Visualize a beautiful tree, laden with lush foliage and bearing delicious fruit in its season. Next to the tree is a canal full of flowing water. This is the picture portrayed in the first Psalm when it describes the blessed man.
How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers! But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. And he will be like a tree firmly planted by streams (the real meaning of that word is “canals”) of water, which yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf (or foliage) does not wither; and in whatever he does, he prospers (literally, “all that he does prospers”). Psalm 1:1–3.
Now visualize the dark background or framework surrounding this picture. The contrasting, negative picture is of the wicked man, the man whom God does not bless. Verses 4–6: The wicked are not so, but they are like chaff which the wind drives away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. For the Lord knows (approves) the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.
You can focus where you will. Do you realize this? The wicked, described in this Psalm, drift from the course because of their focus. They walk in the wrong counsel, going by the opinions and feelings and prejudices of the world. They have positioned themselves in the wrong path, for theirs is the way of life of sinners.
The world is filled with the wicked who “sit in the seat of scoffers,” always assuming the prerogative of judging. It does not matter to them that they may be judging someone who is doing a much more effective job than they will ever be able to do. They are like yapping dogs ready to bite at the heels of anyone who is trying to do something worthwhile.
This is also the practice of the media as a whole throughout the country. Certain actions and policies, which have been practiced by many in political office throughout the years, suddenly become an issue; and a person or a group of people is singled out by the media for public censure. In effect, they crucify that one. They remind us of a group of chickens picking at another little chicken that is wounded, until finally its entrails are scattered over the ground. Chickens can be very vicious and cannibalistic. Many people are like that too, and if there are enough of them they will, in a sense, pick an individual to pieces.
These are the wicked; they sit in the seat of scoffers. The psalmist says that these wicked are like the chaff which the wind drives away. They will not be able to stand in the judgment; they will not have a place of defense for their actions. The way of the wicked will perish.
This gives a brief picture of the drift of the man without spiritual root, and what happens to the man who walks in the counsel or the way of the wicked, who positions himself in the same path or in the same way that the sinner goes. Eventually, he becomes wicked. What you focus on becomes the meditation of your heart, and this is what you will become. The Scripture tells us, “As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he” (Proverbs 23:7). You tell me what a man is thinking about and observing today, and I will tell you what he will become tomorrow. One reason I would never want to be a critic or a cynic or a scoffer is that I know I would eventually become like those very thoughts I had in my mind and heart. On the other hand, if I focus upon the Word of the Lord, then I will change into that. As I think in my heart, so I will become.
Verse 6 tells us that the Lord “approves” the way of the righteous (most translations read “knows”). His delight is in the law of the Lord, in the Word that governs his life. As he meditates day and night on the law of the Lord, he is like a tree that is firmly planted by canals of water. The translation “canals” is better than “streams.” A stream could naturally flow along and a beautiful tree could grow next to it. But before a canal can carry a flow of water, someone must dig the path for it. In the same way, you must provide the channel by which the Word flows through your life.
How can you dig that channel to yourself? You could begin by reading the Scriptures and listening to tapes of the Living Word. Try to appropriate more from the Lord during the worship services. In this way, you will be digging a canal right by the roots of your life. As a result, your roots will go down firm, your foliage will be continual, and the fruit in season will come forth. A maturing will take place in your life because you have disciplined yourself to meditate and feast upon the Word day and night.
Making a canal for your life that the Word can flow through to you is very important. It requires a diligence and a dedication on your part as you determine to expose yourself continually to the Word of the Lord. You become so addicted to it that it becomes the thing that feeds your life. This is one of the reasons so many of our young people love to be a part of the printing and the duplication of the Living Word. It becomes a satisfying delight to their lives.
The results are amazing when there is a directed focus on the Word, especially the Word that God is currently speaking. God uses the Word to create a desire in the people to dig a canal. It is like fresh, living streams of water that flow along the roots of their life.
But it takes a diligent discipline to get the audio’s and listen to them, to read the written messages. Do not be satisfied with only attending one or two services a week in church.
This will not provide the spiritual growth we want, any more than having a Sunday school hour once a week can satisfy the spiritual needs of a child in this day.
