THE TEMPLE OF PRAISE
September 1, 2019 | Psalms 1–2
DEVOTIONS
This Month’s Issue
At the entrance to Solomon’s Temple stood two 28-and-a-half-foot tall bronze pillars. These pillars were elaborately decorated with capitals in the shape of lilies (1 Kings 7:15–22). Each pillar was given a name: Jachin and Boaz. They served as a grand gateway into the temple where the presence of the Lord dwelt.
The LORD watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.
PSALM 1:6
In a similar way, Psalms 1 and 2 serve as the gateway to welcome readers into a special temple of praise, the Psalter. These two psalms begin and end with a blessing (1:1; 2:12) and share several keywords. They also introduce the two most prominent themes in the Psalter: God’s Law and God’s Messiah.
Psalm 1 declares blessed the person who delights in and ruminates on God’s Law. That person is beautifully described as a tree planted by streams of water (1:3). This secure position means that tree will be fruitful and endure, even in times of draught. A fruitful tree provides shelter and food for many. In a similar way, the person who delights in the Law will be a blessing to those around them. In contrast, the wicked are like chaff; unfruitful, useless, and transient.
Psalm 2 portrays the nations conspiring against the Lord and His Messiah. In a striking image, the Lord simply laughs at their pretense. They are no real threat to the living God. He declares that He has given them to His Son and Messiah as an inheritance (2:6–8). The Lord warns these hostile nations that their best course of action is to “Serve the Lord with fear and celebrate his rule with trembling” (v. 11). They should pay homage to the Son or will face His judgment (v. 12). The psalm closes with a word of blessing upon all those who take refuge in the Lord’s Messiah (v. 12).
APPLY THE WORD
The word “blessed” (1:1; 2:12) can also be translated as “happy.” Psalms 1 and 2 teach us how to find happiness in life, by delighting in God’s Word and by taking refuge in His Messiah, Jesus. What do you look to for happiness? Nothing can satisfy us or fulfill us like Jesus who is revealed to us in God’s Word.