# Psalm 01 📖: The Two Ways [[📚 Explore the Bible Books]] [[-Psalm Overview]] | [[Job 42]] | [[Psalm 02]] > [!info] Table of Contents > [[#📜 Scripture Text (NET)]] > [[#📖 Verse-by-Verse Commentary]] > [[#🤔 Interesting Facts / Historical and Cultural Insights]] > [[#🧠 Chapter Summary]] > [[#✝️ Christ in This Chapter]] > [[#🔎 Key Observations / 🛟 Life Application]] > [[#💬 Discussion Questions]] > [[#✍️ Key Verses to Remember]] > [[#🔗 Related Passages]] > [[#🙏 Devotional Reflection]] > [[#📂 Internal Notes]] ## 📜 Scripture Text (NET) ## Book 1 ([Psalms 1-41](https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ps.1-Ps.41&version=NET)) ### Psalm 1 [[#Verse 01.]] How blessed is the one who does not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand in the pathway with sinners, or sit in the assembly of scoffers. [[#Verse 02.]] Instead he finds pleasure in obeying the Lord’s commands; he meditates on his commands day and night. [[#Verse 03.]] He is like a tree planted by flowing streams; it yields its fruit at the proper time, and its leaves never fall off. He succeeds in everything he attempts. [[#Verse 04.]] Not so with the wicked! Instead they are like wind-driven chaff. [[#Verse 05.]] For this reason the wicked cannot withstand judgment, nor can sinners join the assembly of the godly. [[#Verse 06.]] Certainly the Lord guards the way of the godly, but the way of the wicked ends in destruction. ## 📖 Verse-by-Verse Commentary ###### Overall. ###### Verse 01. ###### Verse 02. ###### Verse 03. ###### Verse 04. ###### Verse 05. ###### Verse 06. ## 🤔 Interesting Facts / Historical and Cultural Insights **Five Interesting Facts** 1. Psalm 1 serves as the **introduction to the entire Book of Psalms**. 2. It is considered a **Wisdom Psalm**, similar in style to Proverbs. 3. It contrasts **the righteous and the wicked** using a simple but powerful structure. 4. The imagery of a **tree planted by streams of water** symbolizes stability and fruitfulness. 5. It introduces the key theme of **meditating on God's law**. **Author**: The author is **unknown** (anonymous), though traditionally many associate it with the **early Davidic period**. 1. Psalm 1 has no superscription, which fits its role as the doorway into the whole book. 2. The first Hebrew word, *ashre*, means "blessed" or "happy," and the same word closes Psalm 2 (2:12), framing the two psalms together. 3. The verbs walk, stand, and sit (1:1) picture a slow slide from casual contact with sin to settled comfort in it. 4. The Hebrew word for "meditate" (*hagah*) means to murmur or mutter, picturing someone reading Scripture aloud to themselves. 5. The same word *hagah* is used for the plotting of the nations in Psalm 2:1, a deliberate contrast between two kinds of meditation. 6. The tree is "planted" (1:3), a word that suggests being transplanted on purpose beside irrigation channels. 7. Chaff is the light husk blown away when farmers tossed grain into the wind on a threshing floor. 8. Joshua 1:8 gives a very similar command to meditate on the law day and night. 9. Jeremiah 17:7-8 uses the same tree-by-water image for the person who trusts in the Lord. 10. The Hebrew word *torah* (1:2) means instruction or teaching, not only a list of rules. ## 🧠 Chapter Summary Psalm 1 functions like a **gateway into the Psalms**. It explains that the book will show the difference between those who follow God and those who reject Him. Instead of being a prayer or song like many psalms, it reads more like wisdom literature that describes the blessed life. ## ✝️ Christ in This Chapter Christ is the truly blessed Man of Psalm 1 who delighted perfectly in the Father's instruction (John 8:29). He is the fruitful tree, and those who abide in Him bear lasting fruit (John 15:5). ## 🔎 Key Observations / 🛟 Life Application > [!note] 🌱 Still growing. This section is on its way. ## 💬 Discussion Questions 1. The blessed person avoids walking, standing, and sitting with the wicked (1:1). What does this downward progression teach about how sin draws us in? 2. What does it look like in real life to delight in and meditate on God's instruction day and night (1:2)? 3. The righteous are like a tree and the wicked like chaff (1:3-4). Which image describes your spiritual life right now, and why? ## ✍️ Key Verses to Remember - 📖 verse 1: The blessed person refuses the counsel, path, and company of the wicked. - 📖 verse 2: True delight is found in meditating on the Lord's law day and night. - 📖 verse 6: The Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked ends in ruin. ## 🔗 Related Passages - 🔗 [[Joshua 01#Verse 08.|Joshua 1:8]] - Meditate on God's law day and night. - 🔗 [[Jeremiah 17#Verse 07.|Jeremiah 17:7-8]] - The one who trusts the Lord is like a tree by water. - 🔗 [[John 15#Verse 05.|John 15:5]] - Those who abide in Christ bear much fruit. - 🔗 [[Matthew 07#Verse 24.|Matthew 7:24-27]] - The wise and foolish builders. - 🔗 [[Psalm 119#Verse 97.|Psalm 119:97]] - Oh how I love Your law. ## 🙏 Devotional Reflection 📝 SOAP: [[Psalm 01- SOAP|God’s Word Brings Joy]] ## 📂 Internal Notes