PSALM 1 — THE TWO PATHS OF HUMAN EXISTENCE

 

PSALM 1 — THE TWO PATHS OF HUMAN EXISTENCE

I. THE OPENING DECLARATION — THE ALIGNED LIFE (v.1)

“Blessed is the man…”

Key Hebrew Word: ASHREI (Blessed)

Meaning:
Rightly positioned in God’s created order
Life functioning according to design
Harmony with reality — not emotional happiness

Truth:
Righteousness is alignment before it is behavior.

The Three Stages of Spiritual Formation

Action	Hebrew Picture	Meaning
Walk	Exposure	Accepting ideas
Stand	Participation	Practicing them
Sit	Identity	Becoming them

Principle:
Sin is not an event — it is a path entered gradually.

“Counsel of the Ungodly”

Worldview explaining life without God as reference

Application Truth:
Your life follows the voice you trust.

“Way of Sinners” (Derekh)

A worn life-pattern created by repetition

Principle:
Repeated behavior becomes internal nature.

“Seat of the Scornful”

Belonging to a mindset that rejects divine authority

Final Insight of v.1:
The righteous guards influence, not just actions.

II. THE INNER REPROGRAMMING — TORAH FORMATION (v.2)

“His delight is in the law of the LORD”

Torah (Law)

Not rules — Fatherly instruction
Revealed structure of reality

Truth:
Obedience grows from desire, not pressure.

Delight (Chephets)

Internal attraction
Heart inclination

Principle:
Transformation happens when desire changes.

Meditate (Hagah)

To murmur, repeat, speak continually

Hebraic Idea:
Speaking the Word rewrites thinking patterns.

Day and Night

Continuous internal dialogue

Truth:
Your dominant inner voice becomes your life direction.

III. THE TREE HUMAN — THE ROOTED LIFE (v.3)

“Like a tree planted by rivers of water”

Tree (Etz)

Human connected to divine life supply

Planted

Intentionally relocated to a new source

Principle:
Righteousness begins with relocation of dependence.

Rivers (Irrigation Channels)

Constant supply — not seasonal rain

Truth:
Covenant life is not circumstance-dependent.

Four Evidences of a Rooted Person

Evidence	Meaning
Fruit in season	Right results at right time
Leaf not wither	Inner stability under pressure
Prosperity	Life functioning properly
Continuity	Not controlled by environment

Core Idea:
Fruit is the natural result of connection, not effort.

IV. THE CHAFF HUMAN — THE UNROOTED LIFE (v.4)

“The wicked are like chaff”

Chaff

Empty husk without substance

Truth:
A life disconnected from God loses inner weight.

Driven by Wind

Controlled by circumstances

Principle:
Without inner anchor, the environment becomes master.

V. THE REVEALING MOMENT — JUDGMENT (v.5)

“The wicked shall not stand in the judgment”

Judgment (Mishpat)

Reality revealing what is true

Truth:
Pressure exposes foundation.

Grain remains
Chaff scatters

VI. THE FINAL OUTCOME — TWO DESTINIES (v.6)

“The LORD knows the way of the righteous”

Know (Yada)

Relational union and sustaining involvement

Truth:
God actively upholds the righteous path.

Perish (Abad)

To fade away, dissolve, lose continuity

Principle:
Disconnection from life source leads to eventual collapse.

CENTRAL MESSAGE OF PSALM 1

Two kinds of humanity:

The Tree	The Chaff
Rooted in God’s voice	Formed by environment
Stable	Reactive
Fruitful	Empty
Enduring	Temporary

FINAL APPLICATION

Righteousness is not achieved by trying harder.

It grows by changing your source.

Key Question:
What voice is forming your inner life?

Because:

What you continually hear → you believe
What you believe → you become
What you become → determines your destiny

CLOSING CALL

Choose your planting place.

Meditate on God’s instruction
Let it become your inner speech
Remain connected to His life

The tree does not struggle to bear fruit —
it stays rooted.

On Healing

 

 

The Feasts of the LORD in the Light of Christ

From Shadow to Substance, from Fulfillment to Prophetic Rehearsal

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Introduction: Appointed Times in Redemptive History

From the opening chapters of Genesis to the consummation of all things in Revelation, Scripture reveals a God who works according to appointed times. These divine appointments—called moedim in Hebrew—are not arbitrary religious dates, but moments in which God intersects history to reveal His purposes.

Genesis 1:14 (KJV)
“And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven… and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years.”

The Feasts of the LORD, formally articulated in Leviticus 23, function as a redemptive calendar, unveiling God’s plan of salvation, sanctification, empowerment, and ultimate restoration. While these feasts were administered through Moses under the Old Covenant, their origin, meaning, and fulfillment are found in Christ.

