☰ PSALMS 1
PSALM
BOOK ONE
1
The Righteous and the Wicked Contrasted.
1  *Blessed [fortunate, prosperous, and favored by God] is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked [following their advice and example],
Nor stand in the path of sinners,
Nor sit [down to rest] in the seat of †scoffers (ridiculers).
2 But his delight is in the law of the Loʀᴅ,
And on His law [His precepts and teachings] he [habitually] meditates day and night. [Rom 13:8-10; Gal 3:1-29; 2 Tim 3:16]
3 And he will be like a tree firmly planted [and fed] by streams of water,
Which yields its fruit in its season;
Its leaf does not wither;
And in whatever he does, he prospers [and comes to maturity]. [Jer 17:7, 8]
 
4 The wicked [those who live in disobedience to God’s law] are not so,
But they are like the chaff [worthless and without substance] which the wind blows away.
5 Therefore the wicked will not stand [unpunished] in the judgment,
Nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
6 For the Loʀᴅ knows and fully approves the way of the righteous,
But the way of the wicked shall perish.
* 1:1 This has been called “The Preface Psalm” because in some respects it introduces the complete book of Psalms as a godly message. It opens with a benediction, “Blessed,” as does the Sermon on the Mount (Matt 5:3). † 1:1 I.e. shallow thinkers who are quick to mock or disdain.
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