Daily Bible Nugget #34, Psalm 1:2

The Nugget:

Psalm 1:2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.

My Comment:

The opening chapter of the book of Psalms contrasts the character and destiny of the “blessed man” and “the ungodly.” The first verse states with whom the blessed person does not seek fellowship. It says, “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.” You can see a progression there: walk, stand, sit. Another progression: ungodly, sinners, scornful. The next verse begins with the word “But.” That marks a contrast. The godly man, the blessed man, is marked by the fact that “his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.” The blessed person meditates regularly, even daily, on God’s Word as it is written in the Bible. Now, how can a person possibly do that? It can be done if you will read a portion of the Bible daily. Another excellent way to do it is to memorize significant Bible verses. Having a good bit of Scripture carefully memorized lets you think about God’s Word without having to access the printed page. I plan, the Lord willing, to share as Daily Bible Nuggets the list of Bible verses I first committed to memory when I was still in high school as a new Christian. I am glad I learned those verses well back then. Some of the verses I gathered for my list from my own Bible reading. Others I selected because they were most often listed as references in Gospel tracts about God’s plan of salvation. In any case, I think you will both enjoy them and benefit from them as I share them one by one. Memorizing God’s Word, or hiding God’s Word in our heart, serves many good purposes, some of them already mentioned. If you have memorized the appropriate verses, knowing them by heart makes it easier to share their truth with others. The Bible itself gives a good reason to hide God’s Word in our heart when it says “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee” (Psalm 119:11). That helps us maintain a closer walk with God. I memorized these verses in the King James Version, because at the time that was the most widely used and available version of the English Bible. I still prefer it. But younger people may prefer a modern language version instead. Of the many available, I think I would recommend the English Standard Version (ESV) as among the best. Another important point: it helps tremendously to learn the “address” of the verse–the book, chapter, and verse number. Learn it right along with the verse. I wrote out the verses I wanted to memorize on 3×5 cards. Across the short end of the unlined side I wrote the book, chapter and verse. On the lined side I wrote out the verse. When I reviewed my memory verses, I first looked at the “address side” and attempted to recite the words. I turned the card over to see if I was right. If so, I went on to the next verse in the growing stack. If I stumbled on a verse, that is, I could not quote it correctly, I read it over repeatedly, then shut my eyes and attempted to recite it correctly. I reviewed my memory verse cards carefully every week. I did all this while I rode the bus to school, and again when I rode the bus back home. However you manage to do it, I hope you will succeed in memorizing verses from the Bible that are especially encouraging to you. Then you, too, can be like the Psalmist, whose “delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night” (Psalm 1:2).

For those who desire to DIG DEEPER into this subject:

(1) Consult the cross references given in Nelson’s Cross Reference Guide to the Bible on page 529 for Psalm 1:2.

(2) Consult the cross references given in The New Treasury of Scripture Knowledge on page 582-583 or in Logos 5 Bible software for Psalm 1:2.

(3) Lacking access to those two resources, consult the cross references for this passage as I have developed them further given below:

Psalm 1:2. But his delight. T#1081. Ps *40:8. *112:1. 119:*11, *35, *47, 48, 70, 72, *92, 162. Jb **23:12. Je **15:16. Ro 7:22. Col 3:16. 1 J *5:3. doth. FS96C9, Ge +2:10. meditate. T#665, 1090. Ps 16:8. 63:5. 77:11, 12. *104:34. 119:*11, 15, 23, 24, *87-99, 148. 143:5, 6. Dt *17:18, 19. Jsh **1:8. Da 6:10. Mt +14:23 (T#64, 531). Col 3:16. 1 T *4:15. day. Ps *88:1. *119:97. Dt 6:6, 7. Lk *2:37. *18:7. 1 Th *2:9. 2 T *1:3. night. Ps 119:148.