August 10, 2025 – Psalm 1

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Hope Lutheran Church
Manhattan, Kansas
August 10, 2025
Psalm 1

Psalm 1 – 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. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither – whatever they do prospers. Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.

If you haven’t heard of it, the book “The Anxious Generation” by Jonathan Haidt has created a lot of headlines in the last year. The basic premise is that several different factors, spearheaded most recently by the almost universal access to smartphones, have made pretty much everyone, but especially people my age and younger, far more likely to suffer from a variety of mental health disorders.

We could talk at length about how much people should or shouldn’t be using their smartphones. But I do think there’s a general truth behind all of this for us to think about as Christians – the ideas and voices and philosophies that we let fill our heads and influence us matter. Because they all shape and form us in some way. And Psalm 1 is so instructive and informative for us as we think about those kinds of things. 

Here’s how the psalmist starts: “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.”
As you listen to that, you hear the progression that takes place, right? First, it’s walking… Then it’s standing… Finally sitting, as you’re comfortable with things you never imagined.

But Pastor, are you implying that we need to cut off and isolate from what the Bible calls the wicked and the sinners and the mockers? I’m not saying that at all. 
The question isn’t whether or not we have contact with sinful people and things and ideas. The question is whether or not we’re mindful of those things and allowing ourselves to be formed and fashioned by them in a way that ultimately proves destructive. 

And I’ll be the first to admit it’s hard. Because we take it for granted that most of the things we see in the mainstream are good. And the truth is, some of those things might have some value for us. But if I’m allowing those things to shape me and the way I think about things more than God’s Word and his will, then it easily starts to hurt me, not help.

The result? We become, as the psalmist says, like chaff that the wind blows away. We have no chance of standing in judgment before a holy God. It’s a way that leads to destruction.

It’s like the food you eat. It’s easy to fill ourselves up with junk food. But if I’m eating mostly junk all the time – even if I sprinkle in a vegetable here and there – the result is that I’m not going to be a healthy person. And my doctor will address it with me. 

So what are we filling ourselves with? If it’s solely the stuff the rest of the world feeds us and we aren’t mindful of it, we shouldn’t be surprised if our lives start to look a whole lot like the rest of the world and not like the righteous people God has called us to be.

Instead, God calls us to a different life. He calls us to the way of the righteous. He says, “Blessed is the one… whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water.”

That picture of a tree at the end is a good one for us to keep in mind as we read this entire psalm. Because if you and I are supposed to be like planted trees, what does that mean? It means we didn’t plant ourselves. Someone else planted us by those streams of water.

That’s what God has done for each of us. God planted you when the waters of baptism were dumped on your head. God planted you when a pastor or friend poured out and proclaimed the gospel and good news of sins forgiven on you and for you.

God planted you through his Word, and now he continues to water you through his Word. And that means now you and I really can delight in the law (probably a better word is “instruction”) of the Lord. We can chew on and meditate on his instructions for our lives.

And the result, God says, is appropriate fruit. A solid and sure foundation on which you can build your life, even when the storms and winds come along and try to shake things up. This is just what God wants to give you, and it doesn’t cost you a dollar in return. 

So many of us try to plant our roots with smartphones, opinions, and constantly changing news. But when we slow down and plant ourselves in God’s Word, God says we bloom.

So I’ll pose the question: Do you have ways to let God’s Word fill you up and nourish you and instruct you? Cause here’s the thing – God gets all the credit for planting me and feeding me with and through his Word. But I do get to make decisions that put me in contact with that Word and the benefits God promises to give me in that Word.

Do you have time in your week to gather around the gospel as it’s preached and taught and shared in the Word? As it’s proclaimed through things like Baptism and Lord’s Supper? I am convinced that an incredibly important part of being fed with God’s Word and deepening your roots is what happens in a structured church setting like this. 

And it doesn’t stop there. God also fills you and feeds you as you gather with others and grow together, having meaningful conversations about God and Christ. 

Do you have time in your day to sit down with the Scriptures and just chew on them for a bit on your own? And if you want a suggestion on where to start, start with the New Testament Gospels. Or start with the Psalms, like this one we’re looking at today.

You know, this is all part of a stewardship series we’re going through here at Hope. And stewardship is nothing more than managing the gifts that God has given us. One of those gifts – the most important gift – God has given us is his Word.

And when it comes to the relationship between those two things – stewardship and God’s Word – it means that there might be things I give up or priorities I rearrange so I can be in more regular contact with God’s Word and the blessings he wants to give me through that Word. I know we’re all busy. I know we all have a million and one things on our plates to attend to. Let’s not let the one thing needed be the thing that falls to the wayside.

And here’s something else when it comes to all of us being around God’s Word – it matters to other people when they see you engaging and being fed by God’s Word right along with them. Speaking personally, I can’t tell you how encouraging it is for me when I get to worship with you around God’s Word and his Sacraments. It builds me up in ways that you probably don’t even realize when I hear a brother or sister in Christ say something in a Bible study that makes it clear they’re thinking about Christ and his work for them.

And it matters in your relationships with other people for another reason – it matters because this is how God wants to refill your tank when you feel like you’re running on empty. And when he fills you up, it gives you the strength to love and be there for the people in your life in more meaningful ways than you ever could have imagined. 

And believe me, I’m not just saying these things so attendance can be better on Sunday morning or at a Bible study. I’m saying it because of who you get to see and spend time with every time you’re in contact with God’s Word. You see the one who fills you up.

When you manage your life in a way that draws you closer to God’s Word, on every page, you get to see and hear and read about the one who walked the righteous way for you.

You see, when you read Psalm 1, see Jesus Christ, who did everything the psalm says. How does Psalm 1 start? “Blessed in the one…” For centuries, Bible scholars have read this and made a direct connection to Christ. He’s the one. 

Jesus spent time with the wicked and the sinners and he loved them, but his delight was in the instruction of the LORD. His delight was in the path that was set before him to save the wicked and sinners and mockers like us. He never wavered or faltered. And he stood under God’s judgment, so you and I will stand among the righteous.

And now, through the power of God’s Word, we walk in the way of the righteous – not to earn salvation, but because we’re saved. The same Word that shows us our sin also shows us the one who saved us. And now that same Word empowers us for righteous living.

In Christ, you’re a tree that’s been planted by streams of life-giving water. In Christ and by his grace, may we continue to drink from that stream deeply and fully. Amen!

Study and Discussion – Treasure God's Word
1) There are plenty of things that were valued by people in the past but no longer have value today. What are some of those things? Why does that kind of thing happen?

Read 2 Chronicles 34:1–2, 14–21, 29–33.

2) In verse 19, we see the law cut King Josiah to the heart when he tore his robes. However, fear of punishment based on the law is not what motivated a behavior change. We see that motivation in verse 32. Describe it. 

3) What were the effects of the Word of God on the people?

4) Often in our everyday lives, we see the law motivate behavior but not change hearts. Give examples.

5) In what ways has the gospel impacted your life? Has it affected you in such a way that others would notice you’re different from the rest of the world?

6) What are some of the ways that treasuring God’s Word fits in with our Core Values here at Hope? How does it fit with our goal to share REAL HOPE with REAL PEOPLE?

7) What is the relationship between discipleship and managing the gifts God has given to us (stewardship)?

8) What are ways that we can do our part to ensure that God’s Word is treasured for years and generations to come?