We need a continuous application of the right scriptural principles to our life. We must meditate, not occasionally, but day and night on His Word, on the laws that govern the spiritual realm, and on the promises that He has committed to us. We apply them over and over again.
Do you find that you do not extract all the truth that is in a message the first time you listen to it? When you listen to one message a number of times, it becomes a Word that feeds you and meets your need.
The Word that God is speaking spreads a table for everyone. No matter what our need is, we will find that need being met by the Word.
People may have a wide variety of problems and needs, but the Word of the Lord spreads a table where there is food for everyone’s need, depending upon the size and stature they have attained spiritually. There is always the milk and bread and meat. Some will need the milk; others will partake of the bread or the meat. Consequently, in a Living Word, truths may be repeated from several different angles so that every person is fed.
The Lord is the Master of Repetition. There are Old Testament historical books that are repeated: one as a history, still another from the Levite and priest viewpoint. Much of the history in I and II Samuel is repeated in I and II Kings and I and II Chronicles. But if you look carefully, you will see that I and II Chronicles are not just repetitious. They give more of God’s viewpoint of history than the other books do. In the New Testament, God becomes repetitious again. He gives us four gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Each presents a different aspect of our Lord and Savior. Blessed is the man who knows which book to read and when! There is always something there that he needs, but this is especially true if he knows where to read in the Bible to meet the need he has at that particular moment.
The blessed man’s delight is in the law of the Lord; he meditates on it continually. He actually digs a canal to the very root life of his whole being so that he is feeding upon the law of the Lord. He takes advantage of the table spread before him.
If you have been a part of a New Testament church for a year or more and you are still immature spiritually, it is your fault. If you remain a spiritual baby when you have had available the Word by which you can grow, you are to blame. Peter said, “Desire the unadulterated milk of the Word that you may grow thereby, if perchance you have tasted to see that the Lord is good” (I Peter 2:2–3). If you have had that taste, then you should earnestly desire to receive more. Do not be like a little kitten that is satisfied with just a squirt of milk now and then. Buy a cow! Get the source of supply so that there will always be a sufficiency to feed your life. Reach into the Word, because what you feed into the inner recesses of your life and what you focus on continually is what you will become.
The wicked, with their focus upon evil things, sit in the seat of scoffers. They are more interested in gossip or the evil report than in feeding upon something that is positive. They become very negative because like scavengers they keep feeding on the dead and negative. We seem to be surrounded by the evil report or the negative emphasis. Most of the news focuses on various crises or tragic events, while neglecting events that are really important and uplifting. What kind of news are the angels and God interested in? In heaven, there is great rejoicing over the one who repents (Luke 15:7), over someone who listened to the Word and found that it straightened out his life.
The righteous man, filled with love, does not dwell upon the evil report. He does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth (I Corinthians 13:6). He is more concerned about the flow of the Word. As he focuses upon it continually, this is what he becomes. While the wicked are like the chaff that the wind blows away, this blessed man is firmly planted by the canals that he has dug for his life. The Word is flowing to him and he is meditating upon it day and night. He will not let anything stand in the way of digging that canal. There is no chaff here that the wind will blow away.
Many Christians are not as mature as they could be, because they have never dug the canal to their root life. Instead of ordering their day, they become the victims of that day. Instead of controlling the day, they are ruled by it; they drift with it. If you do that, eventually your life will be like the chaff that the wind drives away, and you will never find the permanence that you are looking for.
In contrast to this, there are people who embrace the Word, knowing that the passing scene is not significant enough that they should determine their destiny by a decision over circumstances. There are several in our midst today with severe physical handicaps. However, they do not let that stop them from setting their focus on the Word and seeking God’s will for a full, fruitful life. For them, present circumstances are not the issue. Instead, they become full of the Word and full of faith, believing that any handicap can be overcome. As they become filled with the Word, everything they do prospers (Psalm 1:3).
Paul says that the Lord can bring you forth as more than a conqueror through everything (Romans 8:37). You can either give in to circumstances and be destroyed, or you can dig a canal for the Word and be an overcomer in those circumstances.
