Tag: verse-by-verse-commentary

Posted in Exposition

When God Seems Far Away: Understanding Psalm 10

Posted on by writtenexposition

INTRODUCTION TO PSALM 10

Psalm 10 is a biblical lament which wrestles with the problem of injustice. The psalmist describes the arrogance and violence of the wicked while asking why God appears distant. He eventually concludes that God does see the suffering of the oppressed and the wrongdoing of the oppressor and will ultimately bring justice. Thus the psalm moves from complaint to confidence.

THE STRUCTURE OF PSALM 10

Psalm 10 has no superscription.

In our introduction to Psalm 9 we noticed that, taken together, Psalms 9 and 10 are thought to be an incomplete acrostic on the Hebrew alphabet. That blog post included a quotation from an article by O. Palmer Robertson (2015, p.233) that explained this for Psalm 9. The following is Robertson’s explanation relating to Psalm 10 from that same article (2015, p.234):

‘Psalm 10 completes the acrostic that was begun in Psalm 9. Ten of the first eleven letters of the Hebrew alphabet are represented in Psalm 9 (with the omission of one letter), leaving eleven letters for Psalm 10 to complete the acrostic. The first verse of Psalm 10 picks up where Psalm 9 left off, with its first word beginning with the twelfth letter of the Hebrew alphabet (lamed). But then search will be made in vain for the next six letters of the alphabet. All the missing letters (mem, nun, samek, ayin, pe, tsade) appear in random places and more than once in the next ten verses (vv. 2-11). But no detectable pattern emerges. Then at the end of Psalm 10, the last four letters of the Hebrew alphabet appear in proper sequential order as the initial letter in the first word of a subsequent (though not consecutive) verse (qoph, v. 12; resh, v. 14; shin, v. 15; tav, v. 17).’

DIVISION OF PSALM 10

  • Verse 1 – Questions about God’s absence
  • Verses 2–11 – Description of the wicked person
  • Verses 12–15 – A plea for God to act
  • Verses 16–18 – Confidence in God’s justice

Key Themes in Psalm 10

  • The apparent silence of God – the psalm opens with questions about divine absence.
  • The arrogance of the wicked – the oppressor believes he will never be judged.
  • God’s concern for the oppressed – the psalm affirms that God sees suffering.
  • Confidence in divine justice – the psalm concludes by affirming God’s rule.

EXPLANATION

VERSE 1– QUESTIONS ABOUT GOD’S ABSENCE

(1) Why standest thou afar off, O LORD? why hidest thou thyself in times of trouble?

Psalm 10 opens with two rhetorical ‘Why?’ questions typical of lament. These reflect a feeling of abandonment, confusion, frustration and despair on the part of the psalmist at God’s perceived absence and indifference during periods of distress. The questions relate to Space and Time. Not only does God stand ‘afar of’ but he does so in ‘times of trouble’ when he is most needed.

Verse 1 is a cry to the Lord to do something about the psalmist’s personal circumstances in which he is suffering injustice and evil seems to prevail. Scroggie (1948, p.84) comments: ‘Here might appears to triumph over right. The psalmist remonstrates with Jehovah for His apparent indifference (1). The Lord is distant and hidden and the sufferer wants to know “why?”

VERSES 2–11 – DESCRIPTION OF THE WICKED PERSON

The psalmist proceeds with an extended complaint in which he describes the character and deeds of the wicked.

(2) THE WICKED PERSON’S BEHAVIOUR – The wicked in his pride doth persecute the poor: let them be taken in the devices that they have imagined.

Thinking that he can do so with impunity, the wicked arrogantly hounds the afflicted. The psalmist cries out for God to act and administer talionic justice (i.e. the punishment directly corresponds to the crime, e.g. ‘an eye for an eye’).