This chapter presents a Christ-centered, New Covenant understanding of all seven feasts—honoring their fulfillment in Jesus while affirming their continued value as theological instruction and prophetic rehearsal for the Church.

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Christ and the Feasts: Fulfillment, Not Abolition

Jesus Christ did not come to erase God’s appointed times, but to fulfill their deepest meaning.

Matthew 5:17 (KJV)
“Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.”

The New Testament consistently teaches that the feasts are shadows, while Christ is the substance.

Colossians 2:16–17 (KJV)
“Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.”

Thus, the Church does not keep the feasts as legal obligations for righteousness, but receives them as revealed patterns that proclaim Christ’s finished work and future glory.

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The Spring Feasts: Fulfilled in Christ’s First Coming

1. Passover – Redemption Accomplished

1 Corinthians 5:7 (KJV)
“For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us.”

Passover finds its complete fulfillment in the cross of Christ. The blood of the lamb, once applied to doorposts, now points unmistakably to the blood of Jesus, shed once for all. At the Last Supper, Jesus transformed Passover into the Lord’s Supper, redirecting the feast from Egypt to Calvary.

For Christians, Passover is celebrated not through sacrifice, but through Communion, proclaiming the Lord’s death until He comes.

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2. Unleavened Bread – Sanctified Living

1 Corinthians 5:8 (KJV)
“Therefore let us keep the feast… with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.”

Unleavened Bread speaks of separation from sin and purity of life. In Christ, this feast is not observed ceremonially, but embodied ethically. Believers live out this feast daily as they put away the leaven of malice and wickedness and walk in holiness.

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3. Firstfruits – Resurrection Life

1 Corinthians 15:20 (KJV)
“But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.”

The resurrection of Jesus fulfills the Feast of Firstfruits perfectly. His rising guarantees the future resurrection of all who belong to Him. Each year, the Church celebrates this reality with renewed joy and hope, affirming that death has been conquered.

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The Summer Feast: Empowerment for the Age

4. Pentecost – The Gift of the Spirit

Acts 2:1–4 (KJV)

Pentecost marks the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and the birth of the Church. What was once a harvest festival becomes the celebration of a greater harvest—the gathering of souls into the Kingdom of God. Pentecost remains a present-tense reality, calling believers to Spirit-filled living and mission.

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The Fall Feasts: Anticipation of the Kingdom

While the Spring Feasts reveal Christ’s redemptive work and Pentecost empowers the Church, the Fall Feasts turn the believer’s gaze forward—toward consummation, judgment, and glory.

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5. The Feast of Trumpets – Awakening and Watchfulness

1 Thessalonians 4:16 (KJV)

The Feast of Trumpets serves as a prophetic alarm, calling God’s people to awaken and prepare for the return of the King. For Christians, this feast is rehearsed as a call to vigilance, holiness, and expectancy—not as date-setting, but as spiritual readiness.

Titus 2:13 (KJV)

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6. The Day of Atonement – Living in Teshuvah

Hebrews 10:14 (KJV)

The Day of Atonement is not repeated in sacrifice, for Christ’s atonement is final and sufficient. Yet its spiritual message remains vital. In Christ, believers rehearse this feast through repentance, self-examination, and continual return to God. Teshuvah becomes a lifestyle flowing from grace, not an attempt to earn forgiveness.

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7. The Feast of Tabernacles – God Dwelling with His People

John 1:14 (KJV)

Tabernacles celebrates God’s desire to dwell with humanity. In Christ, God has already tabernacled among us by His Spirit, and He will one day dwell visibly with redeemed creation.

Revelation 21:3 (KJV)

This feast trains believers to love God’s presence, practice abiding, and long for the Kingdom where God is all in all.

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Historical Theology: Echoes from the Early Church

The Early Church rejected compulsory observance of Mosaic law, yet retained feast theology as Christological and eschatological instruction. Apostolic practice (Acts 18:21; 20:16), the Didache’s call to watchfulness, and the writings of Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, and Tertullian reveal a Church that understood sacred times as teaching tools rather than saving ordinances.

These historical witnesses affirm that prophetic rehearsal—when Christ-centered and voluntary—stands in continuity with historic Christian faith.

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Christian Liberty and Guardrails

Romans 14:5–6 (KJV)
Galatians 5:1 (KJV)

Believers are free to rehearse or refrain. No feast observance adds to justification, and no believer is to be judged regarding days. Christ alone remains the center, not the calendar.

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Conclusion: Living Between Fulfillment and Hope

The Feasts of the LORD, understood through Christ, form a discipleship journey:

• Redemption accomplished

• Sanctification lived

• Empowerment received

• Watchfulness maintained

• Repentance practiced

• Presence embraced

Until faith becomes sight, the Church lives between fulfillment and hope—proclaiming Christ’s finished work while anticipating His glorious return.

