A Reflection of Psalm 1

Psalm 1 is a song of promise both for the one who walks in righteousness before God and for the one who walks in rebellion against God. After meditating and reflecting upon this passage of Scripture for the past week, I have been encouraged and challenged to lift up the priority of God’s Word in my life, particularly through the spiritual discipline of continuous meditation of Scripture.

The Promises
There are five promises for the righteous outlined in this passage. God promises to bless (v. 1), to supply (v. 3), to sustain (v. 3), to prosper (v. 3), and to know the way of the righteous (v. 6). All of these promises are significant and powerful on their own, yet when packaged together as in this text, they display the magnitude of God’s infinite grace, love, and faithfulness to His followers. To live under God’s blessing, supply, sustenance, prosperity, and knowledge is humbling and overwhelming. Just realizing that I can be a recipient of such incredible goodness and mercy has deepened my desire to serve Him more fervently and reverently.

These promises are covenantal and dependent upon relationship with God expressed in obedience to His Word. To receive these blessings, one must not walk in the counsel of the wicked, stand in the way of sinners, or sit in the seat of scoffers. The three verbs (walk, stand, and sit) basically cover places we could find ourselves in fellowship with others. Yet, as I thought more about these words, I believe they do not just speak to the present moment. To walk is to move in a direction, to go toward something, or to go down a path. My journey should lead to godliness, righteousness, and holiness. To stand with others implies that I am with them, supportive of them, agreeing with them, and will even defend them. My stance should reflect God’s desires and will. Lastly, to sit with others displays that I am not only comfortable with their behavior, beliefs, and worldview, but also that I am a part of that group representing those things I have grown comfortable with. My association should be God alone for His glory alone.

What makes the journey, stance, and association more appalling apart from God is the company of people involved as well as their influence. Only our sinful nature would attract us to connect with the wicked, the sinner, and the scoffer. Depravity alone would lead us down a path where the chaff is driven away by the wind (v. 4), where there is no place of real significance (v. 5), where there is no fellowship with the righteous (v. 5), and where there is only destruction (v. 6). By God’s grace, I will not walk in their counsel, stand in their way, nor sit in their seat.

God's Word
Then how is this covenantal relationship expressed? It is found by delighting and meditating in God’s Word. The word “but” that separates verses one and two, suggests that the verbs in verse one can be transposed to verse two. Thus, God’s blessing is given to those who walk in the counsel, stand in the way, and sit in the seat of the law of the Lord. My delight is found in my journey, stance, and alliance to His Word. Any other way leads to a departure of God’s promise and presence and ultimately to devastation. In fact, living in God’s Word should be such a significant aspect of my life, that I am consumed with it day and night. .

Before God I must confess that His Word has not been the type of consuming fire described in this passage. I am grateful that His Word has been daily and consistently before me over the past months. Nevertheless, God has challenged me to bring His living words to constant meditation, both day and night. I will do so by spending more time with Scripture cards and reflections such as this. I will do so not for the promises He makes, but for His glory and honor alone.