Sharing How We’ve Lived Our Lives
Whether you’ve ever lived on one or not, most of us have a mental picture of a farm. Take a moment and let the image form in your imagination. Then share. What does it look like? What sort of crops are they growing? What’s involved in making “your” farm successful?
Sharing the Word Itself
Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners,
or join in with mockers.But they delight in the law of the LORD, meditating on it day and night.
They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season.
Their leaves never wither,
and they prosper in all they do.But not the wicked!
They are like worthless chaff, scattered by the wind.They will be condemned at the time of judgment. Sinners will have no place among the godly.
For the LORD watches over the path of the godly, but the path of the wicked leads to destruction.
Sharing What We Know About the Word
Verses 1-3: As they’re usually translated, these verses paint an idyllic scene of trees flourishing along the banks of a gently meandering stream. However, the psalmist may have had a different picture in mind. He may have been thinking of an irrigated orchard instead. How would that change our reading of these verses? What does it say about God’s role in our efforts to bear fruit? As you answer, you may want to take a look at Proverbs 21:1, which says, “The kings’ heart is like a stream of water directed by the LORD; he guides it wherever he pleases.”
Verses 4-5: Wheat undoubtedly plays a bigger role in the global food supply than fruit, even when the orchards are “bearing fruit each season.” According to Wikipedia, wheat “grows well in a temperate climate even with a moderately short growing season, and yields a versatile, high-quality flour…” However, as far as I know, wheat farmers depend on rain, not irrigation, to water their crop. Does that help explain why the wicked produce moral and spiritual chaff, instead of bearing fruit?
Verse 6: The psalmist seems to introduce a different image in this verse, but we can imagine two farmers, one walking through his orchard, pausing to sample the ripening fruit, while the other marches out into his field, trampling the wheat as he goes. Do they really need “divine guidance”? Or has God played his part, long before either one starts his stroll?
Sharing What the Word Asks Us to Do
God “irrigates” our lives in countless ways, but the psalmist suggests that we have a role to play, too, if we want to produce more fruit. What sort of fruit are you trying to produce? How could God help you produce more? If you asked him, would he “irrigate” your efforts?