And until that day, we’re all confronted with choices. Your email address will not be published. May God of all creation bless you! 1 How well God must like you—. 2-3 Instead you thrill to God’s Word,    you chew on Scripture day and night.You’re a tree replanted in Eden,    bearing fresh fruit every month,Never dropping a leaf,    always in blossom. Is chaff good for anything? The way of the righteous is known (blessed, providentially cared for) by the Lord. To face Judgment Day with assurance, we need to insure that we love God and our neighbors––in that order. It flakes off of the wheat kernel and – as we’re told in Psalm 1:4 – the wind blows it away. John Piper May 25, 2008 564 Shares God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him Learn more about Desiring God Desiring God. I prefer to regard this sort of statement as hyperbole––exaggerated language to make a point. Rejecting wisdom and happy with our sin. but are like the chaff which the wind drives away. Psalm 1:1 "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." 1 How well God must like you—    you don’t hang out at Sin Saloon,    you don’t slink along Dead-End Road,    you don’t go to Smart-Mouth College. Last, we have sit, which suggests that the person has settled into a particular way of life. “Therefore the wicked shall not stand (Hebrew: qum) in the judgment” (v. 5a). God’s law helps him to avoid many of life’s pitfalls and sets his feet in positive directions. But Yahweh doesn’t know the wicked in the same relational way. It comforts him when life is difficult. All rights reserved worldwide. “For Yahweh knows (Hebrew: yada) the way of the righteous” (v. 6a). In like manner, its “leaf also does not wither.” Life is easy for trees that have a dependable water supply. (2) Straw, a useful byproduct that can be used as animal feed or bedding. In contrast – Psalm 1:6 – God is personally acquainted and familiar with the way of the righteous. But are you thinking about it the way that God does? Next two verses are also a contrast. The Contemporary Parallel New Testament with KJV, NIV, NKJV, NASB, and more! The word stand suggests a continuing posture. nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. I knew a man whose passion was covering every possible surface in his home with Formica. What is the alternative to “wealth gotten by vanity” in Proverbs 13 11? Scripture: Psalm 1. And every single one of us were in the latter group once. Advance your knowledge of Scripture with this resource library of over 40 reference books, including commentaries and Study Bible notes. We have heard stories of people whose lives have been turned around in a positive way when they began to follow God’s law and to seek God’s will. Psalm 1:3 – you could have a life characterized by the kind of success that really matters or Psalm 1:4 – you could be inconsequential in God’s eyes by leading a godless rebellious life. 4-5 You’re not at all like the wicked,    who are mere windblown dust—Without defense in court,    unfit company for innocent people. Psalm 1 – The Way of the Righteous and the Way of the Ungodly. Some look for it in jobs, money, new homes and cars, sex, alcohol, and even drugs. His family saw little of him after dinner, because he was passionate about his hobbies. Bearing fruit. “The wicked are not so, but are like the chaff which the wind drives away” (v. 4). Resisting such people can be difficult, because wicked people often couch their advice in ways that look quite attractive. Jesus said that the first commandment (in order of importance) is loving God. Your credit card won’t be charged until the trial period is over. Follow Desiring God … Jesus calls us to the narrow, difficult road that leads to life rather than the wide, smooth road that leads to death (Matthew 7:13). ), The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary, 6 vol. ), The Complete WordStudy Old Testament (Chattanooga; AMG Publishers, 1994), Baker, Warren and Carpenter, Eugene, The Complete WordStudy Dictionary: Old Testament (Chattanooga: AMG Publishers, 2003), Bromiley, Geoffrey (General Editor), The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Revised, 4 vols. But what about the kind of man whose activities we saw in Psalm 1:1? nor stand in the way of sinners, Blessedness is a gift of God. 19 (Dallas: Word Books, 1983), DeClaisse-Walford, Nancy; Jacobson, Rolf A.; Tanner, Beth Laneel, The New International Commentary on the Old Testament: The Book of Psalms (Grand Rapids: Wm. In keeping God’s laws, the faithful obtain great rewards. • It is “sure, making wise the simple.” You’re a tree replanted in Eden, What kind of wealth will be diminished according to Proverbs 13 11. Psalm 1 Commentary: (See the type of psalm Psalm 1 is at our Psalm 1 Genre article.) Psalm 1:2 – in contrast to those who would participate in those evil things – this man’s delight is somewhere else. Succeeding! The Psalm begins with the phrase, “Blessed is the man” or “Happy is the man.” We all want happiness. But I would be remiss if I failed to note that Godly people often do prosper as a direct result of their faithful lives. Jesus’ portrayal of the judgment of the nations (Matthew 25:31-46) and the parable of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31) portray the fate of such people. God has structured things so that virtue produces its own rewards. but the way of the wicked leads to destruction. Step 1 - Create an account or log in to start your free trial. 1 How well God must like you—    you don’t hang out at Sin Saloon,    you don’t slink along Dead-End Road,    you don’t go to Smart-Mouth College. 4-5 You’re not at all like the wicked,    who are mere windblown dust—Without defense in court,    unfit company for innocent people. That fruit will have a seasonal character. Psalm 1:3-4 contrasts two images – both from nature and agriculture. Verse 1 defines the Godly person in terms of what he or she does NOT do: • The blessed person “doesn’t walk in the counsel of the wicked.” He/she neither seeks nor follows the advice of those whose lives manifest their rebellion against God. In that kind of relationship, the father might not approve of everything the son does, but he would do whatever possible to bring an errant son back into relationship. ; and Briggs, Charles A., The Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon (Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson Publishers, 1906, 2004), Doniach, N.S. Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson. Creating an account allows you to access more features and content such as: Reading the Bible is rewarding, and these plans make it easy! I am confident that we will be in for pleasant surprises. • He/she doesn’t “sit in the seat of scoffers.” Scoffers express profound contempt––in this case for God, godly people, and godly ways. ), Psalm 1 is about the blessings of the righteous. Do you get apples from chaff? In contrast – Psalm 1:4 – the wicked are like vegetation alright – but vegetation that’s dead, dried up, and blowing away. Psalm 1. If we truly love something, we are likely to study it in detail and try to master it. Or destruction? And that blessing is contrasted with the unenviable end of the wicked – judgment. Psalm Chapter 1. I think the very structure of this psalm even leads us to think this way. While we have come to identify torah with the Pentateuch (Genesis through Deuteronomy), that word also means teachings or instructions. And what is that true state? This psalm has a good deal in common with Proverbs 2:12-15, 20-22 and Jeremiah 17:5-13, both of which contrast the 1 How well God must like you—. On his law he meditates day and night” (v. 2). The Hebrew word qum means stand. 1 Blessed is the man who doesn’t walk in the counsel of the wicked, He said, “The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments” (Matthew 22:40). (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2006-2009), VanGemeren, Willem A. The psalm forms an appropriate introduction to the Psalter since it sets before the readers the three characters who will figure mostly in the psalms: the righteous, the ungodly and God. OUTLINE I. It looks like you’re already subscribed to Bible Gateway Plus! No, chaff is just the stuff on the outside of the kernel of wheat, right? I trust we can give to God a portion of the praise that’s due him as we’ve reflected on the Blessing of the Righteous. Television programs and movies seldom portray the Christian faith in a positive light, and often mock Christian people and their way of life. SCRIPTURE QUOTATIONS are from the World English Bible (WEB), a public domain (no copyright) modern English translation of the Holy Bible. So a fuller statement of what Psalm 1 is about could be this: “The Righteous are Blessed and the Wicked are Judged.”.