1 Blessed is the man
who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
2 but his delight is in the law of the LORD,
and on his law he meditates day and night.
3 He is like a tree
planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers.
4 The wicked are not so,
but are like chaff that the wind drives away.
5 Therefore the wicked will 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 wicked will perish.
Blessed is the man. There are two points of emphasis in this sentence. The word blessed is the first and the word man is the second. Looking at the second one first, the Hebrew word for man has different meanings. For instance, it can simply refer to a man, or it can also be used for husband, which would denote a married man. But the word is never used to describe a boy or a young child, so it would seem to refer only to a male of a certain age. Although it would be correct to say that the teaching of this Psalm is for all men, women, boys, and girls, there is nothing wrong with saying that a man would need to pay particular attention to these words.
In the emphasis on the word blessed, we see at least two things of importance. First, that blessing in this Psalm is juxtaposed to cursing. The blessed man does not walk in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers. This implies that the cursed man does do the things a blessed man does not. Later on we see that the blessed man is like a firmly planted tree, whereas the cursed man is like the chaff the wind drives away. Most importantly, we see that the cursed man will not stand in judgment and will be condemned with all the unrighteous, but the blessed man will be acquitted in judgment and have his dwelling among the righteous. These two comparisons will be the end of all men. Either they will be counted among the righteous and live, or be counted among the sinners and be sentenced to death.
The second thing we see about the word blessed is that there are particular things a man does when he is blessed. Some would say that the man who is blessed does these things to obtain the blessings described. But the pattern of Scripture shows that the man is blessed of God because of grace, not because he has done something to earn God’s favor. So, the man who is blessed of God by grace will not walk in the counsel of the ungodly, will not stand in the way of sinners, or be seated with the scoffers, but his delight will be in the law of God. These things he does, not to obtain the blessing of God, but rather because he is blessed of God already. God firmly establishes him like a tree planted by streams of water, bearing fruit in season. And never seeing his leaves wither, he prospers in everything he does. The man is well known by the Lord because he has been justified by His grace. His sinful self has been redeemed by the sinless Savior. His unrighteousness has been graciously exchanged through imputation, for the righteousness of Christ. And because of that, because of being known by Christ and being the recipient of all His benefits, the man may walk uprightly in the way of the righteous and receive the ultimate blessing of eternal life with God in Christ.
Therefore a man should walk uprightly, and seek the wisdom of the righteous. He should walk humbly, as one blessed already. He should walk as one whose path has already been firmly planted by streams of living water in the city of the righteous.
Examine your ways and think about how you walk. Do you walk as one who is already blessed? Or, do you seek the blessings of the world? Do you listen to ungodly people? Do they help you frame your opinions? Do you find yourself scoffing or doubting or being cynical of the way of the Lord? Do you think about the law of God and try to obey it? Is your conscience pricked when you sin? Are you bearing fruit? Do you seek the forgiveness of the Lord for your sins? Is your knowledge of the Lord increasing?
All of these things will be searched and explored in the contemplations before us. We will endeavor to learn how this Psalm will form the basis of our lives as men before God.
Assignment:
1. Take the week to memorize Psalm 1. Hint: Memorize one verse at a time, each day adding one more.
2. Journal about things you hear during the week and categorize them into godly and ungodly counsel. Also note how they may form your opinions about your life, relationships, hobbies, career choices, etc.
3. Journal about how you believe God has blessed you.
