Psalms 1
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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.
Public Domain KJV text from Wordproject.org
Psalm 1:1-6
Book One
The Way of the Righteous and the Wicked
1Blessed is the man
who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
2but his delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law he meditates day and night.
3He is like a tree
planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers.
4The wicked are not so,
but are like chaff that the wind drives away.
5Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
6for the Lord knows the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish.
ESV Bible text displayed through the American Bible Society's Global Bible Widget
Psalm 1:1-6
Book I
Psalms 1–41
Psalm 1
1Blessed is the one
who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
or sit in the company of mockers,
2but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
and who meditates on his law day and night.
3That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
whatever they do prospers.
4Not so the wicked!
They are like chaff
that the wind blows away.
5Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
6For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.
NIV Bible text displayed through the American Bible Society's Global Bible Widget
Commentary
The man who abides in me will not walk in the counsel of the ungodly. We are just as dependent upon God to live a holy life as is the branch upon the parent stock for growth of fruitfulness.
It’s in abiding in Jesus that we will flourish as Christians. Drawing life from Him every day, we will not die spiritually or become fruitless.
The pursuit of happiness is the life goal of many. Some of us spend our entire lives in pursuit of happiness, but here the secret is clearly mapped out by David. He states happiness is found by those who delight In God’s law and meditate upon it day and night.
Another life goal of many is the pursuit of success/prosperity. But another secret is found in verse 3. Those who pursue God and His will be prosperous like a tree that is planted by water, reaping a good harvest every time.
These two pursuits are only found with the righteous. The ungodly pursues but never finds until he decides to walk according to the counsels of God.
What amazing and powerful lessons from a fallen and restored king’s experience!
Tess Watson
