b. Yet, this is the one quality which is of single importance. It is abiding in a life-source. It will never wither away, because it is always getting what it needs. (c) 2020 The Enduring Word Bible Commentary by David Guzik – ewm@enduringword.com. a. The ungodly are not so, Drinking Deeply from the Psalms Commentary and hymns for a six-part preaching series on the Psalms.1 This worship and preaching series on the Psalms is meant to move through six psalms in a manner that reflects how believers actually experience the life of faith. the rivers--canals for irrigation. When others are putting down Christians, it is easy to sit with them and criticize them. In His law he meditates day and night: The righteous man ponders the word of God. He doesnât JUST study it. Esher is a form of the Hebrew word ashar, which in its root means “to be straight” or “to be right.” Blessed is the man speaks of the happiness, the blessedness, the contentment in the life of the man or woman who is right or “straight” with God. Its concern is with all human authority, not only Davidâs rule. ii. Click to enable/disable Google reCaptcha. “The great lesson to be learned from the whole is, sin is progressive; one evil propensity or act leads to another. i. Very likely not. God’s word is always the best counselor, and godly counselors will always bring the truth of God’s word to help someone who wants counseling. But the blessed man doesnât. Others have also seen in this a progression of sin. Verse six presents a key to understanding Psalm 1: âFor the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall perish.âIn this psalm, the way of the righteous and the way of the ungodly are contrasted. Click to enable/disable _gat_* - Google Analytics Cookie. Nor sits in the seat of the scornful; a. This is dangerous, because an empty mind may present an open invitation to deception or a demonic spirit. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water: A tree by a river has a continual source of water. 1:1 Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, who does not stand in the place of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers. . In fact, in Hebrew the word is actually a plural, which denotes either a multiplicity of blessings or an intensification of them.” (Boice), ii. i. No, instead a person who wants to be blessed must live wisely in his relationship with YHWH, ⦠For the LORD knows the way of the righteous, Salem Media Group. The psalmist says that a person is blessed if he does not do one kind of thing, but instead does another. i. The opposite state of the ungodly pointed out, under the metaphor of chaff driven away by the wind, Psalm 1:4. The righteous man is also discerning enough to know the counsel of the ungodly can come from one’s own self. seat--With their corresponding verbs, mark gradations of evil, as acting on the principles, cultivating the society, and permanently conforming to the conduct of the wicked, who are described by three terms, of which the last is indicative of the boldest impiety (compare Psalms 26:4 Psalms 26:5 , Jeremiah 15:17 ). i. Psalms 1:1-6. and on his law he meditates day and night. Cite Share Print BLB Searches. But in the life of the righteous man, God brings forth something good and wonderful out of everything. way . If we are constantly needy, it may be worth examining if we are planted by the rivers of water or not. Psalm 1:1 "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." is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in seasonâ (vv. like the chaff which the wind drives away. This would also be a tree that is strong and stable, sinking down deep roots. This, then, is the matter of the first Psalm, which may be looked upon, in some respects, as the text upon which the whole of the Psalms make up a divine sermon. Although it contains neither praise nor lament, the warp and woof of the book of Psalms, most interpreters these days believe the final editors of the Psalter have intentionally placed Psalm 1 here as a useful guide to the reading of the rest of the book, either alone or in conjunction with Psalm 2. c. At least four times in the Book of Acts, Christianity is called the Way. Search the ... Bible Commentaries Text Commentaries Audio & Video Commentaries ii. As this is a summary of the teachings of the whole book, this Psalm, whether designedly so placed or not, forms a suitable preface. Instead, we should be proud to follow Jesus Christ. Check to enable permanent hiding of message bar and refuse all cookies if you do not opt in. Commentary, Psalm 1, Walter C. Bouzard, Preaching This Week, WorkingPreacher.org, 2013. Please be aware that this might heavily reduce the functionality and appearance of our site. Otherwise you will be prompted again when opening a new browser window or new a tab. d. And whatever he does shall prosper: It isn’t that the righteous man has a “Midas Touch,” and everything he does makes him rich and comfortable. i. way of the wicked--All their plans will end in disappointment and ruin ( Psalms 37:13 , 146:8 , Proverbs 4:19 ). Our website uses cookies to store user preferences. DIVISION. nor sit in company with scoffers. This psalm has a good deal in common with Proverbs 2:12-15, 20 ⦠] Biblical Commentary (Bible study) Psalm 1 EXEGESIS: CONTEXT: This is a wisdom psalm, calling people to follow the path of righteousness to obtain the blessings that God confers on the righteous. iii. - Psalm 150:6. Psalm 1 Resources Psalms Commentaries & Sermons Psalms - Devotionals by Spurgeon Psalms - Devotionals by Spurgeon 2 Psalms - Our Daily Bread Psalms - Our Daily Bread 2 Psalms - Today in the Word Psalms - Today in the Word 2 Psalms - Today in the Word 3 Psalms - Our Daily Homily - F.B. It may often seem like the ungodly have these things, and sometimes it seems they have them more than the righteous. a. We fully respect if you want to refuse cookies but to avoid asking you again and again kindly allow us to store a cookie for that. His heart was never meant to be a vacuum. We can say these speak of thinking, behaving, and belonging. PSALM 1 * True Happiness in Godâs Law I. The ungodly are not so: Everything true about the righteous man – stable as a tree, continual life and nourishment, fruitful, alive, and prosperous – is not so regarding the ungodly. 2. law--all of God's word then written, especially the books of Moses (compare Psalms 119:1 Psalms 119:55 Psalms 119:97 , &c.). If not filled with the best things, it will be filled with the unworthy and disappointing.” (Spurgeon). The psalm is a regular part of Jewish, Catholic, Anglican, and Protestant liturgies. like the chaff--which, by Eastern modes of winnowing against the wind, was utterly blown away. a. Psalm 1 Commentary: Verse 5 Contrasted with Verse 6. The righteous man and the ungodly man are different in how they think, how they behave, and to whom they belong. The series loosely follows Walter Brueggemannâs typology that in life we ⦠Continue reading "Commentary on Psalm 1:1-6" You can also change some of your preferences. Click to enable/disable _gid - Google Analytics Cookie. What makes you happy? The psalmist describes this in Psalm 1: The person âwhose delight is in the law of the Lord . Walks not…nor stands…nor sits: The blessed man does not do certain things. Why? Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. With all the advice that comes to us, from so many different sources, the righteous man knows how to stay away from the counsel of the ungodly. But are like the chaff which the wind drives away. They shall be driven from among the good ( Matthew 25:45 Matthew 25:46 ). b. A preacher once told me that he had read the Bible through twenty times on his knees and had never found the doctrine of election there. iv. You are free to opt out any time or opt in for other cookies to get a better experience. 3. like a tree--( Jeremiah 17:7 Jeremiah 17:8 ). He delights in it. Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it (Matthew 7:13). That about covers it all! Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. Blessed is the man: The Hebrew word esher is here translated blessed, which has the idea of happiness or contentment. Fruit also has a season. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, In contrast â Psalm 1:6 â God is personally acquainted and familiar with the way of the righteous. The LORD knows the way of the righteous: The righteous can have peace because a loving God in heaven knows their way, and will protect and preserve them. They do not even consider if counsel is godly or ungodly. b 3 He is like a tree c. planted near streams of water, This is a good way to see what is important to you. i. 1â3). These cookies collect information that is used either in aggregate form to help us understand how our website is being used or how effective our marketing campaigns are, or to help us customize our website and application for you in order to enhance your experience. We use cookies to let us know when you visit our websites, how you interact with us, to enrich your user experience, and to customize your relationship with our website. You always can block or delete cookies by changing your browser settings and force blocking all cookies on this website. Psalm 1:1 - Psalm 1:2. The righteous man does not have these signs of death and dryness; his “leaves” are green and alive. This can be done by carefully thinking about each word and phrase, applying it to one’s self, and praying it back to the Lord. What gets you excited? The person who wants to be blessed must not walk the road of those who rebel against God, have no fear of him, and constantly consider themselves above Him and his Law. If youâre interested in the original first edition, check out Word Biblical Commentary, Volume 19: Psalms 1â50.. Get the full Word Biblical Commentary (WBC) (61 vols. Tweet. But in Christian meditation, the goal is to fill your mind with the word of God. If he had sat in an easy chair he would have been better able to understand it.” (Spurgeon). The righteous can have the confidence of Psalm 16:11: You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore. Look after Psalm 5 to learn what the word "righteous" means. These cookies are strictly necessary to provide you with services available through our website and to use some of its features. Christians should meditate on God’s word! Note that blocking some types of cookies may impact your experience on our websites and the services we are able to offer. Proud member
Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment: Because the ungodly have no “weight,” they will be found lacking on the day of judgment. If you do not want that we track your visit to our site you can disable tracking in your browser here: We also use different external services like Google Webfonts, Google Maps, and external Video providers. He will do it all by himself. Psalms 1:1 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. But all were written by the inspiration of the Holy Ghost; and no part of the Old Testament is more frequently quoted or referred to in the New. b. This is how unstable, how lacking in substance, the ungodly are. The righteous man is delighted with the word of God! The righteous man is not afraid to take a less-traveled road, because he knows it leads to blessing, happiness, and eternal life. Chapter 1. “Blessed means supremely happy or fulfilled. All rights reserved. 2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. The righteous man will not sit in that seat! Because these cookies are strictly necessary to deliver the website, refuseing them will have impact how our site functions. That brings forth its fruit in its season, Psalm 1 is the first psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in the English King James Version: "Blessed is the man".The Book of Psalms is part of the third section of the Hebrew Bible, and a book of the Christian Old Testament.In Latin, this psalm is known as Beatus vir or Beatus vir, qui non abiit.. He who acts by bad counsel may soon do evil deeds; and he who abandons himself to evil doings may end his life in total apostasy from God.” (Clarke). a. As Jesus spoke of bearing fruit in John 15:5, as we abide in Him. in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the way * of sinners,. c. Walks not in the counsel of the ungodly: The ungodly have counsel, and the righteous man will not walk in it. ii. i. July 28, 2015 Comments Off on Psalm 1: Brief Exegetical Commentary read Studies/Sermons. Psalm 1 is an introductory Psalm, a kind of gateway to the rest, where all kinds of qualities are mentioned. They are on a broad path that may seem comfortable now and the path gives them lots of company, but in the end they shall perish. Our own conscience, our own mind, our own heart, can give us ungodly counsel. Martin Luther said that he could not live in paradise without the word of God, but he could live well enough in hell with it. But this will always prompt you to accept/refuse cookies when revisiting our site. For the LORD knows the way of the righteous, © Copyright - Enduring Word | . Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous: This is true in the future, because sinners will not share the same glorious future of the righteous. Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible, California - Do Not Sell My Personal Information. As it was said of King Belshazzar in the book of Daniel, You have been weighed in the balances, and found wanting (Daniel 5:27). First, it means the righteous man knows how to discern the counsel of the ungodly. Commentary for Psalms 1 David was the penman of most of the psalms, but some evidently were composed by other writers, and the writers of some are doubtful. “Meditation chews the cud, and gets the sweetness and nutritive virtue of the Word into the heart and life: this is the way the godly bring forth much fruit.” (Ashwood, cited by Spurgeon), iii. We need 2 cookies to store this setting. The basis of this condition and character is given ( Psalms 32:1 ). You can check these in your browser security settings. Copyright © 2021, Bible Study Tools. 4. not so--either as to conduct or happiness. b. by--or, "over." c. Whose leaf also shall not wither: Brown, dead, withered leaves are signs of death and dryness. The use of the plural may denote fulness and variety ( 2 Chronicles 9:7 ). Some get discouraged when they begin to walk as righteous men, and fruit is not immediately evident. . i. And so the last two verses contrast the final end of these two types of people. But it is not so! And Paul writes in Galatians 5 that those who walk in step with the Spirit are marked by âlove, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-controlâ (vv. Commentary on Psalms - Volume 1 by John Calvin. Blessed is the man Other people delight in the activities in Psalm 1:1 â godless advice, lifestyle, and associations. Water or not so you can check these in your browser security settings tree (! Opposite state of the ungodly are not able to understand it. ” ( Spurgeon ) a Psalm of for... So Christ calleth it, Luke 20:42 8 is an exception in Book 1, Walter Bouzard! 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