Psalm 1 And 2; A year-end Meditation

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.  But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.  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.  The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.  Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.  For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish(Psalm 1)

The first of the Psalms of God, focuses on the lone individual. Why is this individual alone? Because he is separated from the rest of his world. That is, he is separated inwardly; He thinks differently, his source of counsel is unique, (You could say he drinks from a different stream). He stands apart from the crowd.

Everyone else is described in plurals, in this Psalm, the crowd “Walking in the counsel of the ungodly, standing in the way of sinners”, and finally “seated in the seat of scorners”.  Notice the disastrous progression ? They go from Walking to standing and finally to a seated position. The Psalm seems almost to be describing the gradual paralysis of sin and evil.

The assumption is that the dominating worldview and prevailing opinion is that of the ungodly. And that in his time, most people stand with the sinners, and are jaded by the cynical ‘scorners’. Broad is the way to destruction!

But this truly happy man has avoided all of that, in fact he has escaped it. At one time, he himself was steeped in the world’s toxic counsel. He never even questioned the “conventional wisdom”, He walked right along the path to destruction with everyone else in his doomed age.

But something wonderful happened to him. He heard a different counsel and recognized it as Truth. Thus like a sickly shoot in a brackish ditch, He has been transplanted. Now he is Saved, recreated, Born Again! God’s word is now his delight! He knows and sees things the rest don’t see.

  Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?  The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against theLord, and against his anointed, saying,  Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.  He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision.  Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure.  Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.  I will declare the decree: the Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.  Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.  Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel. Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth.  Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling.  Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.(Psalm 2) 

If The first Psalm focuses on an individual, the second steps back and takes in the whole world! The World is in an uproar. Why? The answer is given by the Holy Spirit, the spirit of prophecy and author of the Psalms.

The Nations are in an uproar and the vast majority of their people in the grip of a vain imagination, because of the counsel taken by the Kings of the earth and their rulers.

It is important at this point to note that the expression, “The kings of the earth and their rulers” is not limited to political leadership of the world. The Kings of the earth and their rulers happen to be the ruling elite, and include all of our national and civilizational leaders; ie the opinion shapers and molders, leaders in law, education medicine, entertainment, religion, and yes legislation and government.

Where have they taken this counsel, and what is the nature of it? Our ruling elite have achieved an amazing consensus among themselves, having all taken the same counsel, which amounts to an open revolt and rejection of “Our Lord and His Anointed One(Christ)”.

We have all seen how this is done, over the last 80 years. Bright, promising sons or daughters are sent to higher education. After the first semester they come home spouting anti-western civilizational tripe, the second semester they come home with a ‘green consciousness”, by the third semester they are anti-Israel, and pro homosexual rights, as well as pro abortion.

These are the opinion shapers and molders of our modern world, and this is where they have “taken counsel against the Lord and His Messiah…”.

The nature of the counsel is that it is a ‘liberation movement” , a breaking off of perceived “bands and cords” of Christian ethical and moral teaching.

But we must remember as 2013 comes to an end, that our God is on the throne and that none of these things shock or move him in any way. His purpose for Israel shall stand, in spite of the raging of the heathen. The counsel of the Lord shall outlast the short-lived “experts” and “pundits” who rant and rave against Judeo Christian morality.

He has a message to all of the “Experts” and “Authorities”….

 Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth.  Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling.  Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.

Buckle down everybody, make short accounts with God and be quick to repent and turn to Him, this is going to be an interesting year! Happy 2014!!