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 Yahweh, and in His law he meditates day and night. And 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.
Psalm 1
But the wicked are not so, but they are like chaff which the wind drives away. Therefore the wicked will not rise in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. For Yahweh knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.
Introduction
As a deviation from my dive into Luke, we will spend the weekends walking through the Psalms together. And in this, the first Psalm, the Lord teaches us what it looks like to be blessed. It is a fitting beginning to this book of praise that is rife with the deep yearnings of the hearts of men who seek after God. It describes the one who will diligently search out the remainder of the book, delighting in the law of the Lord. This Psalm tells us what such a one is like: “a tree firmly planted by streams of water.” This brings to mind the same one who builds his house on the rock, that is hearing the words of the Lord Jesus Christ and obeying them (Luke 6:48-49).
Let your life be reflective of one whose belief leads to action. Live a life that confesses your convictions. Do not merely “talk the talk,” but “walk the walk” because “actions speak louder than words.”
Walk, stand, sit
In an interesting twist, the Psalmist does not start by describing what a righteous man is but instead, what he is not. He is not the one who will “walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the way of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers!” Note the progression in inverse: a foolish man might start by walking in the counsel of the wicked, leading to a preferred company among sinners. While standing in their midst, he will then sit and become complacent among the scoffers – those who deride God and His people. The scoffers say things like “I don’t need a God to live a good life! I know what’s good because I’m a good person!” Then the cycle continues, and that foolish person turns around and becomes the wicked with whom the next foolish one walks.
Instead, the one who is blessed delights in all that God has said. In the days of this Psalm, it was the Law given to Moses. But today we have an even fuller revelation (Hebrews 1:1-2). We know the gospel of Christ, and our delight is in the redemptive work He has completed at Calvary. Spend your days studying the words the Lord has revealed in His scriptures, and you will be blessed.
Prosper/perish
But what does it mean to be blessed by God in this way? “And in whatever he does, he prospers.” Surely this means everything you do will be blessed and find no fault, right? No, not at all. We still live in a fallen world. The earth is still cursed on our account (Genesis 3:17), and on account of our sin. Rather, like the beginning of the Psalm, the prosperity of the righteous is found in contrast to the destruction of the wicked.
“Therefore the wicked will not rise in judgment,” tells us where precisely they will meet their end: in judgment. Judgment does not take place on this earth. Not final judgment, anyway. The judgment which awaits us all is after death (Hebrews 9:27). Once we are taken from this earth, we are judged either on the account of our own deeds, which amount to wickedness and sin (Romans 3:23; Psalm 14:1-3), or we are judged on the account of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21). If you delight in the word of God and are bound to Him by the blood of Christ, you will be saved. Proverbs 18:10 tells us “The Name of Yahweh is a strong tower; the righteous runs into it and is set securely on high.” Trust in the name which is above all names (Philippians 2:9): the name of Jesus Christ.
May the Lord bless you and conform you into the image of His Son.
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