Embrace the Word for Monday, January 5, 2026

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Psalm 1, along with Psalm 2, serve as a gateway to the complete Psalter. The Psalter is the collection of one hundred and fifty Psalms that are comprised around five Books. The ideas introduced in the first two Psalms will reoccur throughout the rest of the Psalter. While each Psalm is its own separate composition, they are carefully arranged to provide us a unified musical flow of five movements concerning David, his kingship and the subsequent unfolding of the Davidic kingship.

Neither of the first two Psalms provide any superscription to describe the historical setting as well as other features that inform us about the Psalms. Psalm 1 and 2 serve as a musical overture that orients us to the big idea as well as the introduction of multiple themes found throughout the entire Psalter. In fact, the first two Psalms, while distinct Psalms, are designed to be joined together. For instance, the first word of first Psalm (1:1) and the last line of the second Psalm (2:12) each use the term “blessed.” Each Psalm refers to the “way” that “perishes” (1:6; 2:12). While the first Psalm speaks of the righteous who “meditates” on God’s revelation (1:2), the second Psalm uses the same term to speak of the wicked who “plots” against God’s reign (2:1). While the first Psalm refers to the wicked who scoff at the righteous (1:2), the second Psalm uses the same term to refer to God when He “laughs” at the vain plots of the wicked (2:4). In Psalm 1 God will scatter the wicked like chaff blown in the wind (1:4), whereas in Psalm 2 God’s Son and King will shatter the wicked with His wielded rod of iron (2:9).

Psalm 1 introduces us to the Righteous man who will be the installed King that Psalm 2 will describe; while Psalm 2 introduces us the the Son of God, who is the Righteous man of Psalm 1, whom God will install as King. The entire collection of one hundred and fifty Psalms flow from these two introductory Psalms, forming a Psalter that is arranged to lyrically tell the history of King David and the fulfillment of the the Davidic Covenant that would culminate in Jesus Christ. The Righteous Man from Psalm 1 prospers in all that He does (1:3), while the Anointed Son of Psalm 2 conquers the world (2:8-9).

And while these two Psalms describe Jesus, nonetheless, all who are joined to Jesus through faith join in the experiences described throughout the Psalter as well as the comfort that the presence of God supplies to, “all who take refuge in Him” (2:12). Such refuge found in the presence of God comes through a delight in God’s Word (1:2a), and in turn is exercised by a consistent meditation upon God’s Word (1:2b). Jesus is “the Man” (1:1a) who is blessed; the One whose, “delight is in the law of the LORD, and on His law He meditates day and night” (1:2). Jesus is also the anointed Son, whom God will place “on Zion, My holy hill” (2:6). Those who trust in the Blessed Man are labeled as, “the congregation of the righteous” (1;5b).

For today’s post, we will take a closer look at the first Psalm. Psalm 1, which contrasts the righteous and wicked, is an exploration in Contrasting Foundations (vv. 1-2), Contrasting Fruitfulness (vv. 3-4), and Contrasting Futures (vv. 5-6).

Psalm 1 opens with the contrasting foundations of the wicked and the righteous. The “blessed” condition that the righteous possess is connected to the instruction they receive. The righteous are guided by instruction from God, while the wicked are guided by instruction from those who reject God. The wicked form their values and moral orientation through their deepening relationship with the ungodly, while the values and moral orientation of the righteous are formed through God’s Word. The opening line of Psalm 1 is bold declaration for any who would hear: “This is the best way to live!” The bold opening to Psalm 1 declares that the righteous are “blessed.” There are two main terms in the Old Testament Scriptures that speak of the idea of blessed. The first term for blessed describes the deposition of God’s favor upon a person and God’s response to such favor. The second term, which is the term used here in Psalm 1 and 2, describes the enjoyment experienced by the one upon whom God’s favor rests.

But the enjoyment that the righteous experience is surrounded by the wicked, who are described by three destructive expressions. The righteous resist, refuse, and renounce the offers of the wicked, for the righteous, as it will be stated in a moment, have a superior source concerning life. What the wicked offer involves a slow slide-a gradual descent to destruction. First, the wicked offer counsel to live by (1:1a). The wicked desire the righteous to consider their way of looking at life. Second, the wicked offer their actions and practices that align with what God describes as sinful (1:1b). Third, the wicked offer the righteous a new set of convictions to be at home with. Perhaps the aggressive scoffing becomes a means to convince themselves and dissuade the conscience. The wicked want the righteous to walk by and consider a different way of life with the hopes that such consideration will cause them to pause long enough to commit to a different direction in life. But the real design of the wicked is to get the righteous to sit down and make a new home by mocking their previous way of life. But the righteous do not!

The seemingly irresistible power and enticements of the wicked are no match for the operative power of the Word of God in the heart of the righteous. The righteous man’s resistance, refusal, and renouncing of the offers and design of the wicked, is not due to his sheer willpower but because of the happy affections embedded in his soul. The righteous man delightfully resists, refuses, and renounces the ways, actions, and conditions of the wicked. The righteous are happy to seek God through His Word, memorizing its truths, considering its instructions, praying its promises, exhorting himself in its commands, and declaring its realities. The righteous are soaked in God’s Word and out of this internal condition, the external offers and design of the wicked are less alluring and seemingly diminished in power. God has made the righteous glad through His Word. Such gladness fills the heart so that it is less and less susceptible to false alternatives of gladness.

Psalm 1 next contrasts the fruitfulness of the wicked and the righteous. Actually, the contrast is between the fruitfulness of the righteous and the absence of any true fruitfulness from the wicked. The true description of the man who is blessed is depicted in a way reminiscent of Eden and the tree of life. The righteous are like a thriving, blossoming, and fruit-bearing tree of life. There is a stability, a reliability, and a productivity to the righteous because there is a supplied vitality to the righteous. While the righteous are likened to a beautiful tree, it is the Law of the Lord upon which the righteous delightfully meditates that is likened to streams of water. The wicked are not so; they possess no stability, reliability, and productivity, for they have no source of vitality.

Psalm 1 finally contrasts the future of the wicked and the righteous. What awaits the wicked is judgment: they have no standing before God in the end; they have no sympathy from the righteous in the end; they have no assurance of a future in the end. In contrast, the righteous are personally and intimately known by God (1:6) and therefore, the implication is that they do indeed have a standing before God in the end. The wicked will perish (1:6); however the righteous will not perish for they are “blessed” (1:1). They are “blessed’ because they took refuge in the Lord (2:12), and this refuging in the Lord was expressed throughout their life for they took delight in and meditated upon God’s Word. The same Word that sustained them in life, promises them security throughout eternal life.

As we reflect on Psalm 1 we should acknowledge the power and allurement of the wicked. While the wicked show their hostile side in Psalm 2, they present themselves more friendly in Psalm 1, albeit a harmful friendliness. The wicked mimic their father, our enemy both in his way of subtle deceptiveness, but also by his approach of bold destructiveness.

We should be sobered by this reality to the point that we seek afresh our refuge in Jesus. The wicked can be resisted only when our hearts delight in God and His Word. Such heightened affections can ground our souls only through ongoing reliance upon Jesus, the Righteous Man, who dwells within the hearts of those who turn and return to Him. It is the Spirit of Jesus within His people, who directs a life of delightful meditation in God’s Word. Yes, delightful meditation requires effort on our part, but such effort, empowered by the grace of Christ, provides protection from evil, produces godliness in this present life, and promises a safe passage to the eternal presence of the Lord.