Psalm I: The Delights of Discipline

"Happy are those
who do not follow the advice of the wicked,
or take the path that sinners tread,
or sit in the seat of scoffers;
2 but their delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law they meditate day and night.
3 They are like trees
planted by streams of water,
which yield their fruit in its season,
and their leaves do not wither.
In all that they do, they prosper.

4 The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away.
5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgement, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
6 for the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.

Psalm 1 functions as a sort of "executive summary" to the Psalms. It doesn't appear separately numbered in some ancient collections, leading some scholars to surmise that it might have been added after the Psalms were collected as a sort of superscription or prologue to the entire Psalter. As such, it lays out foundational themes to understand the entire collection of Psalms. It connects with the other readings for the week in the following way. Like Jer. 1 and Luke 6, Ps. 1 stresses the "blessings" and "curses" attendant on the one who trusts God. In the language of Jer. 17 and Ps. 1, the one who trusts (or the one who meditates on Torah) is planted like a tree by streams of water. In the language of Luke 6, blessings or happiness comes to various categories of people (the poor, those who mourn, etc.). I Cor. 15 stresses the final state of those who trust, meditate or are happy in God: the experience the resurrection of the dead. Now, in returning to Ps. 1, we divide it into two sections: (1) The Way of the Righteous (1-3); and (2) The Path of the Wicked (4-6).

I. The Way of the Righteous (1-3)

Would that it were as easy to divide the world into righteous and wicked as the Psalmist scinds it. Certainly he knew, and we know, that our categories are more complex than this, but it is sometimes helpful to begin one's work with a general orientation or with preliminary categories so that at least we begin somewhere. And these are categories that a child can understand and an experienced person never really leaves behind.

The structure of vv. 1-3 emphasizes a series of threes. The blessed person doesn't walk, stand, or sit in the counsel, way, or seat of the wicked, sinners or scoffers. The ambulatory and sendentary verbs stress what we might call the "slowing down" of the Psalmist as he moves from walking to sitting, but it will be in the sitting posture that one can learn best how to meditate on the Torah of God day and night. The three categories of "bad people" are not analytically distinct groups; the words, in contrast, emphasize different aspects of their wickedness. The "wicked" are the enemies of God; the "sinners" are those who "miss the mark" (cf. Prov. 19:2) and so stray from the acceptable path of life that it has become a fixed practice to stray. They are more fully described in Prov. 1:10-19. Finally, the scoffers refuse the advice of the righteous, and therefore prepare themselves for the judgment of God (Prov. 3:34). Dr. Seuss might have said, "You can read about trees, and bees and knees. And knees on trees! And bees on threes!" but I suppose that the Psalmist had much weightier thoughts on his mind as he wrote.

In contrast to the wicked, what does the righteous person do? In a word, s/he engages in discipline. This discipline is called "meditation" on the Torah of God day and night. The word translated "meditate" (hagah) is really a soft growl or a gentle murmur. Is. 31: 4 speaks of a young lion growling over its prey and Is. 38:14 mentions the moaning of a dove. But it is not the sound that is stressed, but the mental process that might evoke the sound. People who meditate, who internalize the very thoughts of Torah, might gently moan or murmur over the text as they try to make it their own. Ps. 63:5-6 captures the intensity of this meditation perfectly:

"My soul is satisfied as with a rich feast,
and my mouth praises you with joyful lips
when I think of you on my bed,
and mediate on you in the watches of the night..."

Josh. 1:8 is another verse which stresses the value of meditation on the Torah of God--success shall be yours. Indeed, the Psalmist reflects the perspective of Josh. 1 when it says, "In all that they do, they prosper." If we connect this text with Jer. 17, we see that meditation and trust are the activities which lead us to be planted like a tree by the waters (i.e., we flourish). Thus, the Psalmist is not simply speaking of a verbal or study task. Meditation, like trust, is the complete tuning of the soul to God, a process which includes the discipline of study and mastery but also comprises the process of learning to trust. But the boldness of the Psalmist's vision is right before our eyes. Those who practice this discipline prosper. Just as simple, and as difficult, as that.

II. The Way of the Wicked (4-6)

The Psalmist piles up images of blessedness for those who meditate on God's Torah, but the wicked are given, like the chaff, short shrift. It takes him three full verses to explain the frugiferous nature of the religious life, but the wicked are quickly driven away by the wind. They won't stand in the judgment--a concept that isn't spelled out by the Psalmist but probably means the judgment of a short and unhappy life.

The Psalm ends with a triumphant statement contrasting the fate of the blessed and wicked. While the way of the wicked will "perish," the way of the blessed is known by God. In the latter we hear echoes both of Ps. 139 and Job 23. The Psalmist can say in gratitude: "O Lord, you have searched me and known me, You know when I sit down and when I rise up" (1-2--it is almost as if the Psalmist here has the categories of Deut. 6:6 in his mind as he writes). Ps. 139 concludes: "Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my thoughts" (v. 23). Surely the knowledge that God has of the righteous is reason for rejoicing. And even Job would agree. Though he pugnes God (i.e., fights against) by setting up a sort of legal battle with God, he says: "But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I shall come out like gold" (23:11). In all these passages (Ps. 1; Ps. 139; Job 23), there is the connection of testing, knowledge and blessedness. This is the discipline that the Psalmist urges and other Scriptures confirm. It is one that leads to the blessed life. Are we up for it?

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