Psalm 1

Psalm 1

is

about choosing:

The Secret to Success

or

The Path to Failure

In Psalm 1

God is calling out

to us

with some of his best wisdom,

and

imploring us to listen.

We will be using the King James Version

BUT

An easy-to-read translation

is at the bottom

of the page.

Blessed is the Man who

VERSE 1

Blessed is the man that walketh not in the

counsel of the ungodly,

nor standeth in the way of sinners,

nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.

"Blessed is the man who"

means

"God blesses the man who..."

Blessed is the man who:

1. Refuses to follow what ungodly people tell him to do.

2. Refuses to go down the paths of sinners
engaging in their sins.

3. Refuses to stand around with sinners listening to their ungodly talk.

4. Refuses to sit around and listen to

conversation that

puts down and belittles

righteousness,

sexual purity,

and

wholesomeness.

5. Refuses to choose as his companions -

 people who:

  mock God, mock the Bible, and mock

righteousness,

sexual purity, and wholesomeness.

Consider our page:

Thoughts about Choosing Friends

VERSE 2

2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord;

and in his law doth he meditate day and night.

Blessed is the man who:

Learns to delight in all God's words

including

those verses that bring conviction.

Blessed is the man who:

Learns to enjoy

reading the Bible

and

thinking about Bible verses night and day.

A Blessed Man shall be like

VERSE 3

3 And he shall be like a tree

planted by the rivers of water,

that bringeth forth his fruit in his season;

his leaf also shall not wither;

and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

God wants us to be

Strong

Trees of Righteousness.

Isaiah 61:3b

Jeremiah 17:7-8

A Blessed man will

yield to God

and

grow

to one day

look like:

1. A tree that is planted by plenty of water.

2. A strong tree that brings forth abundant, healthy fruit at the right season.

3. A tree whose leaf is healthy - not withered.

4. A person who will see prosperity of all things in its time - including
                 projects, and the 
                 maturity of his/her personal character.

All this person does

will

eventually prosper and be fruitful

  in God's hands.

See also
Romans 8:28.

VERSE 4

4 The ungodly are not so:

but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.

An ungodly person:

1. Lacks the stability of a strong tree.

2. Lacks the presence of growth rings inside the tree. Lacks maturity.

Meaning - the person lacks
spiritual maturity.

3. Is weak against temptations to sin.

4. Lacks spiritual health and strength.

5. Is easily blown about with the winds of temptation.

6. Lacks spiritual fruit.

Spiritual fruit is defined as:

Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

Galatians 5:22-23.

7. Lives in the land of drought  - instead of - choosing to live in the water of the Word*

This person chooses to live

in spiritual dryness

instead of

opening up the Bible

and

receiving the nourishing rain

contained in its pages.

* We learn in Ephesians 5:26-27

that

Jesus wants to:

cleanse us, correct us, and grow us up

in maturity

through "washing" us with

the water contained in the words of God.

Meaning:

wash us, cleanse us, and change us

as we read and obey

the Words of the Bible.

We must cooperate with Jesus

 - by reading the Bible and trying to obey -

in order to be a growing Christian.

"Wheat" spiritually nourishes others.

"Chaff" is not nourishing.

-

Wheat is planted in the ground
and grows up to
become nourishment for people.

Chaff never becomes nourishment.

Only through being born again

can a person who is "Chaff"

be transformed into "Wheat."

VERSE 5

5 Therefore the ungodly shall not

stand

in the judgment,

nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.

After we die,

there is a last judgment.

At that time,

the ungodly will not be standing

with the righteous ones.

The unsaved will not stand with the

Wheat

but instead

they will be blown away like

Chaff.

The unsaved will be

separated from the righteous

and from

God

for all eternity.

VERSE 6

6 For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous:

but the way of the ungodly shall perish.

God KNOWS.

God SEES.

-

David said:

You know what

I am going to say 

even before

I say it, Lord.

Psalm 139:4 NLT

God knows the  thoughts  of everyone.

God knows the  ways  of everyone.

God knows who wants to

Please Him.

God knows those who are seeking righteousness.

And He knows those

who seek sin

but want to appear to be right with God.

Nothing is hidden from God.

We are getting away with....

NOTHING.

---

Those who

do not

love God and his righteousness

will perish and go to hell.

Those who love God and his righteousness

will be blessed for all eternity.

Daniel 12:3b says

And they that

turn many to righteousness

will shine as the stars of heaven

for ever and ever.

I've known people who have told me,

"I will ask for forgiveness at the end of my life."

But....

God is listening to them and their plan.

God may not even give them the opportunity to turn at that time.

Sometimes, we get hit by a car and never know
we get hit.

Why should God give you an opportunity at the end of your life
if you mock his gift today?

Please know that I am - not -  saying that a person should neglect
to take
forgiveness at the end of his life
if he has the chance -
but God may not give that opportunity.

NOW is the time of Salvation -

God clearly says:

Today

if you will hear His voice;

Do not harden your hearts, as in rebellion.

Psalm 95:7b-8a NKJV

Even though the righteous suffer many things -

AND

Even though the wicked

often appear to be on top of the world -

The truth will come out

and

righteous justice will be done

in the end.

See Psalm 73 - why do the wicked prosper...

Click for: Prayer for Yielding to God

Click for: Explaining Salvation

For more insights about Psalm 1,

consider our other Psalm 1 page.

We encourage you to read

another translation of Psalm 1 given below:

Psalm 1  - Easy To Read

Psalm 1  - The Living Bible

1 Oh, the joys of those who do not follow

evil men’s advice,

who do not hang around with sinners,

scoffing at the things of God.

2 But they delight in doing everything

God wants them to,

and

day and night are always meditating

on his laws

and

thinking about ways

to follow him more closely.

3 They are like trees

along a riverbank

bearing luscious fruit each season without fail.

Their leaves shall never wither,

and

all they do shall prosper.*

4 But for sinners, what a different story!

They blow away like chaff before the wind.

5 They are not safe on Judgment Day;

they shall not stand

among the godly.

6 For the Lord watches over

all the plans and paths of godly men,

but the paths of the godless lead to doom.

Beth's notes:

* Eventually prosper in God's hands.

*** In verse 6, the word "know" is not just referring to "know all about" the righteous and the wicked.

It is also referring to the fact that there is an intimacy the righteous have with God. And there is a lack of intimacy between the wicked and God because the wicked do not pursue a relationship with God.

That Hebrew word "know" is the same word the Bible uses in Genesis chapter 4 verse 1 -  when Adam KNEW his wife intimately. 

God wants us to pursue a deep kind of intimate relationship with him.

So God "Knows" the righteous in a special kind of way because the righteous pursue intimacy with God. And the Bible tells us that is it wise to get as close to God as we can - Psalm 73:28.

Jump to the top of Psalm 1 Commentary.