📊 Psalm 1:1–2 | The Beginning of Wisdom

📧 In today’s email…

• The larger context of our memory passage 📖 

• Reflection questions to prime you for the rest of the week 🤔 

• Tuesday Trivia 📊

 🧠 Memorize

_{see if you know what words go in the blanks}

Blessed is the man who _____ not in the counsel of the ______, nor ______ in the way of ________, nor _____ in the seat of ________; 

but his ______ is in the ____ of the Lord, and on his ____ he meditates day and night.

Psalm 1:1–2

Wisdom 🧠 Through Verbs 🏃‍♂️‍➡️ & Imagery 🖼️

Psalm 1 is what is known as a wisdom psalm. 

It covers holiness and happiness in the life of the righteous man, and how he acts and thinks to live out those themes.

Here are some of the key words:

“Walks not… stands not… sits not…” 🙅‍♂️

In the opening words, the righteous person is marked by what he avoids.

See the progression of verbs from walking to standing, and then to sitting?

The righteous person doesn’t spend his time copying what the wicked man does.

“the way” 📈

Often when Scripture mentions “way,” the writer(s) refer to “lifestyle,” which goes beyond “doing” and extends to thinking and speaking.

From verbs to imagery 🖼️ 

As we continue reading, we see a shift from using verbs to contrast the righteous and the wicked to imagery.

• 🌳 “Tree planted” - Symbolizes blessed life that endures all seasons

• 💧 “Streams of water” - Symbolizes life, resources and the instruction of the LORD.

• 🍎 “Fruit” - Symbolizes abundant life, outcomes and results

• ✅ “Prospers” - This often refers to financial prosperity, but here, it means a holistic success in every endeavor.

The wicked are directly contrasted through a single image: 

• 🍃 “Chaff” - Chaff is dead, rootless and bears no fruit. It doesn’t take much to blow it away into the wind.

At the end of Psalm 1, we return to the terms introduced in verses 1–2, where the wicked are shown as “not [able to] stand,” and the LORD knows “the way of the righteous.”

The text takes a sober turn, mentioning that the wicked perish, which literally means “come to nothing.”

This points to the wicked man as bearing no fruit, achieving no recognition, experiencing no fellowship — completely separated from the Father. 

The stark contrast can be sobering — BUT there’s silver lining for the believer.

So How Do We Respond? 🧐

Let’s circle back to our initial passage:

This clearly lays out a warning that our environment often dictates our outcomes.

If most of your time is spent in the counsel of the unbelieving, then it will lead you to similar ways of thinking, speaking, and doing.

This can be hard because so much of our lives demand being immersed in an unbelieving world.

But the opposite is also true:

The more you spend your time in the counsel of wise Christian brothers and sisters who are pursuing Jesus, the more you will resemble Christ and bear witness to those around you.

Reflect 🤔 

Do you have 2-3 fellow believers whose counsel you trust? Who actively are helping you become more like Jesus?

• If yes, take this as a reminder to bring whatever you’re struggling with right now to them.

• If no, what is one step you can take to build a friendship with 1 fellow believer? (Meet for coffee, send them a text, invite them for dinner)

Throughout the rest of the week, we’ll talk about practical tools to help us walk in the way of righteousness.

Trivia 📊 

Click one of the options below. Let’s see how you do..

Answer key ✅ 

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