PLEASE PIN THIS IMAGE - The true meaning hiding within Psalm 1Psalm 1 paints a beautiful picture of a human’s life when inright relationship with God. Its initial words, “Blessed is the man,” kick offthe book of Psalms with soul-soothing hope and an instant burst of encouragement.It just might be a deliberate attempt to ground the reader in thoughts of thebenefits of walking with the Lord before the book segues into the “sufferingPsalms.”

However, thanks to the difficulties of translating Hebrewinto English, and the general ignorance of Christians about ancient Hebrewculture, there are a lot of nuances modern-day believers miss about this grandbook of theologically-laden poetry. So I’ve decided to walk through theprecious book, one psalm at a time, writing an article about each to helpclarify the meanings hidden within each one.

I’m doing it just as much for myself as for you. 😉

Let’s dig into the first Psalm, shall we?

True blessing; and, the “way” concept.

Verse one states, “Blessed is the one who does not walk instep with the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the company ofmockers.”

Let’s first examine the word “blessed.” Translated from theHebrew ashrei, it implies a state ofhappiness or deep well-being. Not a vague blessing from heaven, but theflourishing of a life that is aligned with God’s righteousness. Though thephrase “blessed is the man” sounds passive, it in fact refers to an activestate of choosing a particular way of life.

Speaking of “way”… I don’t know about you, but when I read “standin the way,” I picture a person hanging around sinners, like attending one oftheir parties.

However, the Hebrew word derek which is translated aseither "way" or "path" does not refer to a temporary state or to momentarybehavior. In actuality, it refers to entire life orientation or worldview. Soto stand in the “way” of sinners means that a person is living a willfullysinful life.

Another aspect of this verse which most Christians miss isthat “walk…stand…sit” indicates a gradual progression into wickedness. Halakh (walk) is casual exposure ormovement alongside another. ’Amad(stand) is stopping and lingering. Yashav(sit) is settling in and becoming a part of the group. Flirtation with sin,comfort with sin, full identification with sin.

The verse may be indicating that this progression isdifficult to stop once someone has taken the first step. Thus, the blessedperson is someone who refrains from even contemplating moving toward thewicked, because it is all the easier to remain righteous if one never takes thefirst step, and all the more difficult to repent once one begins walking thatroad.

Meditation versus muttering.

“But whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and whomeditates on His law day and night [vs 2].”

“Law” in this verse refers specifically to the Torah, holyand divinely-inspired instruction and guidance. It’s about living in covenantwith God.

Throughout the Old Testament, you will find the Hebrew word hagah translated into the word for “meditate.”Perhaps back when the printing press was invented, that word carried adifferent connotation for English speakers and was not an inept translation.But today, we think of it as the act of sitting silently while keeping ourminds clear.

However, the Hebrew word means to “mutter” or “growl in alow tone.” The ancient Jews studied and memorized Scripture by muttering itrepetitively to themselves. This correlates with modern education research,which has found that repeating facts or lines of poetry or whatever audibly ismore effective than silent repetition.

This verse isn’t speaking of generic Scripture study,however. The “day and night” at the end of the it hints at something specific,that something being the Shema prayer that was repeated every day, in themorning and in the evening. You’ve probably heard it before: “Hear, O Israel:the Lord our God, the Lord is One.”

It wouldn’t be a bad prayer for Christians to pick up. Afterall, if you’re frequently reminding yourself of God’s presence, and that Healone deserves your worship, it makes stepping into sin a lot less desirable.

The loveliest part of Psalm 1.

“He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yieldsits fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither – whatever he does prospers.”

The Hebrew word shatul,translated as “planted,” implies intentional transplantation rather than wildgrowth. As the Egyptians grew crops near the Nile River, Near Eastern peoplestransplanted desirable trees near irrigation canals to ensure they wouldn’t dieof thirst during the dry periods of the year.

Speaking of irrigation canals, ready to have your brain flipupside down? For hundreds of years, Christians have read “streams of water” inthis verse and envisioned a peaceful scene of a bubbling stream or slow-movingriver flowing through a forest or carving a path between mountains.

In fact, the Hebrew phrase palgei mayim refers to man-made irrigation ditches. While thisinitially might knock the romanticism out of the verse, the Hebrew renderingpacks a lot more punch.

It reflects how God has deliberately placed righteous peoplein a way that they can flourish. It’s about cultivated, sustained blessing.

The chaff and the wind.

Verse four reads, “Not so the wicked! They are like chaffthat the wind blows away.”

Most Westerners these days are far removed from agriculturalpractices, so even those who have been told what chaff is have no practicalexperience with it. If you haven’t, you might consider obtaining a small amountof unhulled wheat and giving the grains careful study. On the outside is ahard, inedible shell, or husk. That’s the chaff. Before the advent of machinesto do the job, farmers would harvest the grain, then throw large handfuls intothe air when it was breezy. The heavier grain would fall back to the groundwhile the wind would carry away the much lighter chaff. The process is called “winnowing.”

Thus, the wicked are portrayed as lightweight, without root,and useless, blown around by circumstances. The verse speaks of how easily,speedily, and thoroughly divine judgment will one day dispense with allwickedness.

Which assembly?

“Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, norsinners in the assembly of the righteous,” states the fifth verse of Psalm 1.

Until I looked it up, I assumed that “assembly” referred toa Temple or synagogue congregation. In fact, the Hebrew word adat which is translated into “assembly”refers to a judicial assembly. In ancient Israel, the community would gather atthe city gate in order to watch and participate in legal proceedings. Per thisverse, people who intentionally commit wrongdoing would have no footing (“notstand”) or legitimacy in God’s justice.

The word “judgment” here comes from ba-mishpat. The phrase can refer to either legal or divine justice.

But the depth of meaning doesn’t end there. The phrase “theassembly of the righteous” translated from the Hebrew edat tzaddizkim, which is covenantal language tied to Israel’sidentity as God’s chosen ones. Thus, the wicked are forbidden from joining God’sgathered people.

Likely as not, this verse served, among other things, as astern warning against giving into the temptation to serve the false gods of thenations that surrounded them.

That's not irrelevant for today. We have the false gods of money, entertainment, sex, drugs, material goods, celebrities... the list goes on.  

Diverging paths.

Verse six: “For the Lord watches over the way of therighteous, but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.”

Oof. If that’s not enough warning to keep your nose clean, Idon’t know what would be!

In this verse, the English translation is particularly inept,because the Hebrew word yada, usuallytranslated as “knows” or “watches over,” implies intimate, experientialknowledge.

It’s the same word use elsewhere in the Bible to expresssexual intimacy in marriage.

God is not distant in the life of those who follow Him.Rather, He is an active participant and guide, living in covenantalrelationship with the believer.

On the other hand, the way of wicked people disintegratesinto nothing. Toveid, translated as “willperish,” can also indicate loss of direction. If you’re feeling spirituallylost, could it be that you’ve moved onto the path of sinners?

It’s worth thinking about. Even strong Christians succumb attimes, and need to yield to the Good Shepherd and allow Him to pull us backinto His flock.

The ten-thousand-foot view.

Most of the Psalms assume community participation, that therighteous are part of a group rooted in God’s law and covenant. It’s probablynot coincidental that the very first Psalm emphasizes the fact.

Similarly, the Torah lifestyle and meditation are notintended solely for private practice, but for public participation, as well.

Finally, the Psalm is a vivid reminder that we have twomajor choices in life, two paths we can take. And the one we choose willdetermine whether or not God will have our backs as we take the journey throughlife.

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