This first psalm sets the tone for the entire book. Saint Basil (329–379 CE) writes:
Like the foundation in a house, the keel in a ship, and the heart in the body of an animal, this brief introduction seems to me to possess that same force in regard to the whole structure of the psalms.
Psalm 1 presents a theme originating quite early in Israel’s history, perhaps even to the time of Moses. It contrasts two paths; that of the righteous verses the one of the wicked. Moses writes:
I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you, life and death, the blessing and the curse. Therefore choose life, that you may live, you and your descendants (Deut 30:19).
As you recite this psalm, try pausing at the end of each line and after each comma. Between verses, pause a bit longer, even reflect a bit. If you sense a melody in your spirit, embrace it. Perhaps the Holy Spirit is present.
Contemporary singing renditions of Psalm 1 can be found at:
Planted by the Water | Faith Blues Worship .
Zac Fitzsimmons .
1 Blessed is the man, who does not walk, in the counsel of the wicked,2 His delight, is the law, of the Lord.3 He is like a tree, that is planted, beside the living waters.4 The wicked, are not as such.5 The wicked, won’t stand in the judgment,6 The Lord knows, the path of the righteous,
As I meditate on this psalm, I visualize myself at the Mt. of Olives. Jesus is teaching.
Enter in by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many are those who enter in by it. How narrow is the gate, and restricted is the way that leads to life! Few are those who find it (Matt 7:13–14).
Verse 1
1 Blessed is the man, who does not walk, in the counsel of the wicked,
There are two paths and each involves a journey. We don’t wake up one day and suddenly say, “I’ll take the bad road.” It is a process. Walk-bad counsel, stand-sinners, sit-scoffers.
Let’s illustrate. We’re encouraged to do something minor. Maybe lying about being sick. Or, perhaps to install pirated software. The possibilities are endless. Nobody will know. Do we listen? If so, we’ve taken the first step; we listened to bad council. Next, we find ourselves advising others to do the same. Now, we are standing in agreement with sinners. Finally, as the corruption spreads, someone stands firm and declares: “No I can’t do that.” What do we do? Do we mock? If so, we’ve moved to the seat of scoffers. Evil has come to fully bloom, at least in that area.
Jesus wrote (Matt 18:7):
Woe to the world because of occasions of stumbling, . . . but woe to that person through whom the occasion comes!
There are many wrong paths. The first step gives pause and our conscience shouts: “Don’t!” But then we do. Over time, the inner voice grows weak. Restraint disappears!
Verse 2
2 His delight, is the law, of the Lord.
The Hebrew word for law is torah . Typically, torah refers to the books of Moses. Or, perhaps specifically the six hundred-thirteen regulations coming from the Mosaic code. But this cannot be it.
The dictionary translation of torah has a broad spectrum of possible meanings. Instruction, teaching, and guidance are a few. Blindly translating torah to mean law in a legal sense is misleading. God’s revelations often come not from statutes and regulations, but from poetry, song, and a variety of other means.
St. Augustine distinguishes in the law from under the law . The one in the law is free. They instinctively act according to its guiding principles. Those under the law are slaves, forever trying to observe every specific precept. The law is their master.
Jesus’s response to a lawyer’s question is clear:
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. A second likewise is this, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments (Matt 22:37–40).
We delight as we meditate and as the Holy Spirit guides us into all truth (John 16:13).
Verse 3
3 He is like a tree, that is planted, beside the living waters.
Jesus alludes to these concepts several times during his ministry.
He who believes in me, as the Scripture has said, from within him will flow rivers of living water (John 7:38).
Those rooted in Jesus will produce good fruit in the seasons of their lives.
Every branch that bears fruit, he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. . . . Remain in me, in me, and I in you. As the branch can’t bear fruit by itself, unless it remains in the vine, so neither can you, unless you remain in me. I am the vine. You are the branches. He who remains in me, and I in him, the same bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing (John 15:2–5).
Withering is due to lack of living water.
Other seed fell on the rock, and as soon as it grew, it withered away, because it had no moisture (Luke 8:6).
They will prosper in all their ways.
Those which were sown on the good ground are those who hear the word, and accept it, and bear fruit, some thirty times, some sixty times, and some one hundred times (Mark 4:20).
