Like a well-fed tree

So far, we’ve looked at the first two verses of Psalm 1:

Psalm 1:1-2
How happy is the one who does not
walk in the advice of the wicked or
stand in the pathway with sinners or
sit in the company of mockers!

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

Happiness isn’t the only benefit of making wise choices when it comes to who has influence in our lives.  The next verse tells us the continued benefits of having the Lord’s instruction determining how we live our life:

Psalm 1:3
He is like a tree planted beside flowing streams
that bears its fruit in its season
and whose leaf does not wither.
Whatever he does prospers.

As the wise person substitutes the Lord’s instruction in place of the advice/direction of godless others, this leads him to become like an abundantly prosperous tree.  Given the number of lines used to describe this tree, our psalmist must see this is an important comparison.  So, let’s stop and think about it: How is this prosperous tree “healthy”?  How does the psalmist describe it?

First thing we notice about tree are usually the leaves.  Effort and energy-wise, leaves are cheap for the tree to produce; however, they are often the first thing to change if a tree is unhealthy.  Leaves that have discoloration or fall off too early in the year, especially due to the summer’s heat, indicate that the tree is struggling in some manner.  The opposite, of course, is also true: if a tree has full, green leaves and stays vibrant even after difficult weather, then we know the tree is strong and in good health.

The psalmist also states that the tree produces fruit; but specifically that it bears its fruit in its season.  Fruit in-season is useful, beautiful, and delicious…whereas fruit out-of-season doesn’t fully reach maturity and tastes bland or sometimes even bad.  One of my favorite songs refers to many of us as “misguided roses” who bloom in October, just in time for the season’s first snowstorm.  No matter how lovely the flower could have been, it can’t reach maturity because it arrived so late out-of-season.

Lastly, think about what size the trees are when they are planted next to flowing streams.  They are not tiny sprigs…they are HUGE, strong, and healthy because they are constantly fed by the river directly and by the ground, which is kept fertile by the river deposits

I really like the descriptor of the Lord’s instruction being like flowing streams – because most people assume that reading the Bible and living God’s way are boring and rigid, both in this life (we can’t have fun) and the next life (Heaven is just sitting on clouds, strumming harps).  However, the psalmist compares the Lord’s instruction to flowing streams.  This vibrant imagery communicates that the water is not stagnant, it’s not dead.  The constant input from these live waters bring various nutrients and growth factors to the one who wisely chooses to listen to the Lord.

This isn’t the only time a follower of the Lord was described this way.  Here’s what the prophet Jeremiah recorded of the Lord’s words to Israel:

Jeremiah 17:7-8
The person who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence indeed is the Lord, is blessed.
He will be like a tree planted by water:
it sends its roots out toward a stream,
it doesn’t fear when heat comes,
and its foliage remains green.
It will not worry in a year of drought or cease producing fruit.

One last piece of information to share about these flowing streams.  In the New Manners and Customs of the Bible, we find this interesting cultural insight:

Several commentators call attention to the fact that the Hebrew words palge-mayim, here rendered streams of water by the NIV and rivers of water by the KJV, literally means divisions of waters, and most likely refers to the favorite mode of irrigation in some ancient Middle-East countries. Canals were dug in every direction, and through these the water was carried to all the vegetation. Egypt was once covered with these canals, and in this way the waters of the Nile were carried to every part of the valley through which the river ran. Some gardens were so arranged that water was conveyed around every plot and even to every tree.

The streams of Palestine regularly dried up, but the irrigation canals that came off the great rivers never did.  When we intentionally irrigate our lives with God’s word, we don’t go dry.  We are successful in all areas that we should be.  Successfully trees produce good fruit…they don’t fly, or swim, or anything else, they successfully do what they were created to do.

This is the psalmist’s analogy:
Flowing streams feed the tree, which leads to the tree bearing fruit in season, with leaves do not wither
IS PARALLEL TO
meditating on the Lord’s instruction day and night, which leads to a successful, wise life that thrives even when hard circumstances come.

This is our challenge to face, based on Psalm 1:3 – Be intentional about spending purposeful, active, and regular time in God’s Word.  Think about God’s word and apply it to your life.  Then, you will be successful in what God has created you to do.

Keep Pressing,
Ken