Blessed is the man

who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked,

nor stand in the way of sinners,

nor sit in the seat of mockers,

But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. 

A blessed man is a delighted man, a man who is dwelling in the safety of his Refuge, relieved to be forgiven despite iniquity: he will enjoy God’s forever favor. He is full of satisfaction, because he is redeemed (Titus 2:14). 

Not getting caught up in sin brings joy. Sin is depressing. Instead of walking, standing, and sitting in sin, the blessed man can have happiness in the instruction (law) of the Lord, in the words of God. It is not joyous to get trapped and to go deeper into sin. This is a sneaky battle. Sin starts with words (counsel), moves to participation (way), and then a position (seat) at the table. The fighting, blessed man learns to walk, sit, and stand in holiness. But, this duel brings delight and freedom!

Delight is an activity of the heart, an internal state, where God is experienced. The blessed man wants to glorify God and devour His words. He is hungry, famished, starving. Delighting is devouring not duty. Devour is consistent contemplation, internalizing for direction. Not religiosity, but a need and a genuine desire for help or to be close to God. According to Martin Luther, “no prosperity, nor adversity, nor the world, nor the prince of it, can either take away or destroy” God’s Word; “for it victoriously burst its way through the poverty, evil report, the cross, death, and hell, and in the midst of adversities, shines the brightest.” Delight comes in knowing that though there is failure, there is forgiveness (Psalm 32:1-2). It is not a curse or duty to be in the law (God’s Word), but rather a delight, because of the immense mercy offered.

Meditating means to intently observe, to hunt, compare.  It means to chew the cud-like a cow. Swallow the Word, digest it, spit it back up, and do it again and again and again-getting the sweetness and nutritional value out of the Word. Sometimes I chew gum and get all the sweetness out of it. Chewing on God’s Word is similar. Each time you chew on a new piece, there can be a sweetness and a delight that satisfies. This sweetness helps cure the deeply hurting heart, the painful wounds, the aching of the soul, when nothing else works. Sometimes I chew one piece of gum, but it is not enough, it is too small of a treat, so I must get another and another. Same with God’s Word. Sometimes I just get a little hint of the healing or the truth being told to my tattered heart, but if I keep going a little longer, a little longer, my heart then gets a large dose of medicine, an epiphany, a catharsis.

Notice—truth is needed both in the day and in the darkness of night.

I am a year out from losing my youngest son and over the past six months have realized that reading Psalms really helps with grief. I have long gone to the Psalms when I needed comfort or direction. Now, I see the authors lamenting and then seeking God. Both of these coexisting: being real with the pain, but then remembering the truth of who God is and what His Word says. Grief and Glory. The Psalmists use a lot of metaphors–this helps those who are depressed or grieving. So, I have decided to study them in depth.

Blessed is the man

who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,

nor stands in the way of sinners,

nor sits in the seat of scoffers; 

Psalm 1:1

Psalm 1 was the very first Scripture I had ever studied. I had just become a believer and my friend, Lori, asked me to study the Word together. This became my life chapter.  I remember reading this Psalm and trying to figure out the meaning. I was 18. I read bits of  the Bible the summer before, but after praying to receive Christ as my Savior and Lord in December of 1988, I read the Word and it was different. Things made more sense. It was like blinders had come off. Now, 32 years later, I reread these same verses and there is still more digging to do and more wisdom to see.

Spurgeon reveals that this Psalm is called the “Christian’s Guide”–discovering the quicksand where the ungodly sink and the firm ground where believers stand. Augustine and Jerome claim that this Psalm is intended to describe the character of Jesus. Many see this Psalm as an introduction to the entire book of Psalms.

Blessed. This has been a very hard word for me to get my mind around while grieving. I have had a hard time understanding and believing that I am blessed now, because I am experiencing so much pain. But, the definition of this word helps-blessed means “deep-seated joy and contentment IN GOD”.  It may not be that I am feeling happy. But, I do know, even when I am angry with God (a normal part of grief), that I have a deep-seated joy and contentment–understanding His love for me and sacrifice for me. There is a core joy in my heart beneath all of the tears and hurt. Another definition is “redemptive favor”: the idea that He has redeemed me is what makes me “blessed.” His salvation is what makes me blessed.

This Psalm starts out similarly to the Sermon on the Mount: the first sermon that Jesus gives on the side of the Sea of Galilee to his disciples and listening Pharisees. It is a benediction-the utterance of a blessing upon a group of people.

Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or ungodly. Instead, he walks in the commandments of the Lord which brings the way of peace. Luke 1:79 encourages that the Lord can “give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.” His footsteps are ordered by God’s Word and he does not herd with those who do evil. It is important to remember, though, that hardship and suffering may come, even when we seek God wholeheartedly; however, obedience still brings peace.

The ungodly gives counsel.

The sinner has a way.

The scorner takes a seat.

What is the ungodly’s counsel? He doesn’t care about his salvation or the salvation of others. He advises: don’t trouble yourself with prayer or reading or repentance–thinking his ways are right, even appearing to live rightly. Maybe even taking the part of teacher, counselor, instructor but not being qualified as he does not humble himself to walk in the law of the Lord.

The sinner’s way? Pick your label. Pick your sin. Pick your vice. But, this verse says don’t STAND in it. Stand means to be “firm or fixed” like a column. Don’t stay in it like an ancient column in ruin. We all sin, but we can repent and seek restoration and forgiveness. We are all sinners. However, Christians are repentant sinners.

The scorner sits. Sits down. Makes themselves comfortable in the mocking of God and in believing all unbelief.

So, here we see the contrast between the unrighteous and the righteous. Both sin, but the godly person cares about salvation and the salvation of others. They repent and resist sin. This may be a huge battle, with many defeats, but it is a battle nonetheless; the believer is not comfortable in the sin and in mocking God.

The Psalmist, David, puts this in the negative: walks not… nor stands…nor sits. There is no room for having BOTH: Don’t listen to the godly and ungodly, don’t follow the sinner and the righteous, don’t sit with the scorner and the humble as to the way you should go. Sometimes we listen to both. This passage is saying don’t. Instead, go to the law of the Lord to instruct and teach and show you.