Photo by Ashkan Forouzani on Unsplash
By Mike Chaffin
Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,
Nor stands in the path of sinners,
Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord,
And in His law he meditates day and night.
3 He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water,
That brings forth its fruit in its season,
Whose leaf also shall not wither;
And whatever he does shall prosper.
4 The ungodly are not so,
But are like the chaff which the wind drives away.
5 Therefore the ungodly shall 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 ungodly shall perish. Psalm 1:1-6
This year’s OCF devotional series looks at fifty-two of the most important and loved Psalms. Fittingly, we start with Psalm 1. The Psalms serve several purposes. They teach, preach, and edify. They praise, give thanks, and beg forgiveness. They are prayers, poems, and prose. In the Jewish tradition most of them were sung if used in public worship. The Levitical Priests would sing them in temple and that tradition continues today in modern synagogues. The book of Psalms is the ultimate hymn book. A footnote in The Voice Bible translation states “Psalm 1 sets the stage for the entire collection by explaining that the study of the Word of God is the foundation of a meaningful, prosperous life.” I agree.
Jesus said,
9 I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. 10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. John 10:9-10
While no one verse in this Psalm is quoted in length in the New Testament it is clear by Jesus’ teaching He sees Psalm 1 as a summary of pure religion. Jesus summarized the Ten Commandments into two and expanded Psalm 1 into its fullness through His teaching. Perhaps the easiest way to see this is in verse 1, “Blessed is the man who…” Jesus took this blessing from Psalm 1 and expanded it in His teaching of the Beatitudes in Matthew 5.
We all want to be blessed. This Psalm points out the best way to be blessed by Jesus. It is worth taking it to heart.
Blessed is the person who pursues purity.
Their Bible is not buried, not dusty,
but worn and read until the soul is fed.
On the path of life, he ponders God’s way to be led.
In this he flourishes, feeds others, and with God is wed.
The sinner takes a different road, one with potholes,
There way leads to loss.