No doubt most people’s spiritual problems come from an element of confusion in their life. This confusion is caused by a double focus; they are looking in two ways at once. They are like those on the fringe of Israel when they came out of the land of Egypt. During the years of bondage, some of the Israelites had married Egyptians. Their descendants were neither Egyptian nor Israelite; they were a mixed multitude with a varied background (Exodus 12:38). They really did not know what they were doing, but they thought it would be a good idea to tag along with the Israelites. They remained on the outskirts of the camp and murmured a lot as they focused on their circumstances (Numbers 11:1).
When you focus on the circumstances of your life, you cannot become anything but a confused person who complains and murmurs. This happens because you are looking at the circumstances without seeing them as God sees them, or understanding, by the Word, the purpose that God has for them. The man who focuses and meditates on the Word knows that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28. As he focuses upon the Word, he has the assurance, “This difficulty that I am going through will ultimately work a good thing in me.”
It is marvelous how God throws mountains, fiery furnaces, seas, and maybe even a lions’ den in our path. He has an amazing way of testing His people to see if their focus is upon what He has said to them or upon the circumstances in which they find themselves. A man of God may be in the midst of a situation that is devastating, or in circumstances that are completely beyond his control. Yet at the same time, he finds himself anchored in the Lord and in the Word that He gave. He plumbs new depths in the Word and finds a flow that is richer and deeper than ever. As he digs a canal and lets the water keep flowing and the blessing keep coming, soon the circumstances do not seem to mean anything. God may actually be uprooting tentacles that have been sapping him, conditionings that have been a hindrance in his relationships within the Body of Christ.
Have you already determined, “I am going to change a few things in my life. If I am confused, it is probably because I am not feeding upon the Word.” David said, Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee. Psalm 119:11. Isaiah gives us the promise, Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. Isaiah 26:3.
You cannot explain confusion any other way than the fact that you are focused too much on your circumstances or your own problems. You must change that focus and meditate instead on the Lord. Some people just never seem to progress spiritually. The scenery does not seem to change because they are locked into their circumstances and problems. They remind us of passengers on an airplane that never leaves the ground; yet they do not realize it because the stewardesses are running beside the plane holding up pictures of clouds.
If your focus is too much on circumstances, you will become discouraged. On the other hand, a walk with God is encouraging, for you are continually facing new territory with the promise that the present situation will change. There will be a continual change because you are walking with God. Like the Israelites, you may have a terrible fright today as you look back and see a cloud of dust, knowing that the Egyptians are coming to kill you. But you have the promise: “The Egyptians whom you have seen today, you will see no more forever” (Exodus 14:13). As they crossed the Red Sea and left Egypt, the Israelites were rejoicing because they would not have to look at Egyptians anymore. But before long, they were murmuring and complaining about not having enough water to drink or food to eat. They did not like the wilderness. They never got their focus clearly upon the pillar of fire that was to lead them, or upon the promises that God had made to the patriarchs—Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
The Lord had made it plain that He was bringing them forth into the wilderness for a purpose. Over and over again He had said, “I am bringing you out so that you can serve Me.” Repeatedly, Moses kept making that demand as he spoke to Pharaoh (Exodus 7:16). The whole purpose and function of their leaving Egypt was so that they could serve the Lord. Ending their slavery was incidental but necessary to that purpose. But soon after they came out of Egypt, the Israelites were looking at the circumstances of the wilderness, rather than remembering the Word the Lord had given concerning His purpose and direction for their lives.
Today there are many in the same position as those Israelites in the wilderness. They want a ministry, but the minute the Lord begins to deal with them, they get their eyes on the dealings so much that those dealings often do not accomplish the purpose God had for them. We are not to faint when we are chastened of Him. We are to know that whom the Lord loves He chastens, and He scourges every son whom He receives (Hebrews 12:5–6). Paul promises us, “If we suffer with Him, we shall also reign with Him” (II Timothy 2:12).
The dealings of the Lord must always be viewed in the context of the Word that God has given you. Do not think that if you go to Shiloh or make some other move, everything will be all right. Everything will probably not be all right. There are many things you can focus on in Shiloh that could make you discouraged and cause you to leave complaining. No matter how good you are at faking it, sooner or later a lack of focus on the Word will show up in your life. It will show up every time—in criticism, in confusion, in making wrong decisions and wrong moves.
