Tuesday 3rd November

Psalm 1

"1 Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, 2 but whose delight is in the law of the LORD, and who meditates on his law day and night. 3 That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither - whatever they do prospers. 4 Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away. 5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. 6 For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.” 

Psalm 1 is sometimes viewed as an introduction to the psalms. Some people refer to it as a gateway to the psalms, since many of the themes in it are developed subsequently in the Psalter.  A contrast is drawn between the paths taken by those who trust the Lord and follow his word and those who don’t. One way the Lord blesses and he guards those who walk it. The other leads to destruction. It’s not really a choice we should have to dither over.

The person who delights in the law of the Lord, like the tree whose roots extend under the river bed giving it moisture in drought, has the spiritual resources to thrive even in lean times drawing as he does on the living water. That one’s life produces fruit pleasing to God. The life of the others is light and empty, like chaff blown away by the breeze so that nothing is left, everything lost, and nothing is gained.

You can identify which path you are following and what your destination will be and if it’s time to change track. If you are walking the path of the righteous then thank God that he is watching over you to bless you.