Study is essential for gaining the knowledge and wisdom of God. Studying scripture is to spiritual growth what physical exercise is to the development of the body. If we only study the scriptures once a week, we will get once a week results; we will see no real progress in our spiritual development. But, if we commit ourselves to daily study we will achieve steady growth; we will reach high levels of spiritual cultivation.
Blessed is the man who has not followed the counsel of the wicked,
or taken the path of sinners,
or joined the company of the insolent;
rather, the teaching of YHWH is his delight,
and he studies that teaching day and night. (Psalm 1:1-2)
When it comes to study and the pursuit of wisdom, we have two paths available to us: the counsel of the wicked or the teachings of YHWH. The counsel of the wicked is to follow our evil inclination, indulge in fleshly desire, and regard the word of YHWH as foolishness. The path of the wicked leads to destruction; if we follow the way of the world, we won’t know YHWH or be known by Him.
Anyone who follows the teachings of YHWH is blessed; he or she rejects the evil inclination in favor of pursuing YHWH’s Torah. To the blessed man or woman who chooses to follow YHWH, the teachings of YHWH are a delight; he or she studies the word of YHWH daily.
We must make the decision to follow the counsel of the wicked or to follow YHWH. If we truly love YHWH and want to walk in His ways, His word will be a delight to us and we will want to study it daily. Then, when we study YHWH’s word daily and put it into practice, we will be blessed and receive all the benefits of faithful study and obedience.
He is like a tree planted beside streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season,
whose foliage never fades,
and whatever it produces thrives. (Psalm 1:3)
If we value the scriptures and study them daily, we will be like a tree planted beside streams of water. That is, we will have a constant supply of nourishment. With the constant nourishment of daily study, we will produce spiritual fruit, we will never wither away, and the spiritual fruit we produce will thrive and continue to bear even more fruit. This is the key to spiritual growth: Love the word of God, study it daily, and make His word our constant source of spiritual nourishment.
Not so the wicked;
rather, they are like chaff that wind blows away.
Therefore the wicked will not survive judgment,
nor will sinners, in the assembly of the righteous.
For YHWH cherishes the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked is doomed. (Psalm 1:4-6)
Conversely, people who pursue worldliness and neglect the study of scripture are like chaff that gets blown away. Such people are like worthless stubble; they have no place among God’s people and will not survive YHWH’s judgement.