<Psalms 1: 1-3>

There is a special television program that aired on Korea’s Seoul Broadcast Service station to commemorate the 10-year anniversary of the station.  Called “Duk Yi,” this program looked like it was made a long time ago.  But on the International Channel of the cable TV, this program is aired every week.  It is a story about a young girl named Guiduk, whose family members, except for her mother and one older brother, is all out of control.

 Her father is a dance instructor and a notorious free-spender.  Her oldest brother is an ignorant hoodlum.  To boot, her older sister takes away all blessings destined for her.  But the viewers like this drama because of Guiduk.  Despite all the difficulties, she succeeds, and the viewers get inspired watching her story.  We call a person like Guiduk a good fortune.  Because of her, happiness comes knocking on her family’s door.

    There are people in this world worthy of blessings.  During this first worship service of the New Year, let’s think about whom should be blessed.  Listen to today’s words, and become a blessed person yourselves.

 Psalms 1 acts as a prologue to the entire testament of Psalms.  It contains the words that form the basis of rest of the 150 chapters of Psalms.  Therefore, it comes before all the other chapters.  Psalms 1 sharply contrasts a ‘blessed person’ and a ‘person without blessings.’  Those who are blessed walk the path of the righteous; those who are not walk the path of evil (verse 6).  Psalms 1 introduces us to these two sharply different paths to choose from.

 Then who is this ‘blessed person’ mentioned in Psalms 1?  When we consider this question, we must remember that the ‘blessing’ mentioned in the Bible is different from what an average person would consider a blessing.  People say that one is blessed when one’s wishes come true.  For example, if everyone in a household live long without disease, earn a lot of money, the husband succeeds in business, and children go to good schools, then people call that family blessed.  But when Psalms 1 defines a blessed person, it is different from the secular and materialistic definition of ‘blessing.’

 Then who is a blessed person?

 He is the one who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, does not stand in the path of a sinner, nor sits in the seat of the scornful. 

​According to verse 1, blessed one doesn’t do three things.  Foremost, he does not heed the “counsel of the ungodly.”  According to the English version NRSV, he does not follow the “advice of the wicked.”  What does this mean?  The blessed one does not listen to advice from people who live without God, who only live with evil and secular thoughts in their minds.  The blessed one does not listen to bad advice from people who live with impure thoughts in their minds.

 If you go out into the world, you can see many people like this.  People who swindle and deceive others are out there in numbers.  The blessed one does not listen to advice from these people.

 Next, the blessed one does not stand in the “path of a sinner.”  Who is a sinner?  It is those who commits a crime.  Among crimes, there are petty crimes like lying, hating, having impure thoughts and there are major crimes, like theft and murder.  When we say sin, people often think of people who commit one of these major crimes.

   But the Bible states that anyone who lives without God is a sinner.  Therefore, the epistle of Romans states that there are no righteous people, only those who have committed sins who cannot receive the glory of God (Romans 3: 10, 23).  So those who live without considering God as their Master, those who consider themselves the master of their lives are sinners.  A blessed person does not take this path, the path without God.

 Lastly, a blessed person does not sit in “the seat of the scornful.”  The English version of NRSV states, “the seat of the scoffers,” the ones who laugh at others.  What do they scorn or scoff at?  They scorn and scoff at God.

 They do not offer the throne of their lives to their Creator, God.  Instead, they declare themselves king.  They become arrogant.  A blessed person does not get trapped in self-righteousness and scoff at the words of God.

 If a blessed person does not do the three things mentioned above, then what does he do?

 A blessed person’s delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night.  Take a look at verse 2.  A blessed person’s “delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night.”   He does not listen to the advice of the ungodly, does not stand in the path of sinners, and does not sit in the seat of the scornful.  Rather, he enjoys God’s words and mediates on it.  In Hebrew, the word for law is ‘Torah.’  ‘Torah’ can be the law, or commandments, of Moses; here, it can also mean the ‘instruction of God.’

 A person without blessings listens to the advice of the deceitful ungodly, with no regards to God’s instructions.  But a blessed person lives according to God’s instructions given to him, the word of God.

 A person without blessings has no God, lives without God’s words, and stands in the path of sinners.  But a blessed person bring God into the center of their lives and live according to His words in leading a righteous life.

 A person without blessings ignores God and scoffs at His words, leading an arrogant life.  A blessed person humbles himself before God and leads a life full of humility.

 In short, a blessed person, day and night, sitting or standing, coming or going, meditates God’s words and leads his life according to those words. 

