A Sermon on Psalm 1
Psalm 1 is the introduction to the whole Book of Psalms. Scholars call it both a wisdom psalm and a Torah psalm. It is a wisdom psalm because of the theme of the two ways (the way of the righteous and the way of the wicked (1:6; 1:1, 4-6) and the wisdom exhortation at the beginning of the psalm: “Blessed is the man that hath not walked….” It is a Torah psalm because of the importance of the Torah and meditating on it continually (verse 2).
The first verse pronounces the blessedness of the person who has not walked in the counsel of the ungodly, or stood in the way that sinners go, or sat in the seat of the scornful. This verse describes gradual entanglement in the ways of the sinful. One should not even begin to listen to the advice of the ungodly or even follow it. Those who follow such advice then tend to stand in that ungodly sinfulness, consciously choosing to do so, and can then finally sit in the company of the wicked, taking part in their mockery of those who live their lives doing what is right. The first verse, then, describes increasing involvement in the ways of sin.
By contrast, the person who avoids involvement in the ways of the wicked, is blessed for doing so, but the secret of that blessing is that such a person delights in the law of the Lord, the Torah, which here can stand for all the Scripture given by God. For us today, this will be the whole Bible. If we are to be anchored in God’s will, we must delight in reading and studying, meditating on God’s written word, so that we think about it day and night, which means continually.
The result of such reading, study, and meditation on God’s word is that our life becomes like the life of a flourishing tree growing by the waterside, producing fruit in season, having leaves that do not wither, and prospering in all we do. We are reminded of a similar passage in Jeremiah 17 about a tree planted by the water.
On the other hand, the ungodly will be like the chaff which is blown away by the wind when the grain is winnowed, and the heavier grain falls to the ground. For that reason, the ungodly will not be able to stand at the time of God’s judgement, nor can they appear in the assembly of the righteous on the Last Day.
The psalm ends with the insight that the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall perish (v.7). One might ask, “Surely the Lord knows the way of the ungodly, since nothing anyone does is hidden from him?” Though the Lord perceives all the ungodliness and sin in the world, he knows the way of the righteous, because they have set themselves the goal of knowing the Lord and doing his will all their lives. They have studied God’s word and have come to know him.
APPLICATION
The psalm provides the key to purposeful godly living – it is perseverance in daily study of God’s word, meditation on it, and obedience to it. If we do this, we shall be blessed by God, pleasing to him, and productive of much spiritual fruit!