The Blessed Man of God

by Samuel A. Matthews

Loved ones, the study of the Psalms has long yielded many Bible readers boundless profit and ever-increasing joy. The Psalms are so rich, so full of meaning. Perhaps no other book of the Bible has been read so fondly.

The first Psalm may well be regarded as “The Preface Psalm,” because it sets forth in principle not only the whole of the Psalms, but the contents of the entire Bible. Herein is the psalmist's desire to teach man the way to blessedness, or true happiness, and to warn him of the sure destruction of sinners.

Although short, it is rich in meaning. The thought set forth is that a righteous life will be attended with prosperity and happiness, and that the life of the wicked will be followed by sorrow and ruin.

This Psalm consists of two parts: In the first (Psalm 1:1-3), David sets out wherein the blessedness of a godly man consists, what his exercises are, and what blessings he shall receive from the Lord; in the second (Psalm 1:4-6), David contrasts the character of the righteous with the ungodly, reveals his nature, and describes his ultimate doom.

Psalm 1:1-3 – The Blessed Man

The righteous man is described both negatively (Psalm 1:1) and positively (Psalm 1:2).

"Blessed is the man.... "What man? (The first Psalm opens as did our Lord's famous Sermon on the Mount, with the word "blessed” cf. Matthew 5:3-12). The word translated "blessed" here is very expressive; it means happy, fortunate. In the original Hebrew it is plural, and might be read thus: "Oh, the blessedness’s of the man. The psalmist's eye sees the righteous man and the blessedness of being righteous.

Psalm 1:1 - Negatively, the man is first described…

He is a man who does not walk — the course of his life — in the counsel of the ungodly. He takes wiser counsel and walks in the Lord's commandments; his footsteps are ordered by the Word of God (Psalm 119:105). He says, “Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory” (Psalm 73:24; cf. Jeremiah 10:23).

The blessed man is not guided by the wicked devices of sinful men. The ungodly man is unconcerned about religion. He is neither concerned for his own soul's salvation nor for that of others. He counsels those with whom he converses to adopt his plan and his ways. But the blessed man does not follow his ungodly teaching. He refuses to be guided by the ungodly's counsel.

He does not stand in the way of sinners. His company is of a better class. He does not associate with people who do wrong. Moses warned the children of Israel in the long ago: “Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil…” (Exodus 23:2). The apostle Paul said, “Be not deceived: evil communications (company) corrupt good manners" (I Corinthians 15:33).
He does not sit in the seat of the scornful. He finds no comfort in the skeptics' scoffing’s as they make mockery of God, sin, heaven, and hell. He has reverence for God and cannot endure hearing His precious name blasphemed by those whose conscience is seared by sinful living. "Fools make a mock at sin…" (Proverbs 14:9).

Although the seat of the scornful may be very lofty in the eyes of the world (in colleges, universities, and films), that "seat" is very near the gate of hell. Many today are sitting at the feet of professors who openly ridicule the miracles and ethics of the Bible. Some of these students will later teach in our Christian colleges and preach in our pulpits. Thus, brethren need to be concerned. Matthew Henry said the seat of the drunkard is the seat of the scornful. So often the drunkard does indeed scoff at sacred and divine things.

Note, too, the verbs in the first verse: "He walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful." These are arranged to show the progress of sin in the lives of those who yield themselves to it. Three degrees of habit are implied. Here is seen the progress of sin in one's life. When a person goes the way of sin, he goes from bad to worse.

At first he merely walks in the counsel of the ungodly; but after that, he becomes habituated to evil, and he stands in the way of sinners who willfully violate God's commandments: and finally, if left alone, he goes one step further: being hardened in his conscience, he becomes a teacher of evil and tempter of others, as he sits in the seat of the scornful. He has taken his degree in vice and is a Doctor of Damnation.

But "the blessed man" does none of this. The man to whom all the blessings of God belong holds no companionship with such characters as these described: "The ungodly," "sinners," and "the scornful." He puts away evil things and evil persons from him. He that would be kept from harm must keep himself out of harm's way. Solomon said: "…A companion of fools shall be destroyed" (Proverbs 13:20).

Psalm 1:2-3 - Positively, the blessed man is described…

He is a man whose "delight is in the law of the Lord." He loves to read and study God's Word. He delights to be in this Word for it is his rule of life. He knows that in keeping the divine precepts "there is great reward" (Psalm 19:7-11; cf. James 1:25). Moreover, he meditates upon the Word both day and night. He reads it by day and thinks upon it by night. What a man meditates upon determines the real inner man. “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he” (Proverbs 23:7; cf. Proverbs 3:5-6; 4:23; Mark 7:21-23).

