A Tree by the Canal
“Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, or set foot on the path of sinners, or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the Law of the LORD, and on His law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, yielding its fruit in season, whose leaf does not wither, and who prospers in all he does.”
— Psalm 1:1-3 (BSB)
These are the first words of Israel's whole songbook, a kind of gate to all the rest. The three verbs at the start of the Hebrew show the steps in order: first you walk along with someone, then you stand (this translation says set foot), and finally you sit down with them for good. The Hebrew word behind meditates meant a low sound, a murmur; Isaiah uses it for a lion growling over its prey. So it means above all reading under your breath and repeating, not only silent reflection. Law here translates Torah, teaching such as parents give a child, rather than just a legal code. In that dry country a tree did not end up by streams on its own. The word for planted can mean transplanted, and the streams are dug irrigation channels, so someone probably moved it there on purpose. What you keep repeating under your breath, day after day, changes who you are over time.
Most of what you hear during the day gets into your head without asking. An advert, gossip from work, the last argument, what someone said about you years ago. Then it goes round in the checkout queue and before you sleep. What you repeat to yourself shapes you more than you think. The person in this text lived among people, but did not follow bad advice. He had something else in his mouth, all day long. One good sentence in your head costs little, and it comes in useful exactly when you have no book to hand.
Under your breath, until you know it
- 1Pick one sentence from the Bible that you already like, or that stopped you today. Repeat it under your breath during three ordinary tasks: washing your hands, on the way somewhere, waiting for the kettle, until you can say it without looking.
- 2If nothing comes to mind, take this one: That person is like a tree planted by streams of water. Or the first verse you remember from childhood.
God, so many words go round in my head. Give me one sentence of yours today that will stay with me. Let it reach deeper than everything else I hear all day. Bring me closer to you. Amen.
I repeat a sentence from the Bible under my breath today, until I can say it without looking.
What does it mean to meditate on the law?
The Hebrew word meant a low sound, a murmur. Isaiah uses it for a lion growling. It means above all reading under your breath and repeating, not only silent reflection.
Why is the tree described as planted?
In a dry country a tree did not end up by water on its own. The word can mean transplanted, and the streams are irrigation channels, so someone probably moved it there on purpose.
Do I have to learn whole passages?
No. One sentence is enough today. Repeat it under your breath during ordinary tasks until you can say it without looking.