Psalm 1:3

And he will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water,
Which yields its fruit in its season,
And its leaf does not wither;
And in whatever he does, he prospers. (NASB)

And he shall be like a tree firmly planted and tended by the streams of water, ready to bring forth its fruit in its season; its leaf shall not fade or wither; and everything he does shall prosper and come to maturity. (Amplified Bible)

In Jeremiah 17 we have a passage that closely parallels Psalm 1:

Jeremiah 17:5-8:

Thus says the Lord, "Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind
And makes flesh his strength,
And whose heart turns away from the Lord.

[6] "For he will be like a bush in the desert
And will not see when prosperity comes,
But will live in stony wastes in the wilderness,
A land of salt without inhabitant.

[7] "Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord
And whose trust is the Lord.

[8] "For he will be like a tree planted by the water,
That extends its roots by a stream
And will not fear when the heat comes;
But its leaves will be green,
And it will not be anxious in a year of drought
Nor cease to yield fruit.

In our study of verse three, we are going to look at several words that have significance.

The psalmist introduces a simile, a term of comparison, which functions much like an open window, which give us insight into the meaning of the Word. Remember that these “windows” are not to be abused by a fanciful, even “sanctified” imagination, but are to be interpreted in light of the context. The danger of figures of speech is for us to “run wild” with our interpretations, forgetting that even figures of speech are meant to picture a literal truth.

Let’s look at the phrase “like a tree.”

A tree must have water, and it is fascinating to see how some kinds, the alder, for instance, if planted away from it, will instinctively push out their roots in the direction of the water, however far off, seeming, with their tendrils, to be feeling for it, till they find it.

Matthew Henry writes that he shall be like a tree, fruitful and flourishing. This is the effect of his pious practice; he meditates in the law of God and that is what makes him like a tree. The more we converse with the Word of God the better furnished we are for every good word and work.

The word “planted comes from the Hebrew work “shathal/satal” which means to plant or transplant. The idea is to plant and cultivate a seed or seedling in the ground so it may grow. The picture of the godly man being transplanted is a fitting image of the New Testament truth of the born again person. We were dead in our trespasses and sins in Adam and when we were born again by the sanctifying work of the Spirit we were transplanted from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom light and placed in Christ, rooted and grounded in Him.

Planted also speaks of stability in the storms of life. Ray Pritchard elaborates on this picture asking; How do you know when a tree has good roots? Answer: when the storms come. All the trees look pretty much alike when the sun is shining or a gently rain is falling, but let a might storm with fierce rain and howling winds pass through. Then the true difference is apparent. The trees with few roots are blown over, bu the trees with deep roots are still standing when the storm has passed. So it is for the child of god. You won’t know how good your root system is until the storms of life crash against you. Only then will you discover the strength of your spiritual foundation. The only way to be ready for the storm is to spend time now delighting in God’s Word day by day, meditating on its truth, and building a foundation deep and strong for whatever may come your way.

Consider Isaiah 61:3 and Psalm 92:12-14

The next phrase to look and is “streams of water.”

This is a stream of water flowing underground and suddenly breaks through and flows out freely a spring.

This is not a stagnant pool but a flowing stream, making the image ever more vivid in a land where a flowing spring feed streams. How blessed is this man!

Steven Cole explains that the psalmist describes the person who delights in God’s Word as a tree planted by streams of water. This is a tree that has been deliberately cultivated, surrounded by these canals or streams so that its roots have continual supply of water. It is solid and able to withstand drought or storms. It is fruitful and has continual evidence of life and vitality; its leaves do not wither. He sums it up by applying it: “In whatever he does, he prospers.” There’s a truly happy person, the person God blesses with His prosperity, no matter what circumstances of life he finds himself in.

Warren Wiersbe writes that a tree is a blessing. It holds the soil, provides shade and produces fruit. The godly are like trees, with root systems that go deep into the spiritual resources of God’s grace. But sadly, many professing Christians are not like trees but are like artificial plants or cut flowers with no roots. They may be beautiful for a while, but soon they die.

A tree needs light, water and roots to live. We all have resources upon which we draw life. The questions we to ask ourselves is, Where are out roots? The person God can bless is planted by the rivers of water. We must be careful not to be like Christians who are dry and withered and depend upon their own resources. They are like tumbleweeds, blown about by a wind of doctrine.

To have the blessings of verse 3, we need to meet the conditions of verses 1 and 2. That is, we must first be separated from the world and saturated with the Word to be situated by the waters.

