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.
Today’s meditation begins another new feature at Three Minute Bible, Psalm Sunday. Each Sunday we will look into the Psalms for inspiration. I don’t know if we will jump around the book of Psalms or go straight through. Either way, there is a lot of material here so I’m not worried about running out of things to talk about.
Two Paths
In today’s verse, King David points to two different paths. One path is described as the place where the wicked are. Sinners are there as are mockers. Is this information helpful? How do we discern what is sin or what the wicked do? Mocking is easy to recognize, but is the mocker bad?
David points us to the solution. The person who avoids this path recognizes wickedness and sin because they meditate on God’s law day and night. The person who wants to please God delights in His law.
But wait: Which law?
The Bible contains two covenants; the Old Testament and the New. The Old Testament contains the Levitical laws that are associated with Jewish temple worship. These are the laws that required a blood sacrifice for sin. There were food laws that dictate what is “clean” and what is “unclean.” There is also the law that was given in the Ten Commandments. (Exodus 20: 1-17) These commandments were summarized by Jesus in the New Testament in Matthew 22: 37-40.
Since Jesus has paid the ultimate blood sacrifice for sin and offers salvation to all who believe in him (John 3: 14-15) we no longer live under the law, but we can learn from the law. What pleases our God? Can we walk with the wicked, take the way of sinners, mock with the mockers and still claim to “believe” in Jesus? The answer to that question is found in God’s law. Understanding requires meditating on God’s law.
Application: To delight in God’s law we need to know it and understand it. To meditate on his law is to think about it, ponder it, and dwell on it. Read Matthew 22: 37-40 today and think about it. See if you don’t find it delightful.
Food for Thought: What is it about God’s law that you delight in?
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I delight in knowing it is truth and it is light in a dark world. Without it we would have no complete moral compass by which to navigate our lives.
I delight in his kindness and forgiveness. His grace.