the blessed man] does, he prospers" (v. 3), while others "are not so… but are like chaff that the wind drives away" (v. 4).

As Christians, we must constantly ask ourselves: "What is my source of life?" Ignore the immediate response that pops into your head – yes, we mentally know the correct answer; but stop and take time to examine your life, your moment-by-moment thoughts, your attitudes throughout the day, the consistency and passion in your prayer life.

Now ask yourself again: "What is my source of life?"

Sink your roots down deep into God by reading the Bible, memorizing passages, reciting them, and thinking on and over and through them often. This is perhaps the most straightforward means by which we can be transformed by the renewal of our minds (Rom. 12:2). 

I pray that your heart, mind and soul, as well as mine, would delight in the Word of God. I pray that He would make us to be firmly planted in Him, drinking deeply from His waters of eternal life, so that you might yield fruit in season, never wither, and glorify God in all that you do. 


With love in Christ,
Alan