1Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, or set foot on the path of sinners, or sit in the seat of mockers.2But his delight is in the Law of the LORD, and on His law he meditates day and night.3He is like a tree planted by streams of water, yielding its fruit in season, whose leaf does not wither, and who prospers in all he does.4Not so the wicked! For they are like chaff driven off by the wind.5Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.6For the LORD guards the path of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.
What’s happening. Psalm 1 is the doorway into the whole book of Psalms. It sets out two ways to live before the prayers and songs begin.
What it means. The happy, flourishing person does not drift into the ways of cynics and mockers, but delights in God’s teaching and turns it over day and night. Such a person is like a tree planted by water: rooted, fruitful and alive even in dry seasons. It is an invitation to let God’s word shape your life.