Word
of God
But he replied and
said, "It is written, 'It is not by bread alone that a man
lives, except by every word that issues from the mouth of God
The Gospel According
to Matthew 4:4
The
Book of Psalm 1:3-4
All commentary
and study notes are prefaced/edited by Dr. Riktor Von Zhades
3 For he shall be
like a tree planted by the rivers of waters, that will bring forth
her fruits in due season: whose leaf shall not fade: so whatsoever he
shall do, shall prosper. 4 The wicked are not so, but as the chaff,
which the wind driveth away.
Brethren:
Here above, the
Psalmist illustrates the difference between the godly and the
ungodly. The difference between being blessed and being cursed. Those
that follow God’s paths are going to find those paths blessed with
good things. Will there be tribulations? Yes of course, but the Lord
your God will see you through each and every one. Yet, the ungodly
will struggle in many different ways. He will be tossed to and fro in
such a manner that can be likened to a dandelion, easy disturbed by
the slightest of breezes. - Dr. RVZ
“Verse Three
[As verses one and
two] describe the man who is blessed, this points at his blessedness,
and shows and proves him to be an happy man; for he is comparable to
a "tree": not to a dry tree, or a tree without fruit, or
whose fruit is withered, but to a fruitful tree, a green and
flourishing one; green olive tree, or a palm tree, or a cedar in
Lebanon; to which David compares himself and the righteous. Moreover,
the happy man before described is like a tree that is situated "by
the rivers of water", or "divisions" and rivulets of
water; which running about the plants, make them very fruitful and
flourishing; see (Read Ezekiel 31:4 ) ; and which may intend the
river of the love of God, and the streams of it, the discoveries and
applications of it to regenerate persons; and also the fulness of
grace in Christ, who is the fountain of gardens, the well of living
waters and streams from Lebanon, to revive, refresh, supply, and
comfort his people.
And so appears to be
a tree of righteousness, filled with the fruits of righteousness, the
graces of the Spirit, and good works; which are brought forth by him
under the influence of grace, as he has opportunity, and according to
the measure of grace bestowed. His leaf also shall not wither;
neither tree, nor fruit, nor leaf shall wither, but shall be always
green; which is expressive of the saints' perseverance: the reasons
of which are, they are ingrafted in Christ the true vine, and abide
in him, from whom they have their sap, nourishment, and fruit, ( Read
John 15:1-2) ; they are rooted and built up in him, and established
in the faith of him; and so they hold fast the profession of it
without wavering.
And whatsoever he
doth shall prosper meaning not so much in things temporal, of which
Arama interprets it, for in these the good man does not always
succeed, but in things spiritual: whatever he does in faith, from
love, to the glory of God, and in the name of Christ, prospers; yea,
those things in which he is concerned, that are adverse, and seem for
the present to be against him, in the issue work for good to him: in
short, such a man is blessed with grace here, and glory hereafter;
and therefore must needs be an happy man.
Verse Four
They are not as the
good man is; their manner and course of life are different; they walk
in the counsel of ungodly men, like themselves, and take counsel
against the Lord, his Anointed, and his people: they stand in the way
of sinners, and steer their conversation according to the course of
the world, and sit in the seat of the scornful; laugh at divine
revelation, lampoon the Scriptures, deride good men, make a jest of
religion and a future state: they have no delight in the law of the
Lord, they cast it away from them, and despise it; and are so far
from a constant meditation on it, that they never read it, nor so
much as look into it, nor is it ever in their thoughts. (Read 10:4,
11, 14; Psalm 94:7)
They have nothing in
them solid and substantial; they are destitute of all that is good;
are vain and empty; without the knowledge of God and Christ; without
faith in Christ and love to him; and are sensual, not having the
Spirit, his graces and fruits: they are like chaff for lightness,
vain in their imaginations, light in their principles, frothy in
their words, and unstable in all their ways: they are never long in
any position, unsettled, disquieted, and tossed to and fro; and there
is no peace unto them. Driven and carried about with every wind of
doctrine, with divers and strange doctrines, and entertain every
light and airy notion; and are easily drawn aside and carried away by
the force of their own lusts, and with every temptation of Satan, who
works effectually in them”
John Gill
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