Psalm 1:1-6
1 Blessed is the one
who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
or sit in the company of mockers,
2 but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
and who meditates on his law day and night.
3 That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
whatever they do prospers.
4 Not so the wicked!
They are like chaff
that the wind blows away.
5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
6 For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.
What is the fate of the wicked? How does it contrast with the fate of the righteous?
Reflect
Full disclosure: I am a city girl so some of the Bible’s agricultural references are lost on me. So in case you’re in the same boat, let me explain what chaff is. In the process of harvesting wheat, the grain would be beaten, or winnowed, to separate the kernel from its husk, or chaff. The lighter chaff would blow away and the heavier seed would fall to the ground to be gathered.
The picture the psalmist is painting for us is that in contrast to the rooted stability of the tree, the wicked are exposed for their worthlessness and scattered by the wind. There is no weight to the wicked. Their lives spent in rebellion, in pursuing their own desires, and in defying God will come to nothing. No one can truly flourish apart from God.
Psalm 1 finishes with a final comparison that reveals the end of both. God’s judgment will fall and there will be one final separation between those who delight in God and those who mock him. There will be a final gathering of the righteous that will exclude unrepentant sinners. They chose to go their own way, deny God, and live without him. God will give them what they desire, but there is no hope in a destination where God is not found. There is only destruction.
The Lord will watch over the righteous because they are his own. There is more in the Hebrew understanding of righteousness than moral behavior. The concept encompasses being in a right relationship with God. God is devoted to his people — to their care and well-being. They respond with love and devotion to him. While obedience is an important aspect of our relationship with God, it’s not a cold obligation. It flows from our trust in him and love for him. As we walk through life, we are under his care and protection. He is always near.
Thus by the end, every hearer of Psalm 1 is left with an implied choice: the way of righteousness overseen by God or the way of the wicked that will end in destruction.
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus warns his hearers using words similar to the ending of Psalm 1. Commentator Gerald Wilson explains how:
Jesus warns…that entering the kingdom of heaven is like choosing between a broad, well-trodden roadway and a barely distinguishable footpath. The incentive to find and take the narrow path is that it leads ultimately to life, while the broad and easy road ends in destruction (Matt. 7:13–14). But how does one find this path of life in order to enter it? And once on the road, what map ensures we won’t get lost?
Jesus’ response to such questions comes at the end of his sermon when he introduces the story of the wise and foolish house builders. The wise builder built on a rock-solid foundation so that his house continued to stand in the face of the storms and floods of life. The fool, by contrast, took the easy way and built on the shifting sands. His house suffered complete collapse when the storms blew and the floods rose (Matt. 7:24–27). The only difference between the two, Jesus says, is their attention and response to his teaching. The former both heard and put into practice what Jesus taught. The latter failed to listen deeply or else refused to act altogether.
Psalm 1 offers the same warning: Hear and do. Delight in the torah, meditate on it, and act.[1]
[1] Wilson, 102–103.
Respond
How can you respond to Psalm 1 today? What are you hearing from the Lord? What do you need to do?
Who can you warn who is on the wrong path? Pray for those people in your life who don’t know Jesus. Ask for guidance as to how you can nudge them toward the salvation that is found only in him.