the Third Week after Easter
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Daily Devotionals
Day by Day Devotional - Year 3 of 5
Psalms 1:1-6
The Psalms, or "praises", have sometimes been called "the heart of the Scriptures", because in their poetic style they express, above all, sentiments or feelings. These sentiments may be those of faithful Israelites during and after the reign of the Antichrist: suffering, anguish, fear . . . but also confidence, joy and thankfulness. We find the sentiments and affections of the Lord Jesus entering beforehand in sympathy into the afflictions of the Jewish "remnant". Finally there are sentiments that believers of every age can know in the circumstances of their own lives.
The first verses reveal the characteristics of those blessed people who can sing these psalms. Above all other attributes, God requires that of holiness, of separation from evil. How applicable v. 1 is in our everyday life! It is the indispensable condition for enjoying the Word (v. 2) and for bearing fruit (v. 3; cf. Jeremiah 17:7-8; John 15:5). The tree planted by the rivers of water represents the believer rooted in Christ, deriving his vital strength from Him. The Lord Jesus, as man, perfectly realised this state of holiness, this delight in the Law of the LORD, and also this abundant fruit borne for the glory of God.