On the other hand, when you focus on the Lord and on His Word, you will prosper. In everything you do, you will prosper (Psalm 1:3). That is a key of success—not by the world’s viewpoint, but success as God views it. You will succeed in the ultimate, grand, eternal purpose that God has for your life. Otherwise, you will become a victim of circumstances. The children of Israel who came forth out of Egypt could never get their eyes off the circumstances of the wilderness, and for this reason their bones were buried there. But the men like Joshua and Caleb and Moses, who always had their focus on the promises, survived the wilderness wanderings and came to Canaan. Moses was not allowed to enter the land of Canaan, but at least he did not die in the wilderness and leave his bones to be buried there.
Nothing that comes forth in the Kingdom of God is an accident. A river does not just happen to flow by your roots. You have to dig a canal to your roots, thereby diligently exposing yourself to the Word. How great a responsibility rests upon us in this day! For several decades, we have had a fantastic flow of a Living Word, as God has been bringing forth the Word of the Kingdom. Because He has given us so much, think of how much God will require of this generation. If He had given us but little, little would be required (Luke 12:48). Many have experienced miracle changes in their life because they were exposed to this Word of the Kingdom. They opened their heart to it and made a place for it in their life.
This is the diligence that all of us must exercise. Jesus told the Jews, “You want to kill Me because My Word has no place in you” (John 8:37). The great, vital decisions against God, the things of rebellion and withdrawal, always come about when you fail to give the Word of God the place it should have in your life.
Another passage of Scripture that, in a sense, says the same thing as the first Psalm is found in the first chapter of Joshua. After Moses died, Joshua was commissioned to lead the children of Israel on in to possess the land of Canaan. The Lord told him to be bold: “Only be strong and very courageous …” Verse 7. Have you ever noticed that there is only fear in our lives and no real boldness until the Word of God comes to us and we appropriate it and are filled with the Holy Spirit?
Peter and John prayed for that boldness. After healing the lame man, they were arrested, then threatened and released. They came back to their companions and prayed, Grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word. Acts 4:29b. Paul said the same thing when he was in prison, “Pray for me that I may boldly speak the Word” (Ephesians 6:19–20). To be able to stand up and be bold when everything is laid on the line is possible only when the Holy Spirit has filled your life. Then that boldness becomes an evidence of the Spirit’s fullness.
Joshua’s instructions continue: “… be careful to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may have success (act wisely) wherever you go. This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success.” Joshua 1:7–8. It was not that Joshua would find the strategy of warfare in the writings of Moses, but he would find the wise and aggressive spirit of a general there. Because the Word was constantly in his heart, he would have the boldness, the courageousness, and the ability to act wisely in a situation.
When the Word is planted in your life, what a tragedy it is if you let the cares of this life come up like thorns and choke out that Word that it be not fruitful; or if you fail to give diligence to the Word and find varying degrees of fruitfulness: thirty-, sixty-, a hundredfold (Matthew 13:22–23). Why not produce a hundredfold all the time? Why just thirtyfold or sixtyfold sometimes?
Why do we see the varied responses and the different levels of maturity in a church? It is not because of the Word; it is because of the application of that Word. You have the choice of a focus. You can focus on the problems in a church and get your eyes on some person, rather than listen to the Word. If you do that, it is your fault!
If your focus is wrong, you will complain and murmur. Like Moses’ sister, you could be guilty of complaining against Moses instead of listening to the Word (Numbers 12:1–2). In the wilderness, with a focus on circumstances, the Israelites murmured against God and against Moses (Numbers 21:5). One time they were even ready to stone Moses and he did not know what to do (Exodus 17:4). Another time they wanted to choose a new leader and go back to Egypt (Numbers 14:4). Sometimes even the leaders got upset at Moses. They said, “We are the people of God, just the same as you are. You take too much on yourself. We are prophets of God also.” You know what happened to Korah as a result of that (Numbers 16).