Six Hebrew words are used for the vulnerable in this psalm:

v.2, v.9, v.9 poor – ‘āniy;

v.8 innocent – nāqiyv;

v.8, v.10, v.14 poor – ḥēleḵāh;

v.12, v.17 humble – ‘ānāw;

v.14, v.18 fatherless – yāṯôm

v.18 oppressed – dak

(3) THE WICKED PERSON’S BOASTINGS – For the wicked boasteth of his heart’s desire, and blesseth the covetous, whom the LORD abhorreth.

The word ‘For’ introduces the reason for the psalmist’s complaint. The wicked is characterised by grasping- he flaunts (praises) his heart’s desires and congratulates the greedy – whom the Lord detests.

(4) THE WICKED PERSON’S BIAS – The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts.

The wicked ‘has his nose in the air’ Lit. ‘the height of his nostril’ i.e. is disdainful of God. When devising his schemes he does not take God into his reckoning.

(5) THE WICKED PERSON’S BLINDNESS – His ways are always grievous; thy judgements are far above out of his sight: as for all his enemies, he puffeth at them.

His course of life (the paths he treads) is strong (no wavering) and as far as he is concerned God, if there is one, is way above out of his sight; therefore any decisions God makes will not affect him – i.e. God is irrelevant. Not having God to worry about he can therefore snort in contempt (or, with hostility) at everyone who goes up against him.

(6) He hath said in his heart, I shall not be moved: for I shall never be in adversity.

In his heart (see also v.11) he believes that he will always succeed and will never have to face misfortune.

(7) THE WICKED PERSON’S BLASPHEMIES – His mouth is full of cursing and deceit and fraud: under his tongue is mischief and vanity.

How he speaks reveals the kind of person he is; morally corrupt. He will swear falsely and be deceitful and violently oppressive. His speech can only bring trouble and injustice. The words here translated deceit and fraud occur together again in Psa 55:11. The apostle Paul alludes to this verse in Rom 3:14, quoting it as part of his evidence that ‘there is none righteous, no, not one’ (Rom 3:10).

(8-10) THE WICKED PERSON’S BRUTALITIES – He sitteth in the lurking places of the villages: in the secret places doth he murder the innocent: his eyes are privily set against the poor. He lieth in wait secretly as a lion in his den: he lieth in wait to catch the poor: he doth catch the poor, when he draweth him into his net. He croucheth, and humbleth himself, that the poor may fall by his strong ones.

He lurks in the courtyards of the villages and spies out victims. He murders the innocent and perpetrates violence against the unfortunate. A village is a group of houses not surrounded by a wall (Lev 25:31).

Like a lion in its den he hides ready to launch secret and sudden attacks upon the poor. The metaphor becomes mixed here and changes from that of a wild animal to a hunter. He catches the afflicted by drawing him in his net.

Then the metaphor changes back to that of a wild beast. He crouches down to conceal himself better before pouncing on the poor with ‘his strong ones.’ What are his strong ones – we are not told – perhaps his young, or his claws, or his teeth?

(11) He hath said in his heart, God hath forgotten: he hideth his face; he will never see it.

The psalmist once again (see v.6) articulates the thoughts of the wicked. The wicked man views God as powerless. He reckons that either God does not see his evil activities or that he does see them but does not bother to intervene. The basis of the wicked man’s behaviour is his rejection of God (see v.13).

VERSES 12–15 – A PLEA FOR GOD TO ACT

(12-13) Arise, O LORD; O God, lift up thine hand: forget not the humble. Wherefore doth the wicked contemn God? he hath said in his heart, Thou wilt not require it.

At this stage there is an abrupt shift in tone as the psalmist implores the Lord to rise up and act with hostility against the wicked. The psalmist wants immediate intervention so he appeals to God’s honour which has been insulted by the wicked. Should the wicked not be held to account for what he says in his heart? God ought to rescue his own reputation.

(14-15) Thou hast seen it; for thou beholdest mischief and spite, to requite it with thy hand: the poor committeth himself unto thee; thou art the helper of the fatherless. Break thou the arm of the wicked and the evil man: seek out his wickedness till thou find none.

