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Meditating on Psalm 1 (PART 2)

An In-Depth Look at the Psalm

An In-Depth Look at the Concepts of Psalm 1

An In-Depth Look at the Concepts of Psalm 1

PART 1 - VERSE 1

Much emphasis is often given to the supposed "progression" into compromise and sin, because of the order of the words: walk...stand...sit. But this is not the primary emphasis. These are parallel concepts: the three lines reflect similar thoughts. (See the article about Hebrew poetry for more information.) The main concern found here is the same as what is mentioned by the apostle Paul, in 2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1 (read it). This concept is mentioned many times throughout the Bible.

We will focus on the main words found in verse 1. A selection of verses which contain these words, are listed below. Though the selection is limited to the Psalms and Proverbs, you are welcome to look elsewhere in the Bible. Read some of these verses, perhaps starting with those in Proverbs. Be sure to look at the contexts of these passages, when doing so is relevant. (Many of the proverbs exist by themselves, and do not have a direct link to the verses in the context.)

 
 
BLESSED:
This word is occasionally translated as "happy," but it is not focusing only on life's pleasant circumstances. The person who knows God is blessed even if he finds himself in difficult circumstances in this world. Admittedly, we won't always "feel" blessed, when things are going bad. But God looks not only at present circumstances, but at the final outcome. [See the article: "What happens when things don't go right?" You may also want to think about (meditate on!) Romans 8:28.]

The following verses were selected because they focus on the blessedness that results from our relationship with God:

 
 
WALK / COUNSEL:
The focus on "walk" may be the most frequently occurring of these three parallel phrases (walk, stand and sit). It refers to the way you live - your lifestyle. How do you walk? What type of lifestyle do you have? Whose counsel/advice do you follow? (For the most part, the following verses emphasize the word "walk.")

 
 
STAND / WAY:
The concept of the "way" (of the righteous or the wicked) occurs more frequently in the Bible than does the idea of "standing." So the word "way" will be the primary emphasis in the following verses. Before you look at them, think about the use of these two words ("stand" and "way") in verses 5 and 6.

 
 
SIT / SEAT / MOCKERS:
The previous two concepts could be said to focus on what people think and what they do. Here the emphasis is on what they say. (This, of course, is nothing more than a reflection of the heart's condition!) Most of the verses below deal with mockery.

PART 2 - VERSE 2

 
DELIGHT / LAW / MEDITATE:

Look at Psalm 119. This reflects the attitude of the person who has a delight for "the law of the LORD." Examine some (or all) of that Psalm. Write down some of the characteristics of such a person.

Note that it is not enough to simply avoid the things mentioned in Psalm 1:1. To qualify for the description of verse 3, the characteristics of verse 2 must be present! The mere absence of "badness" does not guarantee "goodness." The "bad" must be replaced with the "good." You may wish to read passages elsewhere in the Bible, to see how widespread this concept really is. (Suggested example: Paul's epistles.)

 
 
DAY/NIGHT:

Both day and night belong to God (Psalm 74:16)! Other psalms mention praying (crying out) to God day and night, during trials (Psalm 22:2; 42:3; 88:1).

In Psalm 32:4, God is seen as having a "heavy hand" on David "day and night," guiding him toward repentance and confession of sins. But, unlike a person filled with rebellion and unbelief, David was filled with praise! He considered himself to be blessed (vs. 1-2).

PART 3 - VERSE 3

 
TREE:
The concept of "tree" is often used to describe various "spiritual truths." So are other types of plants. (Example: vine, John 15:1-8.) Look for other passages that use the concept of "tree." What can you learn from them? How is their message similar to (or different from) the message of Psalm 1? A few passages from the Psalms and Proverbs are given below. Be sure to look at the context!

 
 
FRUIT:
The New Testament has a great emphasis on "fruit." So we will look up some of the verses which are in it. (Feel free to look for verses in the Psalms and Proverbs, too!)

Pay attention to the concept of "fruit" that is portrayed in these verses (and in any other verses you may use). What is "fruit"? What causes fruit - in other words, what is the relationship between: 1) the fruit and God (and what he does), and 2) the fruit and us (and what we do)? Is fruit "optional"? If fruit does not exist, what can be said about the person? How does the message of these verses compare or contrast with popular views in the church, today?

 

TO PROSPER:
This concept is also seen in the study on Joshua 1:8. It might be beneficial to review that study [Joshua 1:8 - Commanded to meditate]. Some of the verses from the Psalms / Proverbs that mention this concept are:

To get the "whole picture," there is another type of "prosperity" which must also be considered.

Compare or contrast these two types of prosperity. What can you learn in these (and other) verses, that you can apply to yourself?
 
You may want to think about various contrasting concepts, such as the following:
  1. Temporary vs. eternal (referring to how long the blessings will last)
  2. Physical/material (by itself) vs. "spiritual" (looking at the contrast between blessings you can see and touch, and those which cannot be physically handled)
  3. The present vs. the future (focusing on when you will receive them)

 

[OPTIONAL:]
A look at the concept of "withering" shows some interesting contrasts. You may wish to look at some of the following verses. Most of them, however, do not use this concept in the same way that we find in Psalm 1.

PART 4 - VERSE 4

The plight of the wicked is summarized in two words! It's very simple: "NOT SO!" Think about the contrast with what has been said in verses 1-3. ("Meditate" on it!)

What are other characteristics of the wicked? The Psalms and Proverbs refer to them at least 135 times. Many of the verses describe their ultimate fate. Others describe what the wicked are like (character qualities) at the present time. Look at a few of these "character quality" verses from the Proverbs, given below. [Also, you may want to read an article about the nature of proverbs: "Comments About the Proverbs."]

A few verses which use "chaff" to illustrate something are given below. You may wish to look at some of them.

PART 5 - VERSES 5-6

Verse 5 gives us the final "conclusion" to the plight of the wicked.  

     1  The wicked will not stand...

Verse 6 summarizes the whole Psalm, showing the striking contrast between the righteous and the wicked. This whole psalm is true, because...

     2  The LORD watches...(over the righteous, but not over the wicked).

Let people take heed to the warning!

You may wish to look for other verses in which some of the words found in verses 5 and 6 occur (just like we did with the previous verses). The questions below focus on the contrast between the righteous and the wicked, and how this issue applies to us.

Dennis Hinks © 1996, 2004
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