Summary
Perhaps you have heard of “two ways to live” which is an evangelistic tool for helping people understand their need for Christ. We either live our own way, or God’s way. Psalm 1, which serves as a theological introduction to the book of Psalms, makes clear the contrasting ways which people live, and their resulting destiny. It contrasts between the blessed man who delights in following God, and the wicked man who follows his own ways.
Our passage explained
v1-3
The righteous man lives his life near to God. Verse 1 of Psalm 1 pronounces a blessing on the righteous man who does not walk “in the counsel of the wicked”, stand “in the way of sinners”, or sit “in the seat of scoffers” (v.1). The psalmist emphasises progressively that the righteous do not look to the ungodly for wisdom (walk), take the same approach to life as sinners (stand), or make company with those who mock God in word or in their actions (sit).
Instead, the righteous man devotes himself to God. This is expressed in where he finds his source of wisdom and his approach to life. The righteous man’s “delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night” (v.2). The teaching and instruction of God is his treasure.
Because his delight is in God, and the teaching and instruction found in his Word, the man is fruitful and firm. He is described as being like “a tree planted by streams of water” (v.3) – a tree transplanted next to a bountiful source of water to help it grow. The tree, blessed with nutrients, “yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither” (v.3). In the same way, “In all that he does, he prospers” (v.3). The man is blessed, yields great spiritual fruit, and does not wither away.
v4-6
The unrighteous man lives his life far from God, and is a complete contrast to the righteous man. Unlike the blessed, righteous man who is a green tree, the wicked man is “like chaff that the wind drives away” (v.4). He has no substance, no fruitfulness, no roots to endure.
Because there is nothing to hold the wicked down, he “will not stand in the judgment” (v.5). When God judges all things (the idea here is the final judgement), the wicked will be blown away in the winds so to speak while the tree endures. The wicked man will not stand his ground before God, because he has nothing on which to stand.
Likewise, the wicked will not have any right to be a part of God’s people. Just as the wicked will not stand, so too sinners will not be able to stand “in the congregation of the righteous” (v.5). The wicked will be excluded from God’s people, and excluded from experiencing God’s loving presence for all eternity.
The psalm concludes by summing up the contrasting destinies of the righteous and the wicked. In verse 6, it states “the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.” God knows and sees all things, and delights in the way of the righteous man who delights in God. God chooses the righteous man who prospers (v.3), but the wicked will perish (v.6).
Our passage applied
This psalm reminds us to seek after God, not our own ways. If we wish to delight in God eternally, we should delight ourselves in the Bible. It is in Scripture where we find teaching and instruction on God, so we may delight in and worship his perfections more and more. It is in Scripture where we find God’s standard of holiness revealed to us, so that we may choose to live in a way which pleases him, rather than following the wisdom of the wicked and the patterns of unrighteousness of sinners.
As we see God’s standard of holiness, we are also brought face to face with our sinfulness. But God’s Word also reminds us of God’s gracious mercy, sending Jesus to take our sins from us and to give us his righteousness (2 Cor 5:21). It is when we trust in God through Jesus, that we are counted as righteous and not as a wicked man. We are freed from the shame and burden of our sins, to delight in God.
As we seek after God, and receive the blessing of nourishment from him, we will be like transplanted trees besides water, bearing fruit. What God began as a good work within us he “will bring… to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Phil 1:6). As we bear fruit we will glorify God and show that we are Jesus’ disciples (John 15:6).
Like Moses’ charge to Israel as they entered the Promised Land, Psalm 1 encourages us to “choose life, that you and your offspring may live, loving the LORD your God, obeying his voice and holding fast to him” (Deut 30:19-20). Let us choose a life devoted to God, drawing near to God and enjoying his blessing.
Resources
If you would like to memorise this psalm, try memorising it to a tune. Here is a version set to a modern track – https://youtu.be/FJftEhDEciE
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