Still thinking of the wicked man’s words in v.11 that God does not see what is going on the psalmist expresses a strong declaration of faith: ‘but you do see!’ He affirms that God does take note of the trouble and vexation of the vulnerable and takes it in hand. He intervenes when sought by the afflicted. He is especially the ‘helper’ of the most vulnerable (such as orphans).

The psalmist continues his plea for action and asks God to ‘break the arm of the wicked’ – that is: put an end to his power and destroy his ability to prey on the vulnerable. He asks the Lord to seek out or avenge wickedness so that no more can be found, i.e. so that wickedness will be wiped out.

VERSES 16–18 – CONFIDENCE IN GOD’S JUSTICE

The psalm now moves from petition and ends with praise. He declares God’s universal kingship which is eternal in contrast to the temporal (and temporary) domination enjoyed by the wicked. Earthly (‘land’) powers will rise and fall but God’s sovereignty is unshakeable. The wicked may seem to be in control at present but God will triumph over evil.

The psalm concludes with a message of further assurance and hope for the believer that God, who according to v.14 is the helper of the oppressed, will give strength to their trembling heart. He will hear their prayers and will use his divine authority to act on behalf of (judge or defend) ‘the fatherless and oppressed.’ The wicked who are mere mortals (‘man of the earth’) will no longer oppress the needy.

SUMMATION

Psalm 10 addresses the struggles faced by believers in a world where evil often seems to triumph over good. The psalmist honestly expresses his feelings of despair and frustration but after complaining about the wicked and calling upon God to act he expresses his confidence in God’s commitment to justice. The psalmist understands that God will act decisively against those who oppress others. God does see the injustices of the world and will intervene to rectify them because he is sovereign. Since his rule is everlasting no injustice will go unnoticed or unaddressed.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

BOOKS

Clarke, A.G. (1949). Analytical Studies in the Psalms. John Ritchie Ltd., Kilmarnock

Scroggie, W.G. (1948). The Psalms , Volume 1, Psalms I-L, Introduction and Notes by W. Graham Scroggie. Pickering & Inglis Ltd., London

‌JOURNAL ARTICLES

Benun, R. (2009) “Evil and the Disruption of Order: A Structural Analysis of the Acrostics in the First Book of Psalms”, The Journal of Hebrew Scriptures, No.6.

Berlin, M. (1901). Psalms IX and X. The Jewish Quarterly Review, Vol. 13, No.4, pp.669–682.

Robertson, O. P. (2015). The Alphabetic Acrostic in Book I of the Psalms: An Overlooked Element of Psalter Structure. Journal for the Study of the Old Testament, Vol. 40, No. 2. pp. 225-238

Slabbert, M.J. (2015). Coping in a Harsh Reality: The Concept of the ‘Enemy’ in the Composition of Psalms 9 and 10. HTS Teologiese Studies/Theological Studies, Vol. 71, No. 3.

Sumpter, P. (2019). The Canonical Shape of Psalms 1-14. Old Testament Essays, Vol. 32, No. 2 pp. 514-543.

Posted in Exposition

Psalm 7: David’s Prayer for Justice

Posted on by writtenexposition


INTRODUCTION

Psalm 7, categorised as a lament, is a prayer for divine help and vindication by someone who has been falsely accused – possibly of breaking a treaty. According to the superscription, this psalm was written by King David during a time of intense personal attack so it reveals the emotional and spiritual response of a man wrongly accused yet confident in God’s righteous judgment.

The Hebrew title of this psalm reads: A Shiggaion of David, which he sang unto the LORD, concerning the words of Cush, the Benjamite. This might place the psalm in the turbulent period when David was fleeing from King Saul. The incident referred to in the superscription is not recorded in the Old Testament but the title identifies the person who slandered David as a certain Cush, from Saul’s own tribe of Benjamin. The specific accusations appear to have been particularly vicious: we can infer from vv.3-5 that David was supposed to have appropriated spoils that did not rightfully belong to him and had returned evil for good. The precise meaning of Shiggaion is unknown and the word appears elsewhere only in Habakkuk 3:1. Some scholars suggest that it may describe a song that is passionate or deeply moving.

