The Gospel in Psalm 1

1 Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
2 but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. 3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. 4 The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. 5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; 6 for the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.(Psalm 1).

C.S. Lewis said, “The most valuable thing the Psalms do for me is to express the same delight in God which made David dance”. It strikes me that delighting in the Lord (and therefore in His Word) is the primary characteristic of the blessed person described in Psalm 1. One would expect verses 1 and 2 to go like this:  Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers, but walks righteously. Although that would be a true statement, that is not what is emphasized in Psalm 1. According to the psalmist, the opposite of walking in unrighteousness is delighting in the Lord. Indeed, “Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever." (The Westminster Shorter Catechism).

Christ, the Righteous One

The blessed person in Psalm 1 is the one who delights in the Lord, so much so that he regularly meditates on God’s word in order to know what pleases God (or what does not) and to walk according to it. That person makes a point not to do the things that God hates. Because of this, he is firmly rooted in him and lack no spiritual strength/food. He is constantly fed, pruned and grown by God. If we read Psalm 1 soberly, we know we fall short of being the Righteous person described. Ultimately, Christ alone delighted in God perfectly. Psalm 1 is a picture of the perfect and righteous life of Jesus.

The Gospel in Psalm 1

If we are in Christ by faith, his righteousness is imputed to us (1 Peter 3:18; 2 Corinthians 5:21). Our righteousness is not inherent but comes from him. It is both a status and an inner transformation that happens as we walk with him. Our hearts and minds are transformed (and being transformed) so that we grow in delighting in the Lord. We are firmly rooted in him and lack no spiritual strength/food. We are constantly fed, pruned, and grown by God. We will stand in the Judgment, not because of our own moral or intellectual superiority to the wicked but because we are IN the Righteous One (John 15:1-11).

The wicked are not so. The wicked does not delight in the Lord but in doing the things that God hates. They have no root or food to sustain them. They have no life in them because they are not in Christ. They are like chaff that the wind blows away. Therefore, the wicked will not stand in the judgment.

We, the Blessed Ones

As Christians, Psalm 1 should cause us to greatly rejoice in God’s salvation. Through and in Christ alone, we are the righteous ones described — we are the ones whose ways are watched by the Lord as a Father watches over his children; we are the ones who will not be blown away by the winds and storms of life because we stand on the solid rock of Christ; we are the ones who will stand in the Judgment because Christ’s works are credited to us; we are the ones who can truly experience delighting in the Lord because God’s Spirit lives in us and gives us new hearts. We are the blessed ones!