Psalm One

Psalm One

1Blessed 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.
2But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.
3And 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.
4The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.
5Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.
6For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.
Key verse:
6. For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.

Key Outline:
1. Verses 1-3 Blessings of the righteous
2. Verses 4-5 The end of the ungodly
3. v. 6 Key verse comparing righteous man and ungodly man

Key Observation:
This entire Psalm is worthy of memory and is frequently recited by the godly saints. It teaches sanctification on the part of the saint in a two fold manner. First the saint will walk circumspectly keeping himself away from the companies of ungodly, sinners, or the scornful. Second, he will constantly immerse himself in the word of God, meditating on the scriptures that declare both the glory of the Creator, and the responsibility of the created.

The end of those who do not chose the godly course is plain. They will be winnowed out purposefully, and the wind will blow them away so that they will not have any part with the judgment or the congregation of the righteous. They “shall perish”.

Memory verse: (if you have to choose one)
v. 2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.

Devotion:
I am to be marked by others as someone who stays away from associations which will pull me away from God. My walk with God should be one where I decidedly do not follow the ungodly; instead my life is to be marked by dwelling in the Word of God, meditating on it. One of Jonathan Edward’s early resolutions was exactly this: “Resolved, To study the Scriptures so steadily, constantly, and frequently, as that I may find, and plainly perceive, myself to grow in the knowledge of the same.”

Biblical meditation means to fill my mind up with the wonders of my Creator, and the best means of doing that is by constant attention to the Word of God. I think about what he says, I fill my mind up with his tenets, and I allow my heart to be exalted when I consider God and the fact that He is mindful of me. If I do that, the Psalm says that I will be strong with a foundation that is not easily shaken (a tree planted by a stream), and I shall see “fruit” come forth in its season, and I shall be prospered.

When I meet the many others, the ungodly, who seem to be so much of the world, I am to keep in mind their end. They are as chaff that the wind will blow away, they perish, and, most importantly, they matter not at all. Nothing that they do or say should dissuade me from following my God.