Psalm 1 – The Blessed Righteousness

These articles are the product of a labor of love. I write these in the fear of God and the love for the church. Since God has spoken and acted in history and has left us the inspired record of these events, it is our solemn duty and pleasure as His children to study to be diligent to present ourselves approved to God as workmen who do not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth (cf. 2 Tim 2:15). Find more resources at www.fbcroxana.com.

¹ How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked,

  Nor stand in the path of sinners,

  Nor sit in the seat of scoffers!

This psalm begins negatively: what does the blessed person not do? The answer: he avoids association with the wicked, sinners, and scoffers. It is not that he has no interaction with them, for as Paul says, we would have to go out of the world. Rather, the blessed person does not heed their advice or walk in their ways or sit in their seats. When he is among them, he sticks out like a sore thumb, because he does not walk as they do or participate in their ungodliness. When he is among them, he is a light.

Why? Because:

² But his delight is in the law of the Lord,

  And in His law he meditates day and night.

The law of the Lord is ever in his mouth. He delights in the righteousness and justice that the law of God expounds. He meditates in its precepts so that he knows what pleases the LORD. He studies the revelation of God in the Scriptures and bows in reverence before Him. It is written upon his heart so that he can turn it over and over in meditation both day and night.

In so doing:

³ 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 person who meditates upon the Word of God will flourish like a tree that is transplanted from an arid place to a place irrigated by many streams of water. He will be fruitful in his seasons. And he will not wear out. He will prosper in all that he does, according to the will of the Lord.

In contrast:

⁴ The wicked are not so,

  But they are like chaff which the wind drives away.

⁵ Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,

  Nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.

The wicked do not flourish like a well-watered tree. They are worthless like chaff, which is dispersed by the wind. On account of this, the wicked and unrighteous will not be a part of the righteous assembly at the judgment. They will be taken and thrown into the fire which is never quenched.

⁶ For the Lord knows the way of the righteous,

  But the way of the wicked will perish.

God perfectly discerns the righteous and the wicked. There is no fooling God. One either loves Him and His righteousness as revealed in His Word or they do not. There are only two possibilities. There are only two ways.

Conclusion:

Therefore, choose the way that leads to life. Enter by the narrow gate, for the judgment is approaching. It is nearer than ever before. Trust in the promise of eternal life that God offers through faith in His Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus died for sinners so that they could live forever with God. Cherish every Word of the Scriptures, for they are God-breathed and truthful, able to make one mature in godliness.