1 Blessed is the man that walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful.

2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law does he meditate day and night.

3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper.

4 The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind drives away.

5 Therefore the ungodly shall 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 ungodly shall perish.

the Two Ways and the Two Ends

Psa 1:1-6

Like a signpost, this psalm points the road to blessedness. The opening word may be read, Oh, the blessedness! The psalm begins with the same message as the Sermon on the Mount, Mat 5:1-48. Beneath the lintel of benediction we pass into the temple of praise.

Blessedness is obtainable in two ways: negatively, we may avoid the society of the irreligious; positively, we must enter the company of prophets and kings, of psalmists and historians, and especially of God Himself, speaking in Scripture. Do not simply read the Bible; meditate upon it. Better one verse really masticated than a whole chapter bolted.

The rewards are, to be planted by rivers, to bear fruit, and to prosper. See Gen 39:3-4; Gen 49:22. How blessed it is, also, to realize that God knows and loves! See Psa 56:8. The sinner begins with ungodliness, goes on to scorning, and ends as chaff, Mat 13:30.