Overview of Ps 1
NET, "Psalm 1. In this wisdom psalm the author advises his audience to reject the lifestyle of the wicked and to be loyal to God. The psalmist contrasts the destiny of the wicked with that of the righteous, emphasizing that the wicked are eventually destroyed while the godly prosper under the Lord’s protective care."
The worldview of the author is dualism: the righteous and the wicked.
In v.1-3 the author focus on the righteous and v.4-6 the wicked. Also, the righteous one is command not to mix with the wicked v.1. The ending of the wicked is stated as the ending of the psalm.
What is the purpose of this Psalm? Why the editor of Psalm to put this one in the beginning of all the other Psalms?
In a world that does not see the wicked being like the chaff and driven off from the wind v.4, or the righteous standing firm with the ample supply of water v.3 we will question what is the value of following God? Why are we still obeying God's command? The author of Psalm 1 reminded us that put our perspective to a longer future. The wicked will eventually be judged. They will not withstand judgment. They cannot join the assembly of the godly v.5. At the end when you look back you will see
v.6 Certainly the LORD guards the way of the godly,
but the way of the wicked ends in destruction.
That's the beginning of worship. When we have a choice and we chose to worship God when we see from this prospective.
v.1 How blessed is the one who does not follow the advice of the wicked,
or stand in the pathway with sinners,
or sit in the assembly of scoffers!
wicked=“wicked”) describes people who are proud, practical atheists (Ps 10:2, 4, 11) who hate God’s commands, commit sinful deeds, speak lies and slander (Ps 50:16–20), and cheat others (Ps 37:21) (NET).
To “sit in the assembly” of such people means to completely identify with them in their proud, sinful plans and behavior. (NET)
NET, " The three perfect verbal forms in v. 1 refer in this context to characteristic behavior. The sequence “walk–stand–sit” envisions a progression from relatively casual association with the wicked to complete identification with them."
v.2 Instead he finds pleasure in obeying the LORD’s commands;
he meditates on his commands day and night.
NET, "Study of the law is metonymic here for the correct attitudes and behavior that should result from an awareness of and commitment to God’s moral will."
meditates= “to recite quietly; to meditate” and refers metonymically to intense study and reflection. (NET)
Reflection: When we say we chose God that means we identified with Him, not the atheists and those who are proud. We love Him by intensely study and reflect on His words all day long. Sometimes we read the Bible because we think that is our responsibility, but do we love God's words? Do we study and reflect on the words? Thinking about it day and night?
Comments