God desires to bless us, but we need to meet certain conditions to receive His blessings. We bear fruit only when we have roots, and we must draw upon spiritual resources to bring forth fruit in due season. To bear the fruit of the Spirit, we must allow the Spirit to work in us and through us.
In contrast to the believer, the ungodly are not like trees but are like chaff. They have no roots, produce no fruit and a blown about. The ungodly reject the Word of God and will perish without hope. As Christians we must not reject the ungodly but try to reach them. God blesses us so that we might be blessing to others. His Spirit helps us bear fruit that can help win the lost.

Are you a tree or like chaff?

We need God’s resources to bear fruit. But where we place our roots is paramount. Only as we grow deeply into the spiritual resource of God’s grace will we produce fruit. Make the Bible your spiritual resource. Delight in it and feed your soul with its truth. God can use you to help you win the lost.

The next phrase is “yields fruit in its season.”

The more we converse with the Word of God the better furnished we are to every good work. Note again the recurring biblical principle: First the root, then the fruit. First the Word with obedience and then the bearing of fruit. The sad truth is that so many Christians are more concerned about the leaves and the fruit at the expense of neglecting the root, but the roots are the most important part. Unless Christians spend time daily in the Word, and allow the Spirit to feed them, they will wither and die.

Ray Pritchard notes that to speak of “fruit in its season” means that the tree produces fruit that expresses its inner character. How do spot and orange tree” By the oranges it produces. How do you spot and apple tree? Look for the apples. Whatever is on the inside must eventually be seen on the outside. Applied to the spiritual life, this means that when our roots are deep in the Word, we will be given whatever we need, whenever we need it. If we need love, from the Word of God will come the strength to produce the fruit of love. If we need a forgiving spirit, from the Word of God will come the strength to forgive. If we need courage, we will produce the fruit of courage. If we need patience and perseverance, the Word of God will produce it in us. This sort of supernatural life is available to every believer, but it will only be fully realized over time as we continue to walk with the Lord and to delight in His Word.

Pritchard adds that the phrase pictures a leafy tree that seems like an evergreen because its leaves are in season all year round. People like this are constantly refreshed by the Word of God, constantly renewed, constantly drawing on new strength for new situation. They are never boring, never dull, never living off yesterday’s blessing, but living each day in the strength of the Lord whose mercies are new every morning.

John Piper explains that you will be a fruitful person. O for more fruitful people! You know them. They are refreshing and nourishing to be around. You go away from them fed. You go away strengthened. You go away with your taste for spiritual things awakened. Their mouth is a fountain of life. Their words are healing and convicting and encouraging and deepening and enlightening. Being around them is like a meal. This is the effect of delighting in the Word of God and meditating on it day and night. You will yield fruit in season.

Regarding the phrase “whose leaf does not wither,” Piper says the point here is that the hot winds are blowing and the rain is falling and all the other trees that are not planted by streams are withering and dying, but in spite of all the heat and drought, your leaf remains green, because delighting in the Word of God and meditating on it day and night is like being planted by a stream. The happiness of this person is durable. It is deep. It does not depend on which way the wind is blowing or whether the rain is falling. It gets its life from absolutely changeless source: God in His Word.

We come to the phrase. “And in whatever he does, he prospers.”

Ray Pritchard says that they prosper in the sense that no matter what happens, they find strength for the day and hope in the midst of the hardest difficulties. They bring forth godly fruit in good times and bad times. Why? Because they are planted deep in the good soil and their roots reach out to the water of the Word of God. Finding constant nourishment therein, they can face whatever life throws at them.

The thought here is similar to Romans 8:37 where in the midst of struggles, sorrow, persecution, famine, distress, nakedness and the sword, those who know Jesus are “more than conquerors” through His divine power. And that triumphant deliverance comes to us in large part through the Word of God.

In this world we may face disappointment, sorrow, rejection, failure, sickness, abandonment, and discouragement. We my hear things about our children we prayed to God never to hear, our dearest friends may desert us, our spouse may leave us, and we may face an unremitting series of earthly tragedies, illness, physical weakness, and death itself may visit our door time and again.

Even then, we prosper, we thrive, we survive, we are not destroyed. Sometimes when I ask friends going through hard times how they are doing, the answer comes back, “I’m surviving” Years ago I foolishly thought that was a wimpy response. Now I see that it is a powerful statement of faith. Sometimes surviving is the same as thriving. Some days to survive is to prosper. That, too, is a kind of prosperity for the people of God.

Let these illustrations permeate you thinking on our passage:

Spiritual Trees
By Henry G. Bosch

Godly men and women are compared in Scripture to sturdy, healthy trees, planted by the rivers of water, laden with fruit, and full of leaves. In order for us to be fruitful we must:

1. Stand straight for God. Lives that reveal Christlike character are lovely to behold, for they are not gnarled by sin or rotted by hypocrisy.

