Psalm 1:3a

“And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water…”

Psalm 1:3 KJV

            The Christian life has been described and illustrated for us in so many different ways in the Word of God. For example, scripture teaches us that we are servants (Rom. 6:13), children (Rom. 8:16-17), soldiers (1Tim. 6:12, 2Tim. 2:3), athletes (Heb. 12:1, 1Cor. 9:24), sheep (John 10:15) and so much more. Each of these descriptions and illustrations serve to bring to our attention the various aspects, blessings, and responsibilities of the Christian life. In Psalm 1:3 we have yet another beautiful and rich illustration of what it means to be a Christian. The Christian, who is the blessed man of Psalm 1, is likened unto a tree. We are trees! But what does that mean exactly?

            The question we need to first ask about any one of these scriptural illustrations is, “What may I learn of God in this?”. Allow me to explain. When the Bible tells us that we are servants it is conversely saying that God is our good Master. When the Bible calls us children of God it is telling us that God is our heavenly Father who has adopted us into His family through Christ.  When the Bible calls us soldiers it is teaching us that Christ is the Captain of our salvation that has already defeated Satan. When the Bible calls us athletes it is showing us that Christ is our Crown and Prize that we run for (Phil. 3:14). When it calls us sheep, it is calling Christ our good Shepherd that gave His life for the sheep.

When Psalm 1:3 says we are like trees this means that God is our Gardener, our Husbandmen, the One who tends to our care (John 15:1). Notice the blessed man is not likened to any old tree in this verse but a, “tree planted by the rivers of water”. He is planted by someone deliberately and thoughtfully in a well-watered garden. The Hebrew word here for rivers is peleg and it means, “a small channel of water as in irrigation.” (Strong’s Concordance). This is an allusion to the cultivating methods of that time in the east. Farmers would dig out multiple streams from a river to provide several sources of water to any one tree or plant in their garden or field. The point is that the tree in this verse has a gardener and so do you. God has planted us in His garden (Isa. 61:3) with the waters of life all around us and in us. Jesus our Lord said, “He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.” (John 7:38). The streams of His word, the influences and graces of His Spirit flow all around the Christian and they never dry up.

God is no lousy Gardener. “Every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit,” (John 15:2). Are there any afflicted or tried among us? Rest assured you are in God’s Garden and He will tend to you faithfully and will even cause you pain, if He must, to purge and grow you in the fruits of righteousness. Do not murmur or rebel against His pruning. Are there any among us spiritually dry and malnourished? Are you not in God’s well supplied garden? What is your excuse then for remaining any longer in this parched condition? Are there any among us that are not truly saved but only play the Christian? Christ says to you, “Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up” (Matt. 15:13).

For further study on this verse see: (Jeremiah 17:7-8, Psalm 52:8)