BLESSED IS THE MAN!

BLESSED IS THE MAN!
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[Blessed is the man – This Psalm has no title, and has been commonly considered as a foreword to the whole book of Psalms.] “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.” (Psa. 1:1) [“Blessed” is correctly in the plural form, blessed nesses, or may be understood as an exclamation, considering the state of the man who has taken God for his portion;
1. God made man full of joy.
2. Every man feels a desire to be joyful.
3. All human beings hate misery.
4. Joy is the majestic element of pursuit among all men.
5. But so perverted is the human heart, that it seeks joy where it cannot be found; and in things which are obviously and honestly unfit to express it.
6. The true way of obtaining it is here laid down.
“That walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly”
There are here three characters, each exceeding the other in sinfulness.
1. Ungodly, to be unjust; withholding from God what belongs to Him.
2. Sinners, “to miss the mark,” “to transgress.” This man not only does no good, but he does evil. The former was without God, but not desperately wicked. This one adds outward transgression to the sinfulness of his heart.
3. Scornful, “to mock, scorn.” This one has no religion and lives in open rebellion of God’s laws. He is at least a deist (a belief in God based on reason rather than revelation), and as the sinner outdoes the ungodly, so the scornful outdoes both.] “But HIS DELIGHT is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. 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.” (Psa. 1:2-3)
[This man takes up the law of the Lord as THE RULE OF HIS LIFE; he brings all his actions and affections to this holy standard. He looks into the perfect law of liberty; and is not a forgetful hearer, but A DOER OF THE WORD; and is therefore blessed in his deed.]

Be blessed as you praise The Lord, knowing that WE WILL BE BLESSED BY KNOWING AND DOING THE WORD TODAY!
-Bill Stockham