Here is Psalm 1 from the New King James Version (NKJV):
Psalm 1 (NKJV)
The Way of the Righteous and the End of the Ungodly
- Blessed is the man
Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,
Nor stands in the path of sinners,
Nor sits in the seat of the scornful; - But his delight is in the law of the Lord,
And in His law he meditates day and night. - He shall be like a tree
Planted by the rivers of water,
That brings forth its fruit in its season,
Whose leaf also shall not wither;
And whatever he does shall prosper. - The ungodly are not so,
But are like the chaff which the wind drives away. - Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment,
Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. - For the Lord knows the way of the righteous,
But the way of the ungodly shall perish.
This Psalm contrasts the righteous (who follow God’s ways and are blessed) with the ungodly (who ultimately perish). Let me know if you’d like a breakdown or explanation!
Detailed Commentary on Psalm 1 verse by verse
Psalm 1 verse 1 Commentary
Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,Nor stands in the path of sinners,Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
let’s start with a question for proper understanding.
- What does it mean to walk in the counsel of the ungodly?
We all know what counsel means, it’s listening to advice and directives from another person, when you talk advice from an individual or entity you’re definitely walking in their counsel, hence the bible needs us to be careful who we listen to.
In these days of information explosion from many sources both print and digital we as Christians need to filter what we take in and what we allow to influence us. The abundant information everywhere can be good or bad, but I’m absorbing that counsel we’ve seen on social media on that podcast , YouTube we should be able to understand and choose what to take in.
Because whatever advice we take on will definitely shape our perception and decisions in our day to day lifestyle and now more than ever we need to be closer to God by listening to his words in true and absolute obedience.
Who is an individual that the bible sees as ungodly a sinner or a scornful person ?
Some would answer that an UnGodly individual is a non believer, but that is far from the truth. That term as an umbrella covers anyone who does not live by the rules given to us by God himself. Calling ourselves Christians is not sufficient, only those whose very lifestyles embody the life of a true Christian are Godly. So be very careful who you listen to.
Psalm I Verse 2 Meaning and Commentary
But his delight is in the law of the Lord,And in His law he meditates day and night.
Now this Verse takes it a step further. You are blessed if you abide by verse 1 of psalm 1 however you must go further and delight and meditate on the law of God. And where can we find this law? Aside from the 10 commandments which are is a solid code of conduct for Christians, Jesus christ also enjoined us to love our neighbours as we love ourselves. And many other instructions given to us all over the bible. We must delight in them, read them, meditate over them so that we do not forget what is expected of us as children of God. So to abide by psalm 1 verse 2, it is paramount that we study and meditate over there bible daily.
Psalm 1 Verse 3 Meaning And Commentary
He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water,That brings forth its fruit in its season,Whose leaf also shall not wither;And whatever he does shall prosper
Verse 3 is telling us the reward for obedience to the instruction given us in the previous. What these words mean is untold blessings from God shall be our portion. We all know that trees planted by the river does not lack. Hence God is letting us know that by obeying him, we will be provided for according to the riches of his glory.
Psalm 1 verse 4 & 5 Meaning and Commentary
The ungodly are not so,But are like the chaff which the wind drives away.
Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment,Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.
Here God let’s us know the faith of all Ungodly sinners and what will befall them. When the Bible says the Ungodly are like chaff it means as a nsinner your life is empty. Look around us today and see people desperate to feel something wallowing in drugs over consuming Meaningless content, some with porn addiction etc. If we are closer to God we do not feel so empty and look for distractions to male us feel alive. That is one of the benefits we get from serving God. Sin makes us soo empty we become like chaff and lose the inheritance that is rightfully ours as children of God.
Psalm 1 Verse 6 Meaning and Commentary
For the Lord knows the way of the righteous,But the way of the ungodly shall perish.
The last Verse is simple and straightforward. The righteous are acknowledged by God and a warning is given to the Ungodly because of doom and ruination await Ungodly behaviour. And sadly some people start suffering consequences of their actions here on earth even before the final judgment by God.w
In conclusion we must be careful and endeavour to walk in the ways of God to avoid sad consequences of disobedience to God.
