God’s Plan for Human God’s Plan for Human HappinessHappiness

Psalm 1

Psalms 1:1-6Psalms 1:1-6

1. How happy is the man who does not follow the advice of the wicked, or take the path of sinners, or join a group of mockers!

2. Instead, his delight is in the Lord’s instruction, and he meditates on it day and night.

3. He is like a tree planted beside streams of water that bears its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.

4. The wicked are not like this; instead, they are like chaff that the wind blows away.

5. Therefore the wicked will not survive the judgment, and sinners will not be in the community of the righteous.

6. For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to ruin.

God Has a Plan for God Has a Plan for Your HappinessYour Happiness

• Vs. 1 “How happy is the man…!”

Happy is plural… NLT: “Oh, the joys of those…”

Things You Cannot Do And Be Happy

You Cannot Accept the You Cannot Accept the Thinking of the Thinking of the

Secular WorldSecular World

• Vs. 1 “…Happy is the man who does not follow the advice of the wicked”

You Cannot Adopt the You Cannot Adopt the Ways of Those Who Ways of Those Who

Indulge in SinIndulge in Sin

• Vs. 1 “Happy is the man who does not… take the path of sinners”

You Cannot Acquire the You Cannot Acquire the Cynical Attitude of Cynical Attitude of

Those Who Ridicule Those Who Ridicule Spiritual Things Spiritual Things

• Vs. 1 “Happy is the man who does not… join a group of mockers!”

Mockers: to scorn, make mouths at, talk arrogantly

You Cannot Pick the You Cannot Pick the Wrong FriendsWrong Friends

• Vs. 1 “How happy is the man who does not follow the advice of the wicked, or take the path of sinners, or join a group of mockers!”

• The wrong friends take us down a slippery slope– NAS95: “Walk in the counsel of

the wicked, Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers”

You Cannot Pick the You Cannot Pick the Wrong FriendsWrong Friends

• Vs. 1 “How happy is the man who does not follow the advice of the wicked, or take the path of sinners, or join a group of mockers!”

• The wrong friends take us down a slippery slope– NAS95: “WalkWalk in the counsel of

the wicked, Nor standstand in the path of sinners, Nor sitsit in the seat of scoffers”

Things that Put You in the Path of the Happiness God Has for

You

Delighting in the Lord’s Delighting in the Lord’s InstructionInstruction

• Vs. 2 “His delight is in the Lord’s instruction”

Thinking About the Word Thinking About the Word of Godof God

• Vs. 2 “Instead, his delight is in the Lord’s instruction, and he meditates on it day and night.”

To consider by talking to one’s self out-loud. John Gill:

“diligent reading and serious consideration of it; and of the employment of the thoughts,

and of deep study upon it, in order to find out the sense and meaning of it”

Portrait of a Happy LifePortrait of a Happy LifeA Word PictureA Word Picture

Planted for Maximum Planted for Maximum NourishmentNourishment

• Vs. 3 “He is like a tree planted beside streams of water”

“Such an one is compared to a tree ‘planted’; not to one that grows of itself, a wild tree… but to one that is removed…

and planted elsewhere” – John Gill

FruitfulFruitful

• Vs. 3 “He is like a tree… that bears its fruit in season”

• Matt 7:16 “You’ll recognize them by their fruit. Are grapes gathered from thorn bushes or figs from thistles?”

Protected from DroughtProtected from Drought

• Vs. 3 “He is like a tree planted beside streams of water… whose leaf does not wither.”

Successful Successful throughout Lifethroughout Life

• Vs. 4 “Whatever he does prospers.”

The Lord Takes a Personal The Lord Takes a Personal Interest in Their Interest in Their

LivesLives

• Vs. 6 “For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous”

Those Who Will Those Who Will Never be HappyNever be Happy

An Entirely An Entirely Different StoryDifferent Story

• Vs. 4 “The wicked are not like this”

• Living: “But for sinners what a different story!”

UselessUseless

• Vs. 4 “They are like chaff”

The husk and other materials separated from the kernel of grain during the threshing or winnowing

process. It blew away in the wind or was burned up as worthless —

Holman Bible Dictionary

Unable to Stand at Unable to Stand at the Judgmentthe Judgment

• Vs. 5 “Therefore the wicked will not survive the judgment”

Will Not Be in HeavenWill Not Be in Heaven

• Vs. 5 “Sinners will not be in the community of the righteous.”

Final RuinFinal Ruin

• Vs. 6 “The way of the wicked leads to ruin”