When reading the first Psalm, what first came to mind was how obviously relevant it is to today’s society. Today, we have three types of people: those who follow God (v.1-3 and 6a); they are called blessed. Those who prefer evil (v.4-6b); they are called wicked.
Compare how Spurgeon opens the two sermons below:
The Blessed – IT is an old saying and possibly a true one, that every man is seeking after happiness. If it be so, then every man should read this Psalm, for this directs us where happiness is to be found in its highest degree and purest form. “Blessed,” says David, “is such and such a man,” and the word which he uses is, in the original, exceedingly expressive. It implies a sort of plurality of blessedness—“Blessednesses are to the man,” and it is scarcely known whether the word is an adjective or a noun, as if the blessedness qualified the whole of life and was, in itself, better even than life itself.
The chaff – And who are the ungodly? Are they open and wilful sinners—men who take God’s name in vain, and curse, and blaspheme—men who break the laws of man, the laws of the state—men who are scarcely to be trusted with liberty? Certainly these are included, but these are not mainly intended. While such men come under the category of “sinners” and “scorners,” there is another class expressly aimed at by the term “ungodly.”
Finally, those who sit on the fence and attempt goodness on their own; they do not openly commit evil acts, but neither do they openly obey God. God calls these folks out in Revelation 3:14-18, but that is a different study.
The ending comment from the Ps. 1 summary below reads: Psalm 1 is not merely advice; it is a promise. “For the LORD knows the way of the righteous” (1:6). He watches, guards, and delights in the one who delights in Him. Root down, drink deeply, and let your life grow green in every season.
Maybe it is just me, but I doubt that most folks would prefer to be called evil (Chaff, Wicked…) instead of blessed. Is the path a Christian walks always smooth? Absolutely not, yet if we embrace the narrow path, we will have hills to climb along the way. The difference is that we have God on our side, who promises to be with us along the whole journey.
May y’all be truly blessed this Lord’s Day; may He shine brightly upon your path.
STUDY
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Psalm 1 Summary – Bible Hub
TREASURY OF DAVID PSALM 1 – C.H. Spurgeon
Two Ways to Live (Psalm 1) – Reformation 21
SERMONS
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