Psalm 1 (Part 1) The Two Ways of Life
Psalm 1:1-6
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[b] 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.
There are 150 psalms in the Bible. 50 of them are psalms of praise, the other 100 are known as psalms of grief. This is similar to our life, rather than giving thanks to God, we often complain. Psalm is a representation of our lives, because 1/3 is praise and 2/3 is complaints and grief.
Psalm 1 is considered the key of life, and it describes 2 ways of life; a choice we make. We can have a blessed life, or a not blessed life.
Are you walking in the direction of the blessed life or not blessed life?
There are 2 different types of blessings in the Bible, one is that is not deserved, given to us through grace. The other blessing is given to only those who deserve it. A misconception is that regardless of what we choose to do, God will protect us and give us what we need in our lives. However, there are many passages about men and how they need to take responsibility for their lives.
How can we receive the blessings we deserve? We shouldn’t do what we aren’t supposed to do.
Don’t stand in the way of sinners
Don’t sit in the seat of scoffers
Don’t walk in the counsel of the wicked
Wicked – those who feel guilty about their sin and repent quickly
Sinners – stand on the line, they keep doing the wrong doing even though they know it’s wrong
Scoffers – they no longer have guilt, but rather justify their wrong actions. Also known as prideful, haughty, arrogant. They refuse to be rebuked or corrected. They no longer repent.
It is important to develop good habits very early in our spiritual life in order to avoid the great efforts it takes to correct bad habits.
What kind of life would you like to lead? In psalms 1, it shows you 2 distinct ways you could choose to live your life. It isn’t God who decides what kind of life you chose, it is you.
Reflection Questions:
What are some of the ways we may walk in the ways of the ungodly or sit in the seat of the scornful?