A man may not be what he thinks he is, but what he thinks, he is (cf. Philippians 4:8). Yet, in David's day, how small was the portion of the volume of inspiration. How much more then should we prize the whole of the written Word of God, both the Old Testament and the New, which is our privilege in our good land to have in our homes!

We should all be like the noble Bereans to whom Paul preached, for they "searched the scriptures daily" (Acts 17:11). Their conduct cannot be too highly commended, nor too closely imitated (cf. II Timothy 2:15; I Peter 2:2; Acts 20:32). If people would really do this, it would assist them in keeping aloof from the evils of the world (Psalm 119:11, 97). No one ever did wrong by following the Bible's teaching.

He is a man who prospers in all things. David further describes the godly man by saying that his prosperity, as a result of being righteous, is like a fruit-bearing tree, "planted by the rivers of water that bringeth forth his fruit in his season."

Fruitfulness is an essential quality of a gracious man's life (John 15:1-8; Galatians 5:22-23). He lives a good, obedient life, and God blesses him. He shall never lose his fruitfulness nor his beauty, for "his leaf shall not wither." Besides, "Whatsoever he doeth shall prosper."

The righteous man prospers when he does things in God’s way (Micah 6:8; I Peter 3:10-12). His life is nourished by God's blessings, like a tree nourished by streams of water. The tree can send its roots down deep in the moist soil, and even in days of severe drought it remains green and fruitful. Therefore, the righteous man's life is blessed of the Lord, and is a great blessing to others.

Thus, in Psalm 1:2-3, David points the way to true happiness and describes the man who lives to fulfill the purpose for which God created him (Isaiah 43:7). All blessedness belongs to that man. But note the blessed man's positive character: he loves and obeys the Lord's teaching.

Psalm 1:4-5 - The Ungodly Man

In the second part of the Psalm, the psalmist describes the ungodly man. "Not so the ungodly, not so," the psalmist says. The good things said of the righteous are not true of the wicked. By contrast, the ungodly are like chaff —that tiny husk around the grain of wheat—worthless, without substance—which is burned or easily carried away by the wind at the threshing floor during winnowing (cf. Matthew 3:12).

Therefore, because the ungodly are worthless, they shall not stand approved at the judgment. Of course, they will appear there to be judged, with all mankind, but not to be acquitted (Matthew 25:31-46; Acts 17:31; Romans 14:12). Neither shall evil men dwell in heaven, "in the congregation of the righteous."

All our congregations (assemblies) upon earth are mixed (I Corinthians 5:1ff). Righteous people, as was Lot, are continuously vexed by evil men (II Peter 2:7-8; Genesis 19:1-26). But this will not be true in the eternal city above, for “...There shall in no wise enter into it anything that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life” (Revelation 21:27).

“For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie” (Revelation 22:15). In fact, if sinners were there, they would be out of their element. Sooner could a fish live on dry ground than a wicked soul in the Paradise of God; it would not be "his own place" (Acts 1:25). Heaven would be an intolerable hell to an impenitent man, even if he could be allowed to enter.

But, of course, such a privilege shall never be granted to the man who refuses to repent of his iniquities (cf. I John 5:16-17). Heaven is a prepared place for a prepared people (John 14:2-3); it will be a state, place, or condition "wherein dwelleth righteousness" (II Peter 3:13). The redeemed of the Lord shall dwell therein (cf. Revelation 22:14), and no wicked person will be in that heavenly place. Those who practice the works of the flesh will receive eternal torment (Galatians 5:19-21).

Psalm 1: 6 – The Two Ways Contrasted

The Psalm concludes: "For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous." The Lord knows and approves their way (II Timothy 2:19), and they will have eternal glory at last. "But the way of the ungodly shall perish." They shall be eternally lost in hell. The ungodly shall be punished because the broad way they have chosen to walk leads to destruction (Matthew 7:13-14), and they will bear all the blame for their damnation (Acts 10:34-35; Ezekiel 18:20).

Thus, the condition and destiny of the ungodly are expressed in three forms:

1. they are like chaff which the wind drives away;
2. they shall not be acquitted in the Day of Judgment; and
3. they shall not have a place among the righteous, being condemned of God.

Conclusion

In this first Psalm, two ways are contrasted —the way of the righteous and the way of the ungodly—and two different destinies—heaven and hell (Matthew 25:46). The emphasis, of course, is on the blessedness of the righteous, through time and in eternity. Oh, what a wide difference between the way of the righteous and the way of the wicked! And what a difference between the two beyond this earthly life! Blessedness belongs only to those who obey the Lord's will. Jesus said to His disciples: "If ye know these things, happy (blessed) are ye if ye do them" (John 13:17). An obedient faith in the Lord Jesus is the only way to true happiness (cf. Romans 1:5; 16:26).