Nick Uva

1 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. 2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. 3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. 4 The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. 5 Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. 6 For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.

This Psalm sets the tone for the entire book by declaring how blessed our lives will be if we devote ourselves to meditating on the Word of God.

(1) Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.  

• This Psalm begins with a Beatitude, like Jesus’ teaching: “Blessed is the man…” 
• In Hebrew the word really is “blessedness” or “happiness” and is actually plural. So it would be more accurate to translate verses like this by saying, “O, the happinesses of the man who does this or does that…” 
• This Psalm begins, then, by contrasting the godly with the ungodly. In the very first verse there is a progression of evil. The Psalmist shows us how people move from one level of darkness to another: 
  • Walking in the counsel of the ungodly: taking their advice and opinions
  • Standing in the way of sinners: walking in fellowship with them and adopting their manner of living
  • Sitting in the seat of the scornful: he has taken his place among those who mock and attack God and true religion 

(2) But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. (3) And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

• By contrast, the blessed man delights in God’s Law, or Word, and meditates in it. This was the formula for success God had given to Joshua: This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. (Josh. 1:8)
• For the Hebrews, meditation was not what it is in Eastern religion – the emptying of the mind. In the Bible, meditation is the filling of the mind with godly content. This is done primarily by memorization and the repeating to one’s self of the Word. In the ancient world, people seldom read silently, even in libraries, and they would read the words aloud to themselves, muttering it over and over.
• The result of this meditation, as we see in the picture of the tree was
  • Stability – planted
  • Continuous presence of God’s refreshing – by the rivers of water
  • Fruitfulness – bringeth forth his fruit
  • Permanence – his leaf also shall not wither
  • Prosperity – whatsoever he doeth shall prosper

(4) The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. (5) Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. (6) For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.

• Chaff was the useless by-product of the harvest and was separated out from the good grain with fans and the wind. From God’s perspective a person who lives a life like this is “good for nothing” and therefore will not remain among God’s people.
• The last verse has been said to mean that He recognizes the righteous or approves of them, and that He protects them. The ungodly ones can only come to a bad end!