Psalms
Summary
Psalm 1 serves as the prologue to the entire Book of Psalms, presenting the two paths available to every person: the way of the righteous and the way of the wicked. It describes the righteous as a tree planted by streams of water, fruitfully flourishing and enduring because they delight in the law of the LORD. In contrast, the wicked are like chaff blown away by the wind, leading only to perish. This short, powerful psalm establishes the binary moral framework of the Psalter, reminding the reader that true happiness is found in devotion to God's word.
Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the way of sinners, nor sit in the seat of mockers.
But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.
He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season, and whose leaf does not wither; and in all that he does, he prospers.
The wicked are not so! They are like chaff which the wind drives away.
Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgement, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.