The theme of Psalm 7 is the psalmist’s appeal to God for justice when falsely accused. Rather than take revenge into his own hands or defend himself through political manoeuvring David brings his case before the ultimate judge. The psalm begins with an urgent plea, followed by a solemn oath of innocence, an expression of trust in God’s righteous judgment and ends with a note of triumphant praise. The psalmist invokes the Lord with a variety of divine names and titles, e.g. YHWH, Elohim, El, and Elyon.

DIVISION

1-2 David’s Supplication

3-5 David’s Submission

6-9 David’s Seeking

10-16 David’s Sanctuary

17 David’s Song

EXPLANATION

DAVID’S SUPPLICATION (1-2)

O LORD my God, in thee do I put my trust: save me from all them that persecute me, and deliver me: Lest he tear my soul like a lion, rending it in pieces, while there is none to deliver.

The psalmist begins by establishing that he has a personal relationship with the deity, whom he directly addresses as O Lord my God. This is the first place in the Book of Psalms where we find the names YHWH and Elohim occurring together and this is repeated at the beginning of v.3. As far as the psalmist is concerned all human support has vanished so now he takes refuge in God alone. He is obviously in trouble for he appeals to the Lord his God with two imperatives: save me and deliver me; requesting rescue from all his persecutors. ‘Persecute,’ which occurs again in v.5, means to chase after, to pursue with hostile intent.

Verse 2 begins with lest (‘otherwise’).The psalmist now provides a reason why YHWH should deliver him; it is because he believes his enemies will show him no mercy if they catch him. The switch from the plural them (v.1) to the singular he (v.2) suggests that although the psalmist is facing a co-ordinated campaign by multiple individuals there may be a single foe who is prominent – the psalm title identifies this enemy as Cush the Benjaminite.

The urgency of David’s prayer comes across in vivid imagery. Lions tear their prey with savage violence so the simile like a lion is apt coming from David, a former shepherd who has personally fought and killed a lion to protect his flock (1 Samuel 17:34-37). He knows exactly what being torn by a wild animal involves. The phrase while there is none to deliver smacks of despair. Without YHWH’s help he will not survive.

DAVID’S SUBMISSION (3-5)

O LORD my God, if I have done this; if there be iniquity in my hands; If I have rewarded evil unto him that was at peace with me; (yea, I have delivered him that without cause is mine enemy) Let the enemy persecute my soul, and take it; yea, let him tread down my life upon the earth, and lay mine honour in the dust. Selah.

David begins his second appeal with the repetition of O LORD my God. Verses 3-5 contain an assertion of innocence of the crimes of which he has been accused. David then submits himself to God’s scrutiny and asks if the slanderous accusations are by any chance correct and if he could possibly be at fault. If so he will bow to appropriate punishment.

His request is presented in the form of three clauses beginning with ‘if‘ which are followed by an implied ‘then.’ This constitutes an oath equivalent to ‘I swear I have not done such and such.’ The psalmist tells YHWH that if he has done something to merit the wrath of his enemies then let him be exposed to their violence.