Luke 21:36 (KJV)
“Watch ye therefore, and pray always…”

Annual Rehearsal of the Fall Feasts

 

Doctrinal Position Paper

Title

A Christ-Centered Doctrinal Position on the Annual Rehearsal of the Fall Feasts

(The Feast of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, and the Feast of Tabernacles)

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I. Purpose and Scope

This doctrinal position paper sets forth a biblically grounded, Christ-exalting, and New Covenant–faithful rationale for the voluntary annual rehearsal of the final three Feasts of the LORD—the Feast of Trumpets (Yom Teruah), the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), and the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot)—by Christian believers.

These rehearsals are not observed as requirements for salvation, justification, or covenantal righteousness, but as prophetic teaching instruments designed to cultivate watchfulness, repentance, and abiding communion with God, in anticipation of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ and the consummation of the Kingdom of God.

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II. Foundational Theological Principles

A. Christ Is the Fulfillment of the Law and the Feasts

Matthew 5:17 (KJV)
“Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.”

The Feasts of the LORD, as revealed in Leviticus 23, are fulfilled in the Person and redemptive work of Jesus Christ. They function as prophetic shadows, the substance of which is Christ Himself.

Colossians 2:16–17 (KJV)
“Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:
Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.”

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B. Christian Liberty and Non-Compulsion

Participation in any feast rehearsal is voluntary and conscience-governed, not compulsory.

Romans 14:5–6 (KJV)
“One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.
He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord…”

No believer is to be judged, bound, or excluded on the basis of participation or non-participation.

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C. Rehearsal as Teaching, Not Ritual Atonement

The biblical feasts are understood as moedim—appointed times of divine instruction. In the New Covenant, they are rehearsed as proclamation and preparation, not as sacrificial observance.

1 Corinthians 10:11 (KJV)
“Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.”

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III. Doctrinal Rationale for the Fall Feasts

A. The Feast of Trumpets (Yom Teruah)

Doctrinal Emphasis: Watchfulness, Awakening, and the Blessed Hope

1 Thessalonians 4:16 (KJV)
“For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God…”

Romans 13:11 (KJV)
“And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep…”

Doctrinal Position:
The Feast of Trumpets is rehearsed as a spiritual alarm, calling believers to vigilance, holiness, and expectancy. It does not predict dates nor invoke ritual obligation, but trains the conscience of the Church to live in readiness for the return of Christ.

Titus 2:13 (KJV)
“Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ.”

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B. The Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur)

Doctrinal Emphasis: Teshuvah (Return), Repentance, and Heart Alignment

Hebrews 10:14 (KJV)
“For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.”

1 John 1:7 (KJV)
“But if we walk in the light… the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.”

Doctrinal Position:
The Day of Atonement is rehearsed not as a repetition of atonement, but as a solemn season of self-examination, repentance, and spiritual realignment. It teaches believers to live continually in the cleansing power of Christ’s finished work.

2 Corinthians 13:5 (KJV)
“Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves.”

This rehearsal reinforces a lifestyle of repentance without denying the finality of the Cross.

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C. The Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot)

Doctrinal Emphasis: God’s Dwelling Presence and Kingdom Hope

John 1:14 (KJV)
“And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us…”

2 Corinthians 6:16 (KJV)
“For ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them…”

Doctrinal Position:
The Feast of Tabernacles is rehearsed as a celebration of God’s abiding presence now and the future manifest dwelling of God with redeemed humanity.

Revelation 21:3 (KJV)
“Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them…”

This feast forms believers in presence-centered living and Kingdom longing.

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IV. Safeguards Against Legalism and Error

1. Salvation is by grace alone through faith alone

Ephesians 2:8–9 (KJV)

2. No feast observance contributes to justification

Galatians 2:16 (KJV)

3. Christ remains the center, not the calendar

Hebrews 12:2 (KJV)

4. No condemnation or division is permitted

Colossians 2:18–19 (KJV)

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V. Summary Statement

This doctrinal position affirms that Christian rehearsal of the Fall Feasts is biblically permissible, spiritually beneficial, and Christ-honoring when practiced as voluntary prophetic instruction rather than covenantal obligation.

The Feast of Trumpets trains believers to watch.
The Day of Atonement trains believers to walk in repentance.
The Feast of Tabernacles trains believers to abide in God’s presence.

Luke 21:36 (KJV)
“Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.”

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VI. Concluding Affirmation

This position upholds the supremacy of Christ, the sufficiency of His atonement, the liberty of the believer, and the prophetic value of divine rehearsal—until faith becomes sight and the Kingdom of God is fully revealed.