The classic 23rd Psalm makes a statement in verse 1 and then explains the "thesis" in the subsequent 5 verses. God meets our needs through Jesus Christ so that we will have all the essentials that we need. He meets our spiritual, diectional, emotional, physical and eternal needs.

What appears initially to be a desperate prayer is actually a prayer of hope that melts away the psalmist's fears.

This prayerful psalm reflects on the past blessings of God and pleads for God's blessings again. God promises to bless despite a life of labor and tears. How important it is to continue living for God, even while struggling, for God will reward the faithful.

Asaph, the choir director, was harboring significant doubts about God as he saw how the wicked prospered and had so much ease in life. He began to question whether living a pure and righteous life was worthwhile. All this changed when he encountered God in true worship.

Psalm 1 is among the most recognized in the Psalter. It is a wisdom psalm that calls on us to be discerning between what is a righteous life and what is not. By using two word pictures the author sets a high contrast between the flourishing of the righteous and the peril of the wicked.

William Jay notes how audacious it would be to steal from a man in broad daylight while he is watching and yet that is exactly what we do when we do not give to God what belongs to God. God is the owner of all we possess and he is far better able to manage our lives than we are ourselves.

The Scriptures give numerous descriptions of who and what the Christian is, and it is relayed to us in a way that would be awe-inspiring if we were to simply consider them carefully. Among those truths is that we are heirs of God.

God has obligated himself for our sake, through the new covenant the Christian is assured that God will accomplish what he has said he would do. As our mediator and sacrifice Jesus' work on the cross assures the believer of the hope we find in Christ.

The OT character of Abraham gives the Christian an array of blessings and example to follow. The greatest benefit of all is that the believer shares in the infinite inheritance promised to Abraham. William Jay notes that it is an inheritance that reaches beyond the grave and is the reward of God himself to Abraham and his heirs - the Church of Christ Jesus.

Christ's instruction contrasting the Scribes and Pharisees speaks loudly to present-day church leaders and how they see themselves and may want to be perceived by others.