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Psalm 1:1-2
Blessed Life and God's Word
Psalm 1:1-2
Blessed is the man who doesn’t walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand on the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in Yahweh’s law. On his law he meditates day and night.
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Why it is worth knowing
- The blessed life begins with avoiding wrong influences
- Delight in God’s Word is the positive counterpart to the negative warnings
- Meditation on Scripture is meant to be continuous: day and night
- This psalm sets the entire Psalter’s agenda: two paths, two destinies
Where it sits: Psalm 1:1-6
Blessed is the man who doesn’t walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand on the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in Yahweh’s law. On his law he meditates day and night. He will be like a tree planted by the streams of water, that produces its fruit in its season, whose leaf also does not wither. Whatever he does shall prosper. The wicked are not so, but are like the chaff which the wind drives away. Therefore the wicked shall not stand 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 shall perish.
Hear the passage it sits in, sung word for word, on BibleDo's Psalms page.
Background
Psalm 1 serves as the gateway to the entire book of Psalms, introducing two contrasting ways of life. The image of the tree planted by water is a picture of stability, nourishment, and fruitfulness: someone rooted in God’s Word. In contrast, the wicked are like chaff, weightless and directionless. The psalm ends with the bedrock truth: God knows the way of the righteous.