…but his delight is in the law of the Lord and on His law he meditates day and night. - Psalm 1:2
The Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale was published in 1952. It spent 186 weeks (about 3 ½ years) on The New York Times’ bestseller lists, 48 in the number one position for non-fiction. The book is a self-help mainstay and is still in print today, translated into over 40 languages. Peale seeks to help those who suffer from low self-esteem and feelings of inadequacy. His solution, while maintaining some reference to God (he was a minister after all), focuses primarily on thinking and visualizing oneself in a positive way.
In Psalm 1, the psalmist lays out a different approach. Having described the blessed life in negative terms of what to avoid, he turns to the positive side of what should direct the life of a believer. How does he not listen to the counsel of the wicked? How does he steer clear of the pattern of life of the sinner? And how does he sidestep wallowing with the scoffers? He delights in the law of the Lord.
What is this law? The Hebrew word here is torah. Sometimes, it is used in a technical sense to refer to the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Old Testament. More generally, it means teaching, instruction, or doctrine. It includes commandments, history, prayers, and psalms. Simply put, it includes all of God’s special revelation contained in the Scriptures. Thus, Paul instructs Timothy that the Scriptures are profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
And what does the blessed man do with this law? First, he delights in it. He gets pleasure from pondering the will of God in His word. Second, he is preoccupied with it. He meditates on it, chewing on it as a cow chews cud, ruminating consistently and in regular doses (day and night). Peale had the right idea (the importance of where our thinking is directed) but the wrong focus (man’s effort vs. God’s revelation).
Saints, the choice is before us each and every day, perhaps every moment. What will be the driving force of our lives? The counsel of the wicked or the law of God? If the latter, then we must make it the basis of all our lives if we want to know true blessedness. It will not do to only get a shot in the arm of this word on Sunday morning. It must become our constant companion on the path that leads to life. Choose this day which path you will tread.
