Psalm 1 v1) This Psalm pronounces a blessing upon any man that avoids three things listed in this

verse. A man is said to be blessed if he does not walk in the counsel of the ungodly. Why would this be so? For one, God destroys the counsel of the heathen(Psalm 33:10). Therefore, those who walk in the counsel of the ungodly or heathen will end up being destroyed, and it is a dreadful thing to be destroyed by God. So it can be easily seen why a man would be happy if he does not walk in the counsel of the ungodly. What about standing in the way of sinners? According to verse six of this very same Psalm, the way of the ungodly will perish. On top of this, God does not allow the way of the wicked to prosper. In fact, Psalm 146:9 says that God turns the way of the wicked upside-down. Poor standers! They stand in a way that will be interrupted by God and will end up perishing. Wouldn't you, reader, be happy if you did not stand in the way of sinners? I'd hope so.. As you can expect, those who sit in the seat of the scornful do not have a pretty ending either. Proverbs 19:29 states, Judgments are prepared for scorners, and stripes for the back of fools. Judgments, especially judgments from God, will not make any person happy. So what will make the man who avoids these things happy? The answer is in the next verse. v2) The blessed man has his delight in the law of God, which is said to be more desirable than a large quantity of high quality gold(Psalm 19:10). According to Proverbs 3:1-2, the keeper of the law will obtain long life and peace, and Joshua 1:8 adds that the doer of the law will prosper in all that he does. No wonder the blessed man meditates on the law so often. If he meditates on the law and keeps it, it furnishes him with a long, prosperous, and peaceful life. There are also other benefits that come to the man who delights in God's law and meditates upon it. V3) A metaphor is used to compare the man who loves God's law and meditates on it to a fruitful and flourishing tree. There are very similar verses in Jeremiah that are worth quoting. In Jeremiah 17:7-8, it says Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit. It seems to me that the man in Psalm 1 and the man in Jeremiah 17 are the same person. Those who delight in God's law and keep His law have to be those who trust in Him, for they are living their lives in a way that is completely different from the majority of society. As a result, the man lives a productive life. He does not become productive or fruitful through His own power and might, but he naturally becomes fruitful and productive through His continual connection with God(See John 15:5). v4) Compared to the blessed man in verse three, the ungodly are not like him. The ungodly do not prosper in the things that they do. They are as chaff and are swept away by the wind. According to Matthew 3:12, the chaff will be burned up with unquenchable fire. As this psalm is progressing, it seems more and more undesirable to be ungodly. Ungodly people along with their works will be destroyed. They are not useful. They do not prosper, and will be destroyed by God if they don't repent. V5) Isn't it obvious at this point that the ungodly will not stand in the judgment? These ungodly men will most likely utter the words found in Revelation 6:15-17. They will realize that because of the way that they lived their lives, they are unprepared to meet God. Their desire will be to hide from God when He returns. It sounds to me that these ungodly men are experiencing shame. They may think that they

are prospering in their own ways at first, but when they realize that they are to be judged according to all of their wicked works, they mourn and try to hide. V6) God knows the way that the righteous will end up. The righteous will have an everlasting inheritance(Psalm 37:18), while the wicked will have a temporary dwelling place in this earth. Though it may seem to some that the ungodly prosper on this earth, from what has been explained before and what Psalm 37 says, it will be seen that the ungodly lose out on too much in the long run. Psalm 37:1-2 states Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb. The saints can be joyful on this earth though the condition of this world is not ideal. As the saints continue to do God's will, they will prosper and have peace while they patiently wait in anticipation for the fulfillment of God's promises(Hebrews 10:36). On the other hand, the ungodly may seem to be prospering, but the end of their lives will come quickly and they will end up losing everything for which they have worked so hard. Psalm 1 is a simple contrast between the godly and ungodly man. The godly man loves God's law, studies His law, and keeps His law. As a result, he lives a lengthy, prosperous, and useful life. On the other hand, the ungodly man does what he pleases and may seem to prosper on earth while probation lingers. He may be the richest man on the planet and may rejoice in his wealth, but when its time for him to be judged, he will forsake his coveted treasures(See Isaiah 2:20) and will gnash his teeth with regret(See Matthew 13:42). What shall you choose reader? The blessed way of the godly man, or the cursed path of the ungodly? The choice is totally up to you...