Today’s post is from A Meditative Journey Through the Psalms by Timothy and Julie Tennent. He serves as the president of Asbury Theological Seminary among other posts he holds across the global church. She is a gifted musician and was one of the driving forces that helped bring to fruition the Seedbed hymnal, Our Great Redeemer’s Praise. We will share some of their writing on the Psalms over the next few Sundays. NOTE: there will not be an audio version for these entries.
Psalm 1 (NIV)
Blessed is the one
who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
or sit in the company of mockers,
but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
and who meditates on his law day and night.
That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
whatever they do prospers.
Not so the wicked!
They are like chaff
that the wind blows away.
Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.
CONSIDER THIS
Psalm 1 is the doorway into the entire Psalter. In this first psalm, the grand theme of the Psalms is revealed: the two paths—the path of the righteous and the path of the wicked. This psalm marks the beginning of the greatest journey of life. Even in this first psalm, we begin to see why the Psalms are known as the Sung Torah because all the great themes of the Old Testament find their way into this book of worship. The Torah set forth the way of life and the way of death. The psalm sings of these two ways. Likewise, the book of Proverbs is the wisdom of the Torah, setting forth the way of the wise and the way of the foolish. Psalm 1 sets forth the basic worldview of worship, which reminds us that the way of the wicked is filled with the ungodly, who scoff at God’s law and if followed, will lead us astray. The psalm shows us, in advance, what the final end or trajectory of the wicked will be; namely, they will be like chaff that the wind drives away, and they will not be able to stand in the day of judgment (vv. 4–5). In contrast, the righteous are like a fruitful tree, which prospers and is steadfast (vv. 1–3).
Hymns and choruses frequently celebrate the way of the righteous, but a proper understanding of the way of the wicked has been lost. As Christians, we need to understand both trajectories. We must see the final end of the wicked. We must also recognize that only Jesus has steadfastly walked in the way of the righteous. The two paths of righteousness and wickedness remain far apart except for the one point in history where they converge: namely, at the cross of Jesus Christ. It is there that Jesus took upon himself all the shame, guilt, and judgment of wickedness. Yet, he remained the Righteous One. It is at the cross that we who have traveled the way of wickedness can finally cross over through grace to the path of righteousness. It is, therefore, by grace that we are found in him and we are enabled to sit, walk, and stand on the narrow way, which leads to life, not the broad way, which leads to destruction (see Matt. 7:13–14).
For the Awakening,
Timothy and Julie Tennent
P. S. Get Your Copy . . .
Several years ago we published a hardcover book called A Meditative Journey Through the Psalms by Timothy and Julie Tennent. Find today’s entry and the rest of the Psalms in this beautiful resource here.
4 Responses
Direction for a new life: Go to the Cross and turn to the light.
Directions for a new life: Go to the Cross and turn to the light.
The way of righteousness, the way of the cross, is divine Wisdom incarnate. His name is Jesus.
The Two Paths
I woke up this morning thinking about the two paths of AI (artificial intelligence) and SI (Supernatural Intelligence). Human intelligence grows from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. It is artificial and deceptive, but those who delight in the law (Supernatural Intelligence) of the Lord (not just study, analyze, or memorize it, but continually celebrate it in their heart and joyfully live it in their thinking, desires, behaviors, and relationships) experience a life of great blessings.
Humans have been using artificial intelligence since our beginning. It comes from the tree of our human knowledge and understanding. What we need is the tree of life — the Supernatural Intelligence of the inner flow of direct revelation from the living God.
You’re a natural on the outside, but you’re supernatural inside your mind and heart! You don’t have to look far to find the supernatural. Your consciousness is non-material reality.
When physical activity in your brain pops up as rational thought in your consciousness, that’s supernatural (and it happens all the time). Your consciousness is miraculous! (AI machines have no consciousness.) That means you are “awe-dible,” so go ahead and use the marvelous abilities that your Creator has downloaded into your mind and heart to hear and feel and be aware of His Supernatural Intelligence.
Your conscience is the app that God installed in you so that you can access His SI and remove the darkness from your heart. Human pride hinders our voice recognition ability so that we often don’t notice what God’s saying in our conscience. Christians need to focus on the present reality of the risen Jesus, not on artificial intelligence developed by human beings.
Let your heart become God’s chatbox. Ask Him a question and then listen to His Supernatural Intelligence. Surrender and subscribe your heart to ChatPRAY Plus and receive God’s Supernatural Intelligence throughout the day.
There’s nothing artificial about ChatPRAY. It involves sincerely and honestly opening your heart to listen to God. Use ChristChat. Search the “innernet” in your heart for the risen Jesus Christ. Login to His Presence and Supernatural Intelligence!
Act supernaturally! Let the risen Jesus be your moment-by-moment guide. The risen Jesus is my Plugin! I strive to keep my heart continually connected to Him!
We can learn to rely
On the light of SI,
Supernatural Intelligence,
Direct ahas from God,
Insight that
Lifts high
The soul.