Psalm 1 is considered to be an intentional preface to the whole book of psalms, just as Psalm 150 is considered to be a conclusion of praise. Psalm 1 contrasts the wicked and the righteous and promotes the meditation of God’s word as the foundation for our walk in righteousness. Since these psalms were designed to be sung, this speaks of how we are to meditate upon God’s word in many different ways, whether singing, reading, hearing, or thinking about them.

Psalm 1 shows us the way to find peace, joy, and victory in our life if we practice these sound Christian disciplines. It also tells us what will happen if we ignore God’s teachings. It is an appropriate preface to the book of psalms. Outside of the Gospels, more Christians have been helped, comforted, and strengthened by the psalms than any other portion of scripture.

There was an old saying years ago that is still pertinent today, "You can’t live like a saint on Sundays and live like the devil the rest of the week." Although not too many of us are that bad, it is certainly true that sometimes there are real life distractions from our walk with God. We need to strive to be in an attitude of prayer, of humility, and of faith throughout the day.

1 Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers.

We ask, What must I do to receive God’s blessings. We want do’s, we don’t want don’ts. But in verse 1 we are given 3 don’ts. We dislike restrictions. Why can’t I do it my own way, we may ask. But here it is in black and white spelled out for us - God’s three don’ts:

1. Don’t walk in the counsel of the wicked. We want to serve God but sometimes we allow our feet to walk to places where we shouldn’t be or we walk by areas of temptation. We need to be careful where we walk.

2. Don’t stand in the way of sinners. How can I get in trouble by just standing? I’m not doing anything. But by associating with those we shouldn’t, their influence is affecting our inner spiritual self. We will become numb to sin. Also, our presence is a tacit approval of their behavior. Of course, we are not to live secluded in ivory towers, but we must be careful how we spend our time and with whom we spend it.

3. Don’t sit in the seat of the mockers. Sitting, relaxing, taking it easy are all good in their time, but too often we get complacent. We would rather sit watching television than witnessing to our neighbors; we would rather sit on the bank fishing than go to church. We’re too tired to get up from the easy chair to do God’s work.

Notice that this verse represents a declining progression of the spiritual state. First we are only walking by those who are wicked. But then we decide to stand around and listen to what they have to say. Finally, we decide to get comfortable and sit down with those who are not pleasing God. In fact the Hebrew word for sit is

yashab which means dwelling place.

Jamison-Fausset-Brown points out, "...from ‘walking in the counsel’ in the downward steps of sin, one goes on to ‘standing in the way’ and from this to ‘sitting in the seat.’ From associating with the ungodly ... one passes to the way of sinners.... The crowning of this awful declension is sitting, as in one’s habitual place, among scorners...."

In Paul’s letter to Ephesians, he gives us the way Christians are to walk, stand, and sit.

• Ephesians 4:1, "I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called."
• Ephesians 6:11, "Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes."
• Ephesians 2:6, "And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus."

2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.

How do we get to the point where we delight in God’s law? Have you ever reached a mental block in your Bible study? Have you sometimes found reading the Bible to be boring, especially the Old Testament parts that have a lot of "begats"? I firmly believe every Christian should find God’s word exciting. If we’ve lost that excitement, how do we get it back? The number one way to truly delight in God’s word is to ... discipline ourselves to get into his word. We must make a conscious effort to dig for God’s truth no matter how we feel. As we discipline our minds to study, an excitement comes. But the first step is to open the book and start.

Christian meditation occurs when a person considers something about God and quietly focuses their mind on that truth. Scriptures in the Bible can be the focus of meditation, but anything about God - his mercy, his love, his majesty, his power, his kindness - can all be causes for meditation. Christian meditation is when we quietly reflect on the things of God. It is different from prayer in that we are not communing with God but we are reflecting on his word or his attributes. It is different from Bible reading since we are passively reflecting instead of actively reading, although we can be meditating on a scripture we just read. It is not like eastern meditation, since we are always cognizant of our thoughts and we never enter into a trance-like state. The focus of Christian meditation is always on God, something about God, or on God’s care for us. Verse 2 encourages us to meditate on God’s law day and night.

Jamison-Fausset-Brown tells us, "Meditation...is to reading the word what digesting is to eating. Without the slow and lengthened process of digestion, food would not nourish the body; without meditation, the Word read will not nourish the soul."

3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.

In verse 3 our efforts are compared to a tree. When we really delight in God’s word, four promises are given:

1. We will be firmly planted. When the storms come, we will not be swayed because our roots run deep. We will be stable in our Christian walk.

2. We will bear fruit. As we dig into the word, we will find Christ’s attributes growing in us. We will become kinder and we will share our testimony with others. We will be steadfast and faithful.

3. Our leaf will not wither. This doesn’t mean we won’t grow feeble with age, but it does mean that no matter what trials or sufferings we may face, our faith will not falter. We will maintain our Christian walk with the same enthusiasm with which we began.

4. Whatever we do will prosper or be successful - not the way the world judges success, but the way God judges it. One of the reasons for this, I believe, is that as we obey God’s word and discipline ourselves to do his will, we feel good about ourselves - after all, this is what God created us to be. This translates into being confident in all our endeavors. Confidence breeds success. Also, we have a helper, the Holy Spirit, who, when we fail, will lead us back toward the road to victory.

All these promises are made to the one who mediates on God and his word. Meditation is a result of discipline. We read the Bible, we pray, and we meditate. This means we must be willing to spend some quiet time alone with God. Much is gained as we quietly sit in God’s presence, much is gained as we ponder scripture throughout the day, much is gained as we consider how God works his will in our life through our daily circumstances. Meditation occurs when we are alone with God, and meditation can continue to occur throughout our day as we consider all that God is teaching us.

To go back to the tree analogy from verse 3, we can see how meditation will help us to grow spiritually through every stage in our lives:

1. As a child raised in the church or as a new believer, we become firmly planted as we become grounded in the word by reading and learning the Bible.

2. As we mature, we begin to bear fruit. A newly-planted tree doesn’t bear fruit right away. It takes time. The fruit we bear will be both inward and outward. Inward fruit grows as our character becomes more Christ-like. Outward fruit grows as we share our faith with others and lead people to Christ.

3. As we approach old age, we do not wither from the weaknesses and illnesses of old age. Our body may decline, but our spirit stays strong. We never lose that youthful zeal that comes from serving God.

4. At the end of our life as we look at our spiritual walk, it is then we understand God’s definition of prosperity or success. Those things we thought were so important when we were younger suddenly seem to lose their luster as we gain a view of spiritual prosperity.

4 Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away.
5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.

Jamison-Fausset-Brown explains, "In the East threshing floors are placed on a height; the threshed corn is thrown aloft for the wind to carry the chaff away."

We may ask, Who are the ungodly? We usually think of people who are wicked, debase, and who engage in all kinds of sinful behavior. But in fact the ungodly is anyone who is not obeying God. It can be a good person, kind, honest, sincere. This kind of person can easily influence a Christian, but their counsel is to be avoided as much as the most wicked sinner. Since they do not put God first in their life. their advice, although well-intended, will be based on the values of the world, instead of spiritual values.

6 For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.

It’s important to realize that God watches over us. He doesn’t give us a task to do and then leave us fighting our own battles - alone and defenseless. God is always with us.

This verses teaches us that we need to be serious in our devotion to God. It is easy to get distracted by the cares of this world and to listen to the voices of confusion, doubt, and deceit. God knows us and directs us into his way. There is only one path on which we must travel. It may have potholes, it may take twists and turns, but God knows the way. He has already chartered our course. It is God who will guide us and show the path.