  • if I have done this – this phrase tells us that specific accusations have been made against the psalmist, who rejects these particular charges..
  • if there be iniquity in my hands – if I have committed fraud.
  • if I have rewarded evil unto him that was at peace with me (yea, I have delivered him that without cause is mine enemy) – This likely refers to Saul. Despite relentless persecution, David had twice spared Saul’s life – once in a cave (1 Samuel 24:4) and again taking his spear while he slept (1 Samuel 26:12). These incidents showed that David harboured no murderous intent, as Saul himself recognised: And he said to David, Thou art more righteous than I: for thou hast rewarded me good, whereas I have rewarded thee evil. And thou hast showed this day how that thou hast dealt well with me: forasmuch as when the LORD had delivered me into thine hand, thou killedst me not. For if a man find his enemy, will he let him go well away? wherefore the LORD reward thee good for that thou hast done unto me this day. 1 Samuel 24:17-19

Note: there are difficulties with the end of the third ‘if’ clause which reads literally ‘and if I rescued my enemy.’ This reading makes rescuing one’s enemy a crime. It does not make sense so many translations emend the verb ‘delivered’ to ‘plundered.’ For a technical discussion see Tigay’s 1970 article ‘Psalm 7:5 and Ancient Near Eastern Treaties.’

Having referred the charges to God the psalmist is so utterly convinced of his own innocence that the consequences he proposes involve the taking of his own life.


DAVID’S SEEKING (6-9)

Arise, O LORD, in thine anger, lift up thyself because of the rage of mine enemies: and awake for me to the judgment that thou hast commanded. So shall the congregation of the people compass thee about: for their sakes therefore return thou on high. The LORD shall judge the people: judge me, O LORD, according to my righteousness, and according to mine integrity that is in me. Oh let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end; but establish the just: for the righteous God trieth the hearts and reins.

Having examined his own heart and found himself innocent of the specific accusations David confidently proposes divine action against his false accusers. Believing that God’s righteous anger will be directed for, rather than against, him he calls upon God to intervene and vindicate him. Addressing God in the second person (‘you’) he uses 3 imperatives – rise up, lift up and wake up.

Since God is the one who has commanded justice in the first place (i.e. that the innocent be protected and guilty punished) David calls upon him to set up a tribunal and dispense justice with an assembly of the nations gathered to witness it. As Charney (2013, p.60) comments: ‘Calling the nations as witnesses puts God on the spot; God’s reputation is at stake if justice is not done.’

David claims righteousness in this specific matter, asking God to examine the case and judge between him and his accusers. In v.8 he issues another imperative, judge me, to God. Since David is righteous and God is a righteous judge (v.9b) David has nothing to fear. Having just mentioned the nations David’s prayer broadens to encompass universal justice: the righteous God (elohim) examines hearts and minds (kidneys – seat of emotions) and makes clear who is wicked and who is righteous.

DAVID’S SANCTUARY (10-16)

My defence is of God, which saveth the upright in heart. God judgeth the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day. If he turn not, he will whet his sword; he hath bent his bow, and made it ready. He hath also prepared for him the instruments of death; he ordaineth his arrows against the persecutors. Behold, he travaileth with iniquity, and hath conceived mischief, and brought forth falsehood. He made a pit, and digged it, and is fallen into the ditch which he made. His mischief shall return upon his own head, and his violent dealing shall come down upon his own pate.

(10-11) David proceeds to explain the implications of God’s judgement for both parties. David is righteous (upright in heart) so he knows that God (elohim) will protect him and deliver him. He also knows that in saving the upright God brings judgement upon the wicked (v.10) – in fact, ’ēl is enraged [with the wicked] each day.

(12-13) Verses 12 and 13 which elaborate on the fate of the wicked are difficult because the subject of the verbs is unclear. The use of the 3rd person singular pronoun (he) does not help. God is clearly the subject of the verbs in vv. 10-11 and the wicked the subject in v.14 so where does the subject change? Is the ‘he’ of vv.12-13 referring to God or to the wicked? Charney (2013, p.60) observes:

As many commentators have noted, the engineer of the evil-doer’s fate is left open by the use of third-person singular pronouns in vv. 13-14. Is it God who sharpens the sword, pulls back the bow, and readies the tools of death? Or is it the enemy sharpening the sword and pointing it at “himself” The psalm offers two routes by which evil may be defeated—by God’s direct intervention in history and by a cosmic order in which evil deeds eventually bring commensurate consequences.

