Why was the righteous man described to be like a tree planted by rivers of water in Psalm one? To begin, we need to understand the context of the message because unless we understand the context of the message, we won’t be able to live out the scripture in light of its revelation.
Psalm 1:3, “And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither, and whatsoever he does shall prosper.” And reading the context of verse three with the context and theme of the bible in mind, what we are to conclude from this description of the righteous man, is the effort he puts into planning his escape according to God’s revealed plan to judge the world.
We know Roman 6:23 speaks of the wages of sin, and that its payment is death. However, the theme of the bible in the light of the reality of death also speaks of redemption and salvation. Therefore, knowing that we are dealing with the reality of a penalty that will lead to death, we can use Genesis to visit the message of Pslam one.
In Genesis, when God visited mankind and saw what they had done and continued to do despite his many warnings through Noah. God decided to destroy humanity. God said in his heart, Genesis 6:7, “I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.”
But because Noah had a relationship with God, and because he was obedient, God revealed his heart to Noah. Genesis 6:13, “And God said unto Noah, the end of all flesh has come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.”
And upon discovering these things, Noah began to prepare himself for the coming judgment God had revealed to him. Noah according to the Law or instruction of God began to build an ark to save his life and the life of his family.
Genesis 6:14 “Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch.” This gave Noah time to prepare, and because Noah believed God, knowing he God was and is the king of all the earth. God had the right to judge.
Therefore, in relationship to Psalm one, the blessed man is like a tree planted by rivers of water, that brings forth fruit in his season because like Noah, he prepared and is preparing himself against the day of wrath.
