Bible in a Year… Day 3 (Psalm 1-2)

Tuesdays are spent in Psalms in the reading plan I’m using. I expect to thoroughly enjoy this day’s reading each week… there’s just some incredible writings in this book of the Bible. I may jump around with which translation I use for this, but I expect that I’ll primarily be using the New Living Translation.

Anyway… today’s notes:

Psalm 1:2
²But they delight in the law of the Lord,
    meditating on it day and night.

Psalm 1:2 is another charge to keep in God’s word. It raises a couple important questions:

• Do I truly delight in God’s law?
• Does my prayer / Bible study life reflect that?

Psalm 1:3
³They are like trees planted along the riverbank,
    bearing fruit each season.
Their leaves never wither,
    and they prosper in all they do.

Psalm 1:3 hints at the result of a life rooted in God’s ways… one that is fruitful, productive, and strong. It raises a couple more questions:

• Am I rooted in God?
• Do I reside close enough to Him to remain well-nourished spiritually?

Psalm 1:6
⁶For the Lord watches over the path of the godly,
    but the path of the wicked leads to destruction.

Psalm 1:6 points to the benefit of following God’s laws… he watches over us. And we’re confused when we fall into sin when we’re not walking closely with God? Hello?

On to Psalm 2, which is so packed with meat that I can’t help but post the whole thing:

Psalm 2
¹Why are the nations so angry?
    Why do they waste their time with futile plans?
²The kings of the earth prepare for battle;
    the rulers plot together
against the Lord
    and against his anointed one.
³â€œLet us break their chains,” they cry,
    â€œand free ourselves from slavery to God.”

⁴But the one who rules in heaven laughs.
    The Lord scoffs at them.
⁵Then in anger he rebukes them,
    terrifying them with his fierce fury.
⁶For the Lord declares, “I have placed my chosen king on the throne
    in Jerusalem, on my holy mountain.”

⁷The king proclaims the Lord’s decree:
    â€œThe Lord said to me, ‘You are my son.
    Today I have become your Father.
⁸Only ask, and I will give you the nations as your inheritance,
    the whole earth as your possession.
⁹You will break them with an iron rod
    and smash them like clay pots.’”

¹⁰Now then, you kings, act wisely!
    Be warned, you rulers of the earth!
¹¹Serve the Lord with reverent fear,
    and rejoice with trembling.
¹²Submit to God’s royal son, or he will become angry,
    and you will be destroyed in the midst of all your activities—
for his anger flares up in an instant.
    But what joy for all who take refuge in him!

What a great writing on the struggle we all have with sin… the struggle between mankind following their own ways, and fighting back against God’s. Verse 3 says so much about our attitudes… trying to break free from God. We’re just kidding ourselves.

So God laughs. He has to, seeing our foolishness from time to time. Doesn’t mean He doesn’t love us dearly, of course… but our foolishness has to be downright hilarious sometimes.

And He corrects our ways… yes, even punishing us, maybe just by allowing us to experience the consequences of our sin, or worse… directly.

We deserve it, of course. Jesus was made to be our King, yet we constantly try to take His throne.

So we’re admonished… “Act wisely!” “Be warned!”

Serve God, not yourself. Submit to Him who is above all.

And rejoice at the peace you find in Him.

Simply awesome.