If the subject is God then the psalmist depicts him as warrior using sword, bow, arrows and tools of death against the wicked. If the subject is the enemy then the idea is that his increasing violence gives birth to all kinds of evil.

(14-16) The metaphor in v.14 compares sin to pregnancy and childbirth. The wicked person conceives evil, becomes pregnant with mischief, and then gives birth to lies. Verse 15 brings a new image, a vivid illustration of poetic justice. It is of someone digging a pit with the intention of snaring an enemy but he himself falls into his own trap. Verse 16 elaborates: the trouble intended for others comes back upon the perpetrator himself. Evil schemes have a way of backfiring on those who devise them. Some biblical examples of this principle are:

  • Haman built gallows to hang Mordecai but was himself hanged on them (Esther 7:9-10)
  • Daniel’s accusers threw him into the lions’ den, but they and their families were themselves devoured by the lions (Daniel 6:24)
  • The Jewish leaders who said of Jesus, ‘His blood be on us and on our children’ (Matthew 27:25) saw Jerusalem destroyed within a generation.

The imagery of the wicked man’s violent dealings coming down on his ‘crown’ (the top of his head) suggests a crushing blow from above; perhaps this refers to divine judgement.

DAVID’S SONG (17)

I will praise the LORD according to his righteousness: and will sing praise to the name of the LORD most high.

(17) In this final verse the psalmist shifts from lament to a vow of praise. He affirms his trust in God’s righteous character and expresses deep gratitude by committing himself to public worship of the Lord, even in advance of seeing the answer to his prayer. The one he praises is YHWH elyon – the LORD most high – who is above all earthly powers and circumstances.

SUMMATION

In Psalm 7 David defends his innocence and pleads with God for justice and protection. He expresses confidence that God will vindicate the righteous and therefore asks for deliverance from his enemies.

The psalm addresses one of the most painful human experiences, that of being falsely accused and slandered. It is therefore a useful reference for believers who find themselves having to cope with and handle such a situation.

  • Bring your problem before the Lord in prayer (v.1).
  • Honestly assess whether the accusations have any merit (v.2).
  • Be confident that God will vindicate you in his time and his way (v.6).
  • Be assured that God will test all hearts and minds (v.9).
  • Don’t presume to know when or how God will act, the delay might be to allow time for the wicked to fall into his own trap. (vv.10-16).
  • End your prayers with worship, praising the LORD most high for his righteous character even before you see the answer (v.17).

BIBLIOGRAPHY

JOURNAL ARTICLES

Charney, D. (2013). Maintaining Innocence Before a Divine Hearer: Deliberative Rhetoric in Psalm 22, Psalm 17, and Psalm 7. Biblical Interpretation, Vol. 21, No.1, pp.33–63.

Jones, E. (2025). Prayer and (Im)Politeness: Reading Psalm 7. Old Testament Essays, Vol. 37, No. 3, pp.1–22.

Obiorah, M. J. (2021). Reality of insecurity in Psalm 7 and Christian Mission in Nigeria. Verbum et Ecclesia, Vol. 42, No. 1.

Tigay, J. H. (1970). Psalm 7:5 and Ancient Near Eastern Treaties. Journal of Biblical Literature, Vol. 89, No. 2, pp.178-186

Posted in Exposition

Psalm 1 – Two Opposite Ways To Live

Posted on by writtenexposition

INTRODUCTION

The Book of Psalms is a collection of 150 songs composed by various writers and compiled over many centuries. These songs, usually with musical accompaniment, were part of Israel’s liturgy. They have also found their place in Christian worship; not least because the thought and language of the psalms appear in the teaching and prayers of Jesus.

The psalms have universal appeal because they reflect real-life situations and therefore express lamentation, praise, petition, thanksgiving and worship. Psalm 1, usually classified as a wisdom psalm, comes first in the collection and presents the Old Testament belief that life lived in accordance with the word of God leads to usefulness and blessing whereas an ungodly life is worthless and leads to ruin.

