A Study of Psalm 1:1-2

“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;
But his delight is in the law of the Lord,
    And in His law he meditates day and night.
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.”  ~Psalm 1:1-3

It is important to study the Scriptures to really understand the meaning behind the words so that they might completely transform us into the image of Christ.  If we don’t know what they mean, how will they challenge us?  How can we obey them?  Today, let’s dig a little deeper into Psalm 1:1-3.

Context

This is the very first words of the book of Psalms.  This is on the forefront of David’s mind; the priority of his heart.  As a result, it should be important to our heart as well.  This is a sacred song or hymn of praise to the Lord.  Spurgeon says, “This Psalm may be regarded as the preface psalm, having in it a notification of the contents of the entire Book. It is the psalmists' desire to teach us the way to blessedness, and to warn us of the sure destruction of sinners. This, then, is the matter of the first Psalm, which may be looked upon, in some respects, as the text upon which the whole of the Psalms make up a divine sermon.”

Content

“Blessed” – Happy; favored.  “To bless” means to consecrate, to cause to prosper, to make happy.

“...is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly” – Who does not seek wisdom or counsel from the world.  This man does not look to mere men to answer his problems or solve his dilemmas.  He could care less about what they think.

“...nor stands in the path of sinners”  – He does not follow after their way or have any relation to them.  He does not follow their paths or imitate them in any way.  He does not take part in their actions.

“...nor sits in the seat of the scornful” – He has no fellowship with those who scorn religion.  He is not among those who are proud and haughty.  He does not keep company with such people.

“But his delight is in the law of the Lord” – He takes great pleasure in the Scriptures.  He desires to be buried deep within its pages and longs to spend hours soaking up its truths.  He loves it more than anything else.  He values God’s Word as his highest treasure.

“in” – This word is defined as “expressing the situation of something that is or appears to be enclosed or surrounded by something else.”  He who is in God’s Word is completely submersed in it and enclosed around it.

“he meditates” What we love, we think about, and this is especially true in the blessed man’s case.  Matthew Henry says, “To meditate in God's word, is to discourse with ourselves concerning the great things contained in it, with close application of mind and fixedness of thought. We must have constant regard to the word of God, as the rule of our actions, and the spring of our comforts; and have it in our thoughts night and day. For this purpose no time is amiss.”

“day and night” – Continually, habitually, this man meditates on the Scriptures.  He has intentionally developed the habit of meditating on God’s truth, he has disciplined himself in this way.  He fills the intervals of his time with this pursuit.  Whenever his mind is unoccupied with other things, it is on the Word of God.  Whenever he is awakened in the middle of the night, his mind turns to the Scriptures.

Cross References

Proverbs 4:14-15: “Do not enter the path of the wicked, and do not walk in the way of the evil. Avoid it; do not go on it; turn away from it and pass on.”

Psalms 119:1-2: “Blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the Lord! Blessed are those who keep his testimonies, who seek him with their whole heart.”

Joshua 1:8: “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.”

Psalm 119:15-16: “I will meditate on Your precepts and fix my eyes on Your ways. I will delight in Your statutes; I will not forget Your word.”

Challenge

We too should take this message to heart.  We must sever our ties to the world and devote ourselves wholly and completely to the words of Christ.  They are to be our constant companion, day and night.  We must walk in the law of the Lord, and not in the paths of the unrighteous and scornful.

Your Turn

Notice how I studied these two verses.  I meditated on them, focusing on each different section.  I studied the context and the big picture.  I turned to the Hebrew meaning of some words.  I looked others up in the dictionary.  I pulled in some commentaries from other theologians.  And I looked at cross-references.  I applied the Scriptures to our life today. This is only the beginning of all the study we could do—only on these two verses.

You have seen how this study can work.  Now, I want you to try it on your own.  What can you learn from the third verse?  What about the rest of this chapter?  Take it verse by verse, word by word, and study it in-depth.  What can you learn?