Psalm 1 (Another Look)
“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; 2 but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. 3 He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper. 4 The ungodly are not so, but are like the chaff which the wind drives away. 5 Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. 6 For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall perish.”
In Psalm 1, the individual who is considered
“blessed” by God both avoids evil and fills his time with meditation
upon good things.
The Psalm opens by showing us a progression of evil the “blessed” man
should avoid. First, he “walks not in the counsel of the ungodly.”
In other words, one who is “blessed” is not going to listen to the
advice of people who live their lives without full respect of God’s
Word. Second, the “blessed” man does not “stand in the path of
sinners.” We not only avoid their counsel and advice, but we should
not seek to make impenitent sinners our closest friends. Finally, one
who is “blessed” should not “sit in the seat of the scornful.”
Eventually, if we give ear to godless people we will be mocking and
showing disrespect for God’s will too.
Instead, our spiritual happiness requires a “delight in the law of
the Lord.” A truly “blessed” individual enjoys studying,
reading and hearing about God’s law and rule in His life. He also
“meditates in His law day and night.” The term “meditate”
literally means “talks to one’s self.” So, one who is blessed cares so
much about God’s will for their life that it is in their mind and on
their lips guiding their every daily decision.
If we can become this person the results are wonderful. We are like a
“tree planted by the rivers of water.” We will bear fruit without
having to worry about droughts or problems that arise. The flowing,
refreshing life of God’s Word will sustain us.
Yet, if we choose to make friends with sinners, listen to their advice
and avoid studying God’s Word we are like “chaff” or similar to
the dead grass that blows out of your lawnmower. We are useless in this
life without God and will have no hope in eternity (vs. 4-6). Which
would you rather be—the tree planted by the river or the dead and
useless chaff blown by the wind?
August 2005