2. Be strong. Those who are well-rooted in God’s Word will be unmovable in time or trial and temptation.

3. Keep growing. As healthy trees add a new ring of growth each year, we too should constantly grow in grace.

4. Bring blessing to others. Some trees provide food, others give shade, and others are made into lumber. So too Christian should provide spiritual food and comfort to their neighbors, as well as use their time and talents to build people up in the Lord.

5. Be ready to be transplanted when God so wills. Christians are not here to stay; they are waiting to be transplanted in the garden of heaven where their fruit will never wither and their leaf will never fade.

How good a tree are you? Is there any fruit, any beauty, any growth worth talking about? Or are you wilted and unproductive? Get growing!

The just are nourished like a tree
Set by the riverside;
Their leaf is green, their fruit is sure,
And thus their word abide. Anon.

Tall Trees, Deep Roots
By David C. Egner

My son Mark and I were digging out the stump of an old tree in his front yard. The tree had been only 5 inches in diameter, so we didn’t think the task would be difficult.

After digging around the stump and cutting through the surface roots, we fastened a nylon towrope to the back of my truck and pulled. Nothing happened. We dug some more, cut out some more roots, and tried again. Still not success. On the third try the nylon rope broke. Strong, deep roots had anchored that tree firmly in the ground.

In the Bible, godly people are often likened to trees. Joni Eareckson Tada wrote about this in her book “Diamond in the Dust.” “The branches of growing trees not only reach higher, but their roots grow deeper. It is impossible for a strong tree to have high branches without have deep roots. It wold become top heavy and topple over in the wind. Then Joni observed, “The same is true with Christians. It is impossible for us to grow in the Lord without entwining our roots around His Word and deepening our life in His commands.

Would you like to be a tall, immovable tree? That comes only through a life of Bible study, discipline, and tested faith, conditions that produce deep roots.

We rend and learn the Word of God
To fix it firmly in our heart;
And when we act upon that Word,
Its truth from us will not depart. DJD

The roots of stability come from being grounded in God’s Word.

Deep Roots
By M. R. De Haan

In my orchard are two pear trees. Last summer was extremely dry, yet one of the tress was unaffected and remains green and yielded luscious fruit. The other tree did not do so well. Its leaves turned yellow, the fruit shriveled, and the leaves and the fruit both dropped to the ground. The tree seemed to be dead.

Then came the rains, and the ground was soaked with moisture. The tree that seemed to be dead sprang to life again. Soon is was covered with leaves and, believe it or not, in the latter of part of August it burst into full bloom. Little pears came into view, but then came the frost and no fruit matured.

One tree thrived and produces delicious fruit in season. What made the difference? Its roots had grown deep, where they found plenty of water. The other had shallow roots and depended on the uncertain rains. The one was like the tree David described, “planted by the rivers of water.” The other, with belated bloom, bore no fruit.

Which kind of tree are you? Do your roots go deep in the underground streams of the Word of God, or is your devotional life shallow and only occasional? Dig deep, friend, deep into the Book, and your life will produce abundant spiritual fruit.

The just are nourished like a tree
Set by the riverside;
Their leaf is green, their fruit is sure,
And thus their works abide. Anon

We cannot bear fruit with the water of God’s Word.

Of Time And Trees
By David C. McCasland

People who don’t want to wait 4 decades for a globe Norway maple to grow in their front yard can buy a 3- foot specimen from a New York nursery for $42,000. A 50-foot European beech is a “bargain” for only $20,000. In spite of the prices, the country’s leading nurseries report soaring sales of mature trees.

As one customer put it, “I can’t wait for a banana to ripen. I only buy them bright yellow. There’s no patience for watching a tree grow.”

We humans are always in a hurry, looking for shortcuts to skirt the process and grasp the product. And sometimes we expect instant maturity in our Christian walk and growth in faith. What a contrast to the enormous leisure of God in His dealings with us!

The psalmist affirmed God’s promise that the person who delights in His Word will “be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth it fruit in its season.” A growing Christian, whether a new believer or a seasoned saint, is like a healthy tree, planted, nourished, and fruitful.

If our roots are in God’s Word and our hearts are drawing sustenance from Him, we will flourish. And growth toward maturity brings joy to the God of patience.

Our fruitfulness and growth in Christ
Won’t happen instantly,
But meditating on God’s Word
Will bring maturity. SPER

It takes a moment to be saved; it takes a lifetime to grow in godliness.

Did you learn anything in this lesson?

I would like to hear your comments about Psalm 1:3.

DAN WILSON
Ephesians 4 Teacher
ephesians4teacher@gmail.com