“Blessed is the one
who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
or sit in the company of mockers,
but whose delight is in the law of the LORD,
and who meditates on his law day and night.” (Psalm 1:1-2, NIV)
We use other people as examples and benchmarks for our lives all the time.
We consistently take a person, hold them up in front for everyone to see, and then say, “Here is how you ought to live.” And, to be honest, it’s not a bad idea if the person has their stuff together. It’s even (in at least some sense) biblical. Paul did that with Jesus and then with himself (1 Cor. 11:1).
What’s this have to do with Psalm 1?
As you can see from the verses above in Psalm 1, the psalmist does something similar there. However, the difference is that the psalmist is not holding up a particular person for us to compare ourselves to; he’s holding up blueprint of a type. He presents the type in Psalm 1 and calls this type: “the one.”
Instead of saying look to Abraham or look to Moses or look to Joshua, he describes this type of person we ought to look to by pointing to several important characteristics. The decision we then have is: Am I going to use this type described in Psalm 1 and compare myself with it?
“The one” in Psalm 1:1-2 is described as the psalmist shows what he does and, at the same time, does not do. But even before the description is given, we’re told by the psalmist that this “one” is blessed. Therefore, we should read the description in light of that “blessed” label given.
Blessed is the one.
What does this blessed one do? Well, the first thing to notice is actually three things that the blessed one does not do. And they are:
He does not walk in step with the wicked.
He does not stand in the way that sinners take.
He does not sit in the company of mockers.
Three things the blessed one does not do that each play a part in describing who this blessed one is. This blessed one’s life is marked by the fact that he doesn’t stay in line with what wicked people do. He’s out of step with them—he doesn’t fit in with their group. He also doesn’t stand upon the same foundation as sinners. The ground he’s decided to plant is feet upon is unmistakably different than that of the sinners around him. Lastly, he doesn’t find himself involved with those who mock. Simply put, it’s not the company he keeps.
The psalmist is great here because he gives us those descriptions in a way we can easily remember. The blessed one does not walk, stand, or sit with the wicked, sinners, or mockers.
Still, what does the blessed one do?
He does one thing in particular; he delights in the law of Yahweh and meditates on that law day and night. In other words, the blessed one finds joy in Scripture and, because he’s found joy in Scripture, his joy spills over into mediation. Meditation that lasts day and night.
A quick note on the transition from the specific “law of Yahweh” to “Scripture” in general.There’s no question the psalmist has the law as his immediate reference for the joy and meditation. However, as can be seen throughout the rest of the Bible, the terms law, prophets, and writings, all fall into the general category of Scripture within the Old Testament. So, even though the psalmist is specifically saying the blessed one finds joy in and meditates day and night on the law, I think it’s biblically appropriate to extend that reference out to Scripture in general as the place where we find joy and meditate.
Meditating day and night—can you imagine that? It seems impossible. Kind of like praying without ceasing.
I grant that it seems impossible, however, that’s until we come to see it less as a particular activity to be devoted to 24 hours a day and more like a way of life. A way of life in the sense that everything you do has a foundation of Scripture to it. You begin to process everything in light of Scripture. You find your joy in Scripture and that joy helps fuel your meditation and then you find more joy. It’s a wonderful circular pattern to fall in to.
This is the life of the blessed one. Abstain from certain things in order to give yourself fully to other better things.