Prospering in all they do doesn’t mean expensive cars, fancy houses, and other such things. The focus is the eternal, not the temporal. Jesus is the source.
Verse 4
4 The wicked, are not as such.
They are like the chaff, driven away by the wind.
Few of us are farmers. Those who are rely on super expensive combines. In our time, it is easy to miss subtleties discussed in the Bible. Ancient Israelites used hand sickles to cut the wheat into stalks. They bound them into sheaves for carrying them to a hard flat area. There, the wheat is spread and beat with sticks. Finally, what remains is thrown into the air so the wind can blow away the chaff.
We can interpret this verse in two ways. The first equates chaff to wicked people. The second identifies chaff as harmful things clinging to our soul. Paul alludes to the second interpretation.
For no one can lay any other foundation than that which has been laid, which is Jesus Christ. But if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay, or stubble; each man’s work will be revealed. For the Day will declare it, because it is revealed in fire; and the fire itself will test what sort of work each man’s work is. If any man’s work remains which he built on it, he will receive a reward. If any man’s work is burned, he will suffer loss, but he himself will be saved, but as through fire (1 Cor 3:11–15).
According to Jesus, both interpretations have merit.
I am the true vine, and my Father is the farmer. Every branch in me that doesn’t bear fruit, he takes away. Every branch that bears fruit, he prunes, that it may bear more fruit (John 15:1–2).
This being said, it is not our place to assume a person’s eternal destiny.
Don’t judge, so that you won’t be judged. For with whatever judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with whatever measure you measure, it will be measured to you. (Matt 7:1–2).
Verse 5
5 The wicked, won’t stand in the judgment,
This verse is one of many warnings Jesus gives to his disciples. For example:
Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.’ He will say, ‘I tell you, I don’t know where you come from. Depart from me, all you workers of iniquity (Luke 13:26–27).’
But this is not the end of the matter. God’s heart’s desire is for the wicked to repent and turn to him.
Tell them, “As I live,” says the Lord Yahweh, “I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! (Ezek 33:11)?”
Jesus says:
I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in me may not remain in the darkness. If anyone listens to my sayings, and doesn’t believe, I don’t judge him. For I came not to judge the world, but to save the world. (John 12:46–47).
Verse 6
6 The Lord knows, the path of the righteous,
This last verse summarizes the two paths. St. Basil describes the journey:
I would say that the exercise of piety resembles a ladder, that ladder which once the blessed Jacob saw, of which one part was near the earth and reaching to the ground, the other extended above, even to the very heavens. Therefore, those who are being introduced to a life of virtue must place their foot upon the first steps and from there always mount upon the next, until by gradual progress they have ascended to the height attainable by human nature.
Nobody I know walks, stands, or sits perfectly righteous. Neither do I know anyone who descended to the bottom of the path of pure wickedness. When our heart’s desire is to root ourselves in Jesus, we are not alone in our walk. We have help. But, should we rely on our own efforts, we go it alone.
Thanks for Listening.
For Further Meditation
Athanasius, “letter to Marcellinus: On the Interpretation of the Psalms”. .
Augustine, “Exposition on Psalm 1” .
Bonhoeffer Dietrich, Psalms: The Prayer Book Rashi, “On Psalms 1:6:1,” .
Basil, The Fathers of the Church: A New Translation , Vol. 46, 151–164.
Hilary of Poitiers, “Homoly on Psalm 1” .
Origen of Alexandria, “Commentary on the psalms: Psalm 1” .
Jerome, The Fathers of the Church: The Homilies of Jerome 1–59 , Vol 1, 3–14.
C. Hassell Bullock, Encountering the Book of Psalms , (Baker 2001).
Pettingill, Christ in the Psalms , (Van Kampen Press, 1937.
Joseph Galineau, The Psalms: A New Translation Singing version , (Paulist Press, 1991).
Dereck Kidner, Kidner Classic Commentaries : Psalms 1–72, (IVP Academic, 1973).
Christopher Ash, The Psalms: A Christ Centered Commentary: Psalms 1–50 , Vol. 2, (Crossway, 2024).
Thanks for listening,Wrestling with Faith and Experiencing the Apocalypse ,
secondlooknow.com
This is a masterpiece! You must put it to a book. I want to amplify by posting to my blog! I love how you weaved this with Christ’s teachings. The bibliography at the end is a great resource!