Week of October 20

Humans can live for quite some time without food and shelter, but water is essential for survival. Finding, preserving, and using water factored largely into how ancient Israel lived life. Without this life-giving source, their existence would have been impossible. The psalmist reminds us that our chosen way of life is like water. What an amazing metaphor that speaks clearly to our minds. Choose the source well and you will live; choose wrongly and you will die. It is as simple as that! Let’s examine more carefully water as an image to portray one’s worldview.

This psalm serves as a prologue to the entire collection of psalms. It is a “teaching, or wisdom, psalm that instructs readers to devote themselves to the study of God’s Law, the Torah, and warns them of consequences if they fail to do so” (Handbook). The focus is on one’s approach to life. It provides assurance that in the end God will know and reward the righteous. 

The psalm is written as a rhythmic system comprised of two or more lines repeated as a unit (i.e. a “strophe”). Verses 1-3 describe the truly pious person and verses 4-6 describe the wicked person. The point is easily understood. The righteous way of life leads to ultimate success and the wicked path leads to failure and destruction (cf. Matthew 7:13-14).

Delight in God's word. We all wish to lead a happy life, but many of us never pause to consider what aims should be the focus to achieve such a goal. Notice the “markers” the psalmist places to guide us to understand his point. “His delight is in this law of the Lord” (v 2a) contrasts with “the wicked are not so” and “the wicked will not stand” (v 4a, 5b). A pastor who had served seven decades in the ministry was asked what he considered to be important for success. He lamented that too many ministers (laity, too) only read the Bible when they are preparing messages. His counsel was to read and know God’s word! We also should note the metaphorical uses of “walk” and “stand” in relation to “wicked” and “sinners” and more specifically “scoffers” (v. 1). So, the happy (flourishing) person does not do these things. The image of a tree, planted by streams of water, is of key significance to our theme today because it provides for us a complete picture of the righteous worldview (cf. Jeremiah 17:8; Psalm 92:12-14).

Stay spiritually hydrated. The phrase “streams of water” means either a natural course of water or an artificial canal. The actual setting is key to a good understanding and application. The picture of a fruit tree growing in the dry Middle East is quite different than one that grows along a “swampy stream bed” in the tropics (Handbook). “Streams” is best translated “irrigation canals” because the streams of Palestine regularly dried up, but the irrigation canals that came from the great rivers never did (HCBC). How wonderfully this portrays the Christian life (cf. the life-giving, living, and soul cleansing water of the Spirit in John 4).

Nourish your life with God’s truth. The psalmist knew the importance of internalizing this truth (cf. v. 2, “meditates”). We today call ourselves “people of the Book,” and this is true, but the psalmist knew that merely studying the first five books of Moses (Torah), or even the entire Old Testament, was not the full picture. Life-giving water came by drinking in all the instruction that comes from God. This is a key difference between practicing religion and living by God’s revelation of Himself—general (world) and specific (e.g., the Way of Christ; John 14:6). By doing this we can live full and fruitful lives (“tree” planted by streams of water).

Many of you who are homeowners will identify with the need for water to flourish. The State of Texas, where I live, has experienced severe droughts in recent years. I know of people who have expressed concern that water has been in short supply where they live. Their water bills have skyrocketed because of the cost to secure this essential life need. Life is not sustainable without good water! Our focal passage teaches us the spiritual truth that God is the water of life. Make Him the source of your daily walk and you will flourish.

1. How far out the door each day does your Bible and quiet time follow you? This may seem like a strange question, but it is a different way of making a distinction between religion and revelation. Invite God’s true Word, the Savior, to help you apply the word of God to your entire day and watch your life flourish. Then journal the ways God’s word helped to quench your thirst for wisdom throughout the day.

2. For Families: It will be cooler weather very soon, we hear! Take an opportunity on one of these glorious fall weekend afternoons to take your kids to a nearby stream or brook or lake for exploring or hiking. Float a stick “sailboat,” skip flat rocks, or toss pebbles into the water to hear the deep “ker-plunk!”

Take along bottles of water and, as you take a break, share with your kids about the valuable, life-giving essence of water, how precious it is, and how much of the world lives without good, clean water to drink. Then let them know that it is even more valuable to choose well the path we live. Choose God’s way and we will live; choose wrongly and we will die. It is as simple as that. Living with God is like drinking cool, clean water every day. We cannot really live as we were created to be without Him.

May your paths be straight,
Larry C. Ashlock

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