The slogan of our church this year is “A church that understands God’s words: Entire congregation reads the Bible front to back.”  Many people carry the Bible, yet does not seriously read it.  There is no more important tool in understanding God and His words than the Bible.  The Bible is one of the most important means to reach God’s salvation and graces.  Without reading the Bible in detail, one cannot understand God’s intent.  One cannot become a good Christian without having the Bible nearby.

 John Wesley (1703-1791), the founder of the Methodist church, once called himself ‘homo uinus libri,’ or ‘a person of the one book.’  He called himself ‘a man of the Bible.’  His sermons always started with the Bible and ended with the Bible.  His writings and books were always full of quotes from the Bible.  People called Wesley and his followers ‘Bible moths.’

 Over the course of this year, all members of our congregation should be able to read the Bible in its entirety.  The Bible is divided into 39 books in the Old Testament and 27 books in the New Testament, for a total of 66 books.  There are 929 chapters in the Old Testament and 260 chapters in the New Testament, for a total of 1,189 chapters.  If one reads about 4 pages a day, then one can finish reading the Bible in a year.

 I plan to give expositionary sermons, the ones that completely break down and analyze the Bible, during daily morning services, Wednesday evening services, Friday prayer services, and Sunday evening services.  We must, above all, concentrate our efforts on correctly understanding the Bible.

 This happened in a church in America.  A male Christian of the church, who devoutly attended all services, was asked a question about the wife of the nephew of Abraham, Lot, in Genesis.  He quickly answered, “Oh, she was a pillar of salt by day and a pillar of fire by night!”

 In this New Year, we must rejoice in God’s words and truly understand His words.  After understanding His words, we must put them into action.

 During the summer of 1996, in Dadeville, Alabama, two people had a contest of who knew more about the Bible in front of an apartment.  One of those two people, Gabel Taylor, had an older brother who was a minister.  Therefore, he knew quite a bit about the Bible.

 They were contesting their knowledge about the Bible when a particular verse from the Bible led them to an argument.  After a long debate, Taylor, whose brother was a minister, won the argument.  But the loser of the contest was beside himself with anger.  He went into his house, grabbed a gun, and shot Taylor in the face, killing him on the spot. 

What does this tragedy teach us?  No matter how much one knows about the Bible, it all means nothing if that knowledge is not put into action.  This year, it is important for us to know and learn a lot about the Bible.  But we must not forget that putting that knowledge into action is much, much more important.  When we put God’s words into action, people will know that we are true Christians!

 Then what happens to a blessed person?

 Whatever he does will prosper and God will recognize him.  Take a look at verse 3 of today’s scripture.  “He shall be like a tree, Planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth is fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither, And whatever he does shall prosper.”  For those like us, who live in a good environment, the magnitude of this blessing is hard to grasp.

 But for those people who live in a desert, like Israel and the Middle East, these words will seem like Eden.  People living in a dry region, where lack of rain brings about great dust storms, the words of verse 3 are a Godsend.  A tree planted in the river bed, with its roots in water always bearing fruit year-round these words will remind the people of Middle East of Eden, where Adam and Eve once lived.

 Similar words appear in Jeremiah 17: 7-8.  “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, and whose hope is in the Lord.  For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, which spreads out its roots by the river, and will not fear when heat comes; but her leaf will be green, and will not be anxious in the year of drought, nor will cease from yielding fruit.”

 What great words!  For those who depend on God, who rejoice in His words, who meditate His words, and who live according to His words, these blessings will follow.  Neither drought nor heat will prevent beautiful fruits from blooming.  The leaves will always be green and vibrant.  And they will be successful and prosperous in all they do!

 The blessings defined in Psalms 1 are much different than the definition of the secular world.  This blessing is an internal blessing given by God.  Regardless of our material wealth, authority we have, or how successful our children may be, this is a continual blessing given by God.  People who receive this blessing are happy, even though they may be persecuted for believing in God.  They are thankful even when their businesses fail and lose their wealth.

 It is because this blessing is not of this world.  It is a gift from God.  It is a blessing that allows us to be satisfied and joyous in one entity: God.

 2003 is dawning upon us.  I wish a Happy New Year to each and every one of you.  Do not be a person without blessings, following the advice of the ungodly.  Do not stand in the path of sinners; do not sit in the seat of the scornful.  Instead, standing or sitting, day or night, rejoice in God’s words.  Read it and reflect on it.  And put it to action with zeal.  Become the righteous people that God will recognize.  Above all, be like the tree on the riverbank always full of fruit, regardless of season. 

 I hope in the name of our Lord that each one of you will be a blessed person!  Amen.