Psalm 1
How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked,
Nor stand in the way of sinners,
Nor sit in the seat of scoffers!
But his delight is in the law of the Lord,
And in His law he meditates day and night.
He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water,
Which yields its fruit in its season
And its leaf does not wither;
And in whatever he does, he prospers.
The wicked are not so,
But they are like chaff which the wind drives away.
Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgement,
Nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
For the Lord knows the way of the righteous,
But the way of the wicked will perish.
This psalm is one of the most familiar and most dear to me. When I was in the sixth grade and my mom started homeschooling my siblings and I, one of the first things we did was to learn Psalm 1 together. I do not remember every verse I have ever memorized, but Psalm 1 has never left my memory.
I remember loving how this Psalm flows and rolls off the tongue. I love the picture of the righteous man as the strong tree. I also enjoyed saying emphatically “Not so, the wicked!” and picturing the chaff blowing away on the breeze.
Psalm 1 is wonderful encouragement to the young Christian to turn away from evil and walk in the path of righteousness. It starts out with “how blessed,” so right away you see that the man who chooses righteousness will benefit. And how does he become blessed? By delighting in God’s word, and meditating on it. I know this was encouragement for me when I was young to take God’s word seriously. And then comes the memorable word picture of a beautiful tree. Who would not want to be like this tree? It is strong, fruitful, and prosperous. It is well-established and does not wither in time of drought. “In whatever he does, he prospers.” Because of a love for God’s word and choosing to walk in God’s ways, the righteous man prospers.
The contrast between the well-established tree and the chaff is so distinct, but perhaps the best part of this psalm is the statement “the Lord knows the way of the righteous.” Because I have been declared righteous, God knows me and my ways! God knows my ways, and watches over me. What a wonderful God.
How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked,
Nor stand in the way of sinners,
Nor sit in the seat of scoffers!
But his delight is in the law of the Lord,
And in His law he meditates day and night.
He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water,
Which yields its fruit in its season
And its leaf does not wither;
And in whatever he does, he prospers.
The wicked are not so,
But they are like chaff which the wind drives away.
Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgement,
Nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
For the Lord knows the way of the righteous,
But the way of the wicked will perish.
This psalm is one of the most familiar and most dear to me. When I was in the sixth grade and my mom started homeschooling my siblings and I, one of the first things we did was to learn Psalm 1 together. I do not remember every verse I have ever memorized, but Psalm 1 has never left my memory.
I remember loving how this Psalm flows and rolls off the tongue. I love the picture of the righteous man as the strong tree. I also enjoyed saying emphatically “Not so, the wicked!” and picturing the chaff blowing away on the breeze.
Psalm 1 is wonderful encouragement to the young Christian to turn away from evil and walk in the path of righteousness. It starts out with “how blessed,” so right away you see that the man who chooses righteousness will benefit. And how does he become blessed? By delighting in God’s word, and meditating on it. I know this was encouragement for me when I was young to take God’s word seriously. And then comes the memorable word picture of a beautiful tree. Who would not want to be like this tree? It is strong, fruitful, and prosperous. It is well-established and does not wither in time of drought. “In whatever he does, he prospers.” Because of a love for God’s word and choosing to walk in God’s ways, the righteous man prospers.
The contrast between the well-established tree and the chaff is so distinct, but perhaps the best part of this psalm is the statement “the Lord knows the way of the righteous.” Because I have been declared righteous, God knows me and my ways! God knows my ways, and watches over me. What a wonderful God.
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