“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. But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.” (Psalm 1:1–2)

Psalm 1 begins with the Hebrew expression Ashrei Ha-Ish, which can be rendered, “Oh, how blessed is the man!” It is an exclamation of delight in the blessedness of such a person. The verses that follow explain what it means to be truly blessed.

When we consider these words, we may feel that we are far from being such blessed people, because we have not lived this way. But that is not the whole story. We are in Jesus Christ.

Jesus alone is the One who has never walked in the counsel of the ungodly, stood in the way of sinners, or sat in the seat of the scornful. He alone has perfectly delighted in the law of the LORD and meditated upon it day and night. Therefore, Jesus possesses the wisdom and power to bring us, who are in Him, into the place of the blessed.

Jesus enables us to meditate on God’s Word day by day and to discover the love of God revealed in it. As we come to know that love, our hearts are humbled, and we learn to walk with God in humility. Because Jesus, who is like this, is with us, we are blessed.

“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.” (Psalm 1:3)

It is only natural that a tree planted beside a stream should bring forth fruit in its season and that its leaves should not wither. This is because it has been planted beside a stream where it can continually receive water.

There is, however, one word here that deserves our attention: planted. The Hebrew word is shatul, meaning “planted” or “transplanted.” It conveys the idea that the tree did not simply grow by chance from a seed that happened to fall there. Rather, it was deliberately and carefully placed there by someone’s intention and hand.

Colossians 1:13 tells us:

“Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:”

Our being in Jesus did not come about through our own efforts. God Himself brought us into Christ. It is like a tree being transplanted from dry ground to a stream overflowing with water.

In Jesus Christ, the Word of God dwells in abundance, providing all that is sufficient to refresh our souls. Even when difficulties and trials come, we are able to endure and overcome because God sustains us day by day through His Word.

Psalm 92:12–14 presents the same picture:

“The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Those that be planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing;” (KJV)

This is what true prosperity really means.

“The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.” (Psalm 1:4–5)

If the righteous are compared to trees planted beside streams of water, the ungodly are compared to chaff driven by the wind. The roots of the righteous are connected to the Word of God, but the ungodly have no such roots. Therefore, when the winds blow, they have no word of God to hold them firm, and they are carried wherever the wind takes them.

After grain was threshed, it was winnowed by tossing it into the air. The heavy kernels fell to the ground, while the light chaff was carried away by the wind. John the Baptist used this picture of the threshing floor to describe Jesus:

“Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” (Matthew 3:12)

In this present world, the righteous and the ungodly live alongside one another. But just as the wind separates the wheat from the chaff during winnowing, so, on the day of God’s judgment, the righteous and the ungodly will be separated forever.

At times, the ungodly may appear prosperous and firmly established. Their end, however, will not be as it appears now. Asaph once envied the prosperity of the wicked, but when he entered the sanctuary of God, he understood their final destiny. He then declared:

“Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then understood I their end. Surely thou didst set them in slippery places: thou castedst them down into destruction. How are they brought into desolation, as in a moment! they are utterly consumed with terrors.” (Psalm 73:17–19)

“For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.” (Psalm 1:6)

People walk along the paths they have chosen, but before God, there are ultimately only two ways: the way of the righteous and the way of the ungodly.

The LORD knows the way of the righteous. The Hebrew word translated as knoweth is yada, which fundamentally means “to know.” When the Bible says that God knows the way of the righteous, it does not simply mean that He possesses information about their path. It means that He knows them intimately, including their circumstances, their hearts, and even their weaknesses. Thus, the words “the LORD knoweth” carry the meaning that He knows, watches over, and cares for those who walk in the way of the righteous.

The path of the righteous is sometimes narrow and difficult to walk. It is a path on which we must seek and depend upon God, because we desperately need His presence and help. In contrast, the way of the ungodly is like the broad and easy road that many people choose. It is a self-centered path on which people act according to what seems right in their own eyes rather than seeking the will of God.

Yet the destinations of these two paths are vastly different. The way of the righteous leads to life, while the way of the ungodly leads to destruction. Therefore, even though the righteous may experience difficulties now, their path holds a future and a hope. The way of the ungodly, on the other hand, offers pleasures that may last for a season, but it has no lasting hope.

[Scripture quotations: King James Version (KJV).]