Psalm 1:1-6 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. 2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. 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. 4 The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. 5 Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. 6 For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.
Different ways:
The Psalmist tells of two different ways in this first psalm. Robert Frost said, “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I – I took the one less traveled by; and that has made all the difference. Jesus gave us the illustration of two ways – straight gate and wide gate; narrow way and broad way; two trees; two fruits, two houses, two foundations. This psalm is probably the most clearly developed passage about the two ways. It is what some call a “wisdom psalm” because it speaks of the way the wise man chooses. The psalmist tells of the way to blessedness and warns of the sure destruction of sinners.
Two ways described:
The psalm begins with the word “Blessed” which means that it is the first word of the book of psalms. We might say then that God has given us the Book of Psalms to do us good. The word blessed can mean very happy of very fulfilled, so we might say it begins,
righteous of our own; second, it introduces the doctrine of two ways immediately and third, it speaks of the importance of godliness and the negative outcome of ungodliness.
The Psalmist uses a trio of threesomes – walk, stand, sit; counsel, way, seat; ungodly, sinners, scornful. He shows the progression of sin that it is always down or away from God.
We would all do well to study, memorize and follow the instructions of this psalm.