Many Old Testament scholars believe Psalm One was deliberately placed at the beginning of the Psalter. It describes the person who is blessed.

We all want blessed lives. We certainly want God’s favor upon us.

Who is the person who is blessed? What characterizes the blessed life?

Psalm One is a brief and simple psalm. It describes the person who is blessed, and it describes the person who is not blessed. In fact, the Psalm describes the tragic ending of the wicked.

The Psalm is divided into two parts.

The longest part is the way of the blessed. In characteristic fashion, this psalm describes the life of the blessed person.

The second part of the psalm (Psalm 1:5–6) describes the wicked person who does not follow the ways of the Lord.

The psalm shows that we have two choices. We can choose the way of the blessed or we can choose the way of the wicked.

Our choice has tragic consequences. The Psalmist concludes the psalm with these words, “The Lord knows the way of the righteous but the way of the wicked will perish.”

Who is the blessed person?

First, he is the person who walks in the way of righteousness. He does not allow himself to be dragged into the way of the wicked. He doesn’t walk with the wicked, stand with them, or sit with them. Sitting with the wicked means that you have acquiesced to their thoughts and plans. The righteous person does not do this.

Second, the righteous person meditates on the word of the Lord. God’s word is a part of a person who lives righteously. The result of this kind of life is a life truly blessed – – this person is like a tree planted by the waters, strong and secure.

But what about the wicked?

This person is not like the righteous. It is the strongest statement the Psalmist could make about the wicked person. Literally the Hebrew says, “not so are the wicked.” In other words, the wicked are not like trees planted safe, strong, and secure.

The wicked instead are like the chaff which the wind drives away.

We all get two choices. We can choose God and be blessed, or we can choose the way of the wicked and parish.

It doesn’t seem like much of a choice.

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