↗️ Psalm 1:1–2 | "Blessed is the man..."

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📧 In today’s email…

• ✅ The purpose of Psalm 1

• 🎄 A practical way to be a blessing this holiday season

• 🤔 Pondering “blessedness”

• 🎶 Music to help you experience the text

Let’s dig in…

 🧠 Memorize

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; 

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

Psalm 1:1–2

Author & Audience Context: Psalm 1 ✍️ 

• Author: Unattributed, but scholars recognize its style to be like those of King David. 

• Date: If we hold to King David as the author, then it would’ve been written sometime between 1010–970 BC.

• Original Audience: Israelites and following generations

• The purpose of Psalm 1 is:

  • To set the tone for the rest of the book of Psalms.

  • To give wisdom and define “what” makes a blessed/righteous man in light of God’s law and way of life.

Passage Context: Setting the Stage 📖 

A brief Civics 101 lesson (American Civics, that is).

The United States Constitution, one of America’s founding documents, is lengthy. It outlines how to govern the country.

And at the beginning of the paper, the writers introduced what is called a preamble.

It sets the tone, purpose, and direction for what is to come, based on virtues that the collected leaders shared and extend to the US citizens themselves.

Like the Preamble to the US Constitution, Psalm 1 sets the tone for what is to come in the rest of the Psalms. 

Here are some of the broad themes throughout Psalms that we see in Psalm 1:

• Righteousness vs. Wickedness: The central tension throughout the Psalms is the contrast between the righteous who delight in God's law with those who reject it.

• Divine Sovereignty: God actively "watches over" the way of the righteous (v6), establishing His role as sovereign judge and protector.

• Reward and Judgment: The psalmist uses the metaphor of a flourishing tree versus scattered chaff to introduce the ultimate outcomes of these two paths.

💡 As we dig into Psalm 1, remember this: God created us as image bearers who were always meant to delight in the Lord.

Apply & Respond: Prepping for the week 🙏 

Reflect 🤔

As we dive into the first few verses of Psalm 1 this week, prepare your heart with these questions:

• What does it mean to be “blessed?”

• How is the righteous man set apart from the wicked man?

• What does it mean to “walk in the way” of the Lord?

Pray 🙏

Lord, distractions from the world are plenty, and many of my responsibilities and desires pull me away from your presence and your Word.

Let this passage help me focus this week; awaken my heart to receive the truth found in these Scriptures.

You Word is a fountain of never-ending wisdom, and I thank You for it.

Amen 🙏

Read 📖

Take the time to read Psalm 1 slowly today.

As you read, reflect on the questions above and write down your thoughts.

👂️ Bonus: Listen to it throughout the day as if you were soaking it into your soul.

Listen 🎵 

Music is such a marvelous thing. It balances science and art in a profound way, and ultimately, it points us to the Creator.

We love sharing our listening recommendations with you to help you hide the Lord’s Word in your heart, so here are a couple of great tracks to check out.

First up is one of our favorite projects called “Verses.” If you’ve been reading our newsletters, then you know how unique and original each verse setting is. Below is a link to their rendition of Psalm 1:1-3.

Click here to listen on Apple Music | Click here to listen on Spotify

And as a bonus, here is a recording by the musical group MIQEDEM of “Psalm 1 - Acoustic Version (Live in Jaffa).”

Here, Psalm 1 is sung in its entirety in ancient Hebrew. There is something about praising the Lord in other languages that stirs the heart in a special way.

(Be sure to turn on the transcript to follow along in ancient Hebrew and English.)

Monday Meme 😂