Psalm 1 gives no hint as to who wrote it or when it was written. However, it likely predates the prophet Jeremiah who references it in Jer 17:7-8:

Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.

DIVISION

1-3 THE RIGHTEOUS – the blessed life of one who lives by the word of the Lord

4-6 THE WICKED – the worthless life of the ungodly.

EXPOSITION

THE RIGHTEOUS (1-3)

(1) THE COMPANY THE BLESSED MAN SHUNS

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.

Psalm 1 begins with a beatitude – ‘blessed is’ (also Psa 32, 41, 112, 128). ‘Blessed’ means happy, privileged, blissful. The noun is plural here and could be literally translated: ‘Oh, the happinesses of!’ ‘Man’ means human being and, since it is not restricted to males, could therefore be translated ‘one’ or ‘person.’ The psalmist announces the blessedness (deep happiness) of one who lives life in a certain way. This is the person lives an upright life; however, the word ‘righteous’ does not appear until the last verse. Verse 1 is negative – it tells us what the righteous person does not do, then v.2 is positive and tells us what the righteous person does.

Three relative clauses in v.1 explain how the blessed man walks, sits and stands (cf. Deut 6:7). These three postures are a negative progression. The verbs are in the perfect tense but translated as present.

a. walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, – the righteous man will not seek or take advice from wicked people. ‘Ungodly’ refers to an unbeliever, someone not in a covenant relationship with the Lord. Walking has to do with activity.

b. standeth not in the way of sinners, – the righteous man will not abide or linger in the way of life of sinners. A ‘sinner’ is someone who goes astray, who habitually fails to obey the Lord. The Greek equivalent means someone who misses the mark or falls short of the target. Standing has to do with identity.

c. sitteth not in the seat of the scornful. – the righteous person will not join in with or get comfortable with those who are contemptuous of and actively oppose the things of God. Sitting has to do with enjoyment.

The best example of someone whose life demonstrates these three successive steps of entanglement with sinners is righteous Lot. He first of all ‘pitched his tent toward Sodom’ (Gen 13:12), then went to live among the wicked (2 Pet 2:7-8) and then ‘sat in the gate of Sodom’ (Gen 19:1) as a judge or magistrate.

Believers ought be be careful about their counsel, their company and their conversation.

(2) THE COMMUNION THE BLESSED MAN SEEKS

But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.

In v.2 the psalmist moves on to describe what the happy man does. The ‘but’ presents a contrast. It emphasises that the righteous life is not all negative – there is a positive side to it.

  • He delights in the Lord’s instruction. – ‘Law’ (torah) is a general word meaning instruction, direction, guidance, teaching, law. This man delights not just in instruction as such but in the instruction of the Lord. The divine torah was not just passed on orally (e.g. Deut 1:5) but recorded in writing from early times (Josh 24:26). Torah came to refer almost exclusively to the Pentateuch but in Psalm 1 is probably used in its wider sense; doubtless including the collection of songs in which this psalm is the first. ‘Delight’ – meaning pleasure or desire – has the idea of inclination. This man positively delights in communion with the Lord through his torah.
  • He meditates on the Lord’s instruction. – ‘Day and night’ is a merism meaning ‘all the time.’ The happy man habitually views everything through the lens of the law of the Lord; upon which he meditates constantly. ‘Meditate’ (hāg̱āh) is the figurative sense of a word which contains the idea of mumbling or muttering – probably reflecting the fact that in ancient times people read aloud (e.g. the Ethiopian Eunuch, Acts 8:30). The word is used for the the sound of the human voice (Psa 35:28), for the cooing of a dove and for the growling of a young lion (Isa 31:4).

One might say that in v.2a the blessed man loves God’s word, in v.2b he learns God’s and in v.3 he lives God’s word.

(3) THE CHARACTER THE BLESSED MAN SHOWS

And 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.