By looking in the Scriptures, we see that the worthiness of the channel is not the issue. Paul said: But we have this treasure in earthen vessels. II Corinthians 4:7a. It does not make any difference how beautiful the vessel is. If you insist that you will drink of this wonderful wine of the Kingdom only if it is served to you in a beautiful silver chalice, you will not receive it. The Lord does not choose people because they are excellent vessels. You can look at any of God’s channels and find fault with them or see something about them that is repulsive to certain people. Personalities often clash. But that does not really make any difference.
The important thing for us to realize is that God is raising up a whole apostolic company and they are not necessarily compatible. When God brings people together, they are not always compatible. Even in a marriage, you have to see Christ in your mate and follow the Word. The fact that you had a marriage checkout, in which the Lord revealed whom you were to marry, does not mean a thing if you do not follow the Word. By giving yourself to the Word, you will keep from focusing upon the negative, Adamic side of the nature. Otherwise your situation will seem hopeless, because there is little for which you can really have faith.
The whole basis of judgment at the threshold of the Kingdom is this: How clear was your focus? As the Lord gathers the nations before Him, He will make that the basis of judgment (Matthew 25:31–46). He will say to those on His left, “I was in prison and you did not visit Me.” Can you understand how Christ can be imprisoned to a certain extent in your brother or sister, and you fail to see how He needs to be liberated? The Lord will also say, “I was hungry and you did not feed Me. I was naked and you did not clothe Me.” Those on His left hand will answer, “When did all of this happen?” Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. Matthew 25:45b. Christ’s reply opens the door for us to see that we are not to focus continually on the plight and circumstance of our brother: instead, we are to give him the Word of Christ.
Paul wrote in Colossians 3:16: Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs … Always be concerned that the Word dwells in you so richly that you have something that feeds the Christ in your brother and brings Him forth. Rather than becoming discouraged or confused or critical in your mind because of any need that you see, always be concerned about the positive things coming forth. When you see a need, you will either criticize, or you will have faith to meet it. It will be one of the two; there is no middle ground. Confusion comes by a focus upon problems without a focus on the Word that answers those problems.
Become addicted to the Living Word that God is bringing forth now. Live in the Scriptures. Listen to the tapes of the Living Word that expound the Scriptures. Study the manuals and read the This Weeks. You will be amplifying that flow of Scripture to your heart. Some pastors play a tape or read a This Week and preach on it. This is the only sermon many small groups have, and the Lord blesses them and meets them. They become the most Bible-oriented of churches.
Do you remember how Christ reproached the generation to whom He was preaching? He put woes on a lot of cities. “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles had occurred in Tyre and Sidon which occurred in you, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.” To Capernaum, He said, “If the miracles had occurred in Sodom which occurred in you, it would have remained to this day.” Matthew 11:21, 23b. Jesus wept over Jerusalem and said, “How often I wanted to gather your children together and take you, as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not!” (Luke 13:34.) What a tragedy!
How tragic it would be for us, too, to be so close at a time of visitation and not dig a canal for what God is saying in this hour so that we can be a part of it. This very Word could loose you so that you will change and grow. It could help you, in your spirit and in your mind, to make that dedication to dig a canal right along your roots. Make a provision for the Living Word to start flowing. Meditate on it day and night. Become Word-focused!
The first Psalm begins by describing a man who is blessed because of the way he meditates. It ends by calling him righteous. Our relationship to the Lord and our standing with Him come through the Word. Our righteousness is an appropriated righteousness that we accept by faith. Ephesians 5:27 speaks of the Church being presented as “a Bride without spot or wrinkle or any such thing; she should be holy and without blemish before the Lord.” The preceding verse says that she has been cleansed by “the washing of water by the Word.” You will never reach this place of appropriating the righteousness and the maturity that God wants in a son, unless you arrive there by the Word.
In this transition from one age to another, we need the basic principles of the Word to open up the manifestation of the sons of God and the greater works. However, God will not do these greater works through an arrogant people. He will do them through a humble people who are focused upon His Word. They are devastated by that Word as they allow God to do the necessary work in their heart. There has never been anything in the world like the anointing of the Holy Spirit upon the Word that God is bringing now. Let us dig that canal!