True happiness - planted by the water

3 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. 

4 Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away.  (Psalm 1:3-4)

We've seen in the first two verses of this psalm that there are some things we should NOT do, and then there are some things that we SHOULD do. We should not walk in the counsel of the ungodly, stand in the way of sinners, or sit in the seat of the scoffers who mock and reject God's Word.

In contrast, we SHOULD definitely delight in God's Word and meditate in it as often as possible.

And if we do?

This whole study was about true happiness, right? 

Not the "they lived happily ever after" fairy tale kind, but true, deep contentment.

The psalmist describes the person who delights in God's Word as a tree planted by streams of water. The Hebrew word used here has a root that can also mean "transplanted." This is a tree that has been deliberately cultivated. The tree may have been growing in the wild, but now it's going to get lots of TLC! The planting site has been carefully chosen. The soil has been amended with organic matter and more, to prepare for the tree to grow swiftly and strong. There may be carefully arranged canals or streams which will provide the transplant's roots a continuous supply of water.

That's a tree that is going to grow deep roots and a solid trunk system. It's going to be able to withstand a hard drought and survive harsh storms, too. Just as the life of that transplanted tree is dependent on the streams of water, so we believers are dependent and thrive on the things to God: His Word, His Spirit, His grace, and His righteousness. Before we were saved, we were dead in our sins, and God transplanted us into Jesus Christ.

For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.  (I Corinthians 15:22)

"Which yields its fruit in season..." Our transplanted tree will continue to grow and mature and then bear fruit. We Christians will do the same:

so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, (Colossians 1:10)

"Whose leaf does not wither..." This time of year we have a great number of examples of withering, no? The hot summer sun will wilt our veggie gardens and our flowering plants. Unless we were to spend the entire day gently sprinkling water on them, the turgor pressure (don't ya love it when your old science lectures are useful!) is going to drop and the leaves will wither. If not supplemented with some water, the whole plant will, as my grandma used to say, "dry up and blow away." If we will stay close to God and stay in His Word as we have studied earlier, we will not wilt or wither, but be full of life and vitality.

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. (John 15:5-6)

Then the psalmist sums up his story, and says "in whatever he does, he prospers."

Does God really mean this?

Yes, but it's not a blank check!

The man or woman of blessedness prospers because they are always seeking God's will. Don't forget -- this is a person who is delighting and meditating in His Word! This doesn't mean that we will never face defeat. We studied earlier this year that we should actually expect adversity! It's not a guarantee that we will always have good health, or lots of money. To have prosperity, we must apply God's wisdom to our lives and in turn, we will be fruitful and content. As that tree absorbs water and bears good fruit, we are to "absorb" God's Word. We will have a world view, a perspective on life, that respects God and seeks Him in all things.

No matter what the circumstances of our lives, we can have true prosperity of soul; we can have contentment. God is not promising the "health and wealth" teachings that are promoted by some television speakers. We may be poor according to this world's standards, but rich in the Lord. 

“This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God...... For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Luke 12:21, 34)

Many people (and maybe we, too, if we are honest) have questioned the truthfulness of Psalm 1. We may know people who leave God out of their lives and they seem to be genuinely happy. They seem prosperous, too. They seem to have good marriages and happy kids. They seem to be doing just fine without God.....and then we may know others who are godly people, who build their lives on God and on His Word, but they are hit with difficulties and adversity. 

What gives?

How do we "square" this? 
It just doesn't seem right?
The psalmist goes on in verses 4-6:

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. (Psalm 1:4-6)

We'll consider those verses tomorrow.