THINK
On These
Things
The Blessed Man
Philippians 4:8
By Brother Al Salay
The Word of God has many promises of blessings. Some are conditional. God has said, “If . . .” If you do such and such I will bless. I call these blessings “conditional blessings.” A man obeys and God responds with a blessing.
There is another kind of blessing announced in the Word. These other blessings are built into this World that God created. They are the un-avoidable result of the action described. I call them “result blessings.” They are described in the scriptures for our understanding. They are not God’s special rewards or punishments. They simply tell us how the created world works. Psalms and Proverbs have a good number of result statements. They reflect the eternal nature and character of God, inherent in His creation. One example is found in Proverbs 19:17:
“He that hath pity on the poor lendeth unto the Lord; and that which he hath given will he pay him again.”
That is the way the economy of God works!
We will do well to consider that while some blessings are God’s RESPONSE to our actions,
Other blessings are the pre-ordained “Natural” RESULT of our actions.
It is pointless to pray to God for RESULT blessings. He has already placed them in our own control. I believe that the “Blessed” in Psalm 1, verse 1 is one of these result blessings.
Psalm 1 (KJV)
V1 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.
V2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD;
and in his law doth he meditate
day and night.
V3 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.
V4 The ungodly are not so:
but are like the chaff
which the wind driveth away.
V5 Therefore
the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.
V6 For the LORD
knoweth the way of the righteous:
but the way of the ungodly shall perish.
Blessed!
What does that mean?
Happiness, good fortune, physical well-being are some things often considered to be blessings. The psalmist himself answers the question in verse 3. To him being blessed means to have fruit in due season and to have every thing one does prosper, to succeed, to be profitable.
Usually, we think of blessings as coming from God. After all, what other source is there? James 1:17 tells us,
“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of Lights, with whom there can be no variation, neither shadow that is cast by turning.”
These blessings do indeed come from God, but He built them into the very nature of the Earth experience at creation.
Commentators and students often focus on the details of what it means to
“Walk in the counsel of the ungodly,”
“Stand in the way of sinners,”
“Sit in the seat of the scornful.”
Well, we certainly should understand these options most thoroughly so that we can be sure to avoid them in our lives. Avoiding them is part of achieving the result we want.
BUT – verse 2 begins with the word “but.” When the Word of God says “but” it is time to sit up and listen intently, because something very important is about to be said. That is true here.
“But his delight is in the law of the Lord:
and in His law doth he meditate day and night.”
The negatives of verse 1 are over and done with. Here are the powerful positives of verse 2: delight and meditate.
We might summarize the insights presented by these two verses by saying something like,
“Block out the lies of the world,
Immerse yourself in the truth of the Word.”
Then you too –
“Shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water,
that bringeth forth his fruit in his season;
What a blessing to be such a tree!
Please note these facts about trees:
The fruit of a tree is NOT for the tree.
The fruit of a tree is for OTHERS.
Natural trees have leaves that wither after they bear the fruit, for their task is finished until the next season.
Spiritual trees are not so, as they continue to bear fruit, there being no end to their season.
It is wisely said that the greatest blessing one can enjoy is to be a blessing to others. Jesus rejoiced to be so blessed.
Be Blessed
Bear Fruit
Bless Others
08/18
Presented by Bro. Al Salay, Blessed Man Ministries Inc.