‘And he shall be’ – lit. this one is – refers to the blessed man of v.1. The psalmist uses a simile (‘like a tree’) to represent prosperity. The blessed man is:

  • Prominent – ‘like a tree’ he stands out. There ought to be a marked difference between the life of a believer and that of an unbeliever.
  • Planted – ‘by the rivers of water’ – the tree has either been deliberately cultivated or transplanted in that location – a stream or irrigation channel. This would remind us of sanctification – being set apart for God.
  • Productive – ‘bringeth forth his fruit’ – he shows proper growth, fulfils his purpose. This would suggest service for God.
  • Predictable – ‘in his season’ – he is reliable.
  • Perpetual – ‘his leaf also will not wither’ – with his roots firmly in soil near a stream this man is constantly sustained and nourished by his communion with the Lord.
  • Prosperous – whatever he does leads to a successful conclusion.

In the book of Joshua also prosperity is linked to meditation upon and observance of the law of the Lord:

Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest.
This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. Joshua 1:7-8

(4) A STARK CONTRAST

The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.

In sharp contrast to the blessed man who is firmly-rooted, productive and resilient the ungodly ‘are not so.’ They are the opposite of the tree for the simile describing the ungodly is ‘they are like chaff’ – the dried husk that is separated from wheat during threshing. Chaff is worthless and useless – it is hard, inedible and utterly at the mercy of the wind. It is without root, unstable, has no substance, serves no useful purpose and lacks permanence. It will just be swept away. This image represents someone who is fickle and driven by every desire or cultural trend.

(5) A SAD SEPARATION

Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.

Verse 5 introduces the logical consequence. Because they are chaff they ‘will not stand.’ This word for ‘stand’ in v.5 is not the same as that in v.1. A courtroom scene is in view here – possibly this points forward to a time of final judgment when the Lord will be the judge – although here it would seem that the righteous, sitting in assembly, are thought of as the ones who judge. In such a situation the ungodly will have no valid defence and as sinners will have no place among the righteous.

‘Righteous’ is a plural noun. Up to this point the blessed man has been mentioned in the singular whereas six times plural words have been used for the wicked (v.1 ungodly, sinners, scornful, v.4 ungodly, v.5 ungodly, sinners). Now the blessed man is no longer solitary – he belongs to the community of the righteous – the people of God. Good will not be overwhelmed by evil.

(6) CONCLUSION – TWO PATHS

For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.

‘For’ gives the reason why all that has already been said in the psalm (the contrast between the blessed man and the ungodly) is true. The Lord ‘knows’ (has regard to, notices, approves of) the path of the righteous but the path of the ungodly will perish. Here, for the first time in the psalm, the Lord is viewed as active. ‘Know’ is often used in an intimate sense and implies a personal relationship as well as knowledge or perception.

The righteous love, learn and live God’s word and as they apply it to themselves the Lord approves and watches over them on their path of life. The wicked, however, tread their own path by themselves. That path perishes, and by implication all those on it as well. The psalm that begins with ‘blessed’ ends with ‘perish.’

SUMMATION

Psalm 1 describes two opposite ways to live. It begins by declaring that the ‘blessed’ person is someone who avoids the influence of the wicked. Instead of taking advice from evildoers he delights in the law of the Lord and meditates on it constantly. He is likened to a tree planted by streams of water – stable, well-nourished, fruitful, useful – and is assured of success in all his endeavours.

By contrast, the wicked are like chaff that gets blown away by the wind; an image that emphasises their lack of substance and permanence. The psalm concludes with an assertion that the way of the righteous is known by the Lord but the way of the wicked will perish. Each leads to a different outcome; either a life of blessing and fulfilment or one that is ineffective and unprofitable.

It is the responsibility of anyone who reads Psalm 1 to reflect upon and evaluate the influences upon his/her life and, it is hoped, choose to tread the blessed path of the righteous.