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The book of Psalms ends with all creation blessing God. The first line of Psalms 146, 147, 148, 149, and 150—“Praise the Lord!”— captures the theme well. However, the Psalm begins with a poem about the blessed man (Psalm 1:1) and the Lord’s eternal rewards for that man’s righteous life. That righteous life is set within the context of a world to be judged (Psalm 1:5-6) and is contrasted with the lives of “the wicked” (vv. 1, 4, 5-6), also called “scoffers” (v.1) and “sinners” (vv.1, 5). In contrast with the wicked, the blessed man avoids worldliness. He doesn’t “walk in the counsel of the wicked,” or “stand in the way of sinners” or “sit in the seat of scoffers” (v.1). Instead of walking, standing, or sitting with such people, “day and night” he prayerfully thinks (“meditates”) about God’s covenant history, instructions, and promises (“his law”; v.2). He sits with his Bible open; he stands in awe of God’s revelation; he walks in God’s ways. And because of this he grows by God’s grace and is “blessed” by God.
How do we escape the judgment of the wicked, walk in righteousness, and grow in God’s grace? We men join the man of Psalm 1 by meditating on the Man, the Lord’s Anointed Son (Psalm 2:2, 7, 12). Psalm 1 and 2 are often called the Gateway to the Psalms because they open to us the book’s two main themes: namely that as God’s covenant people we are to 1) “take refuge” in God’s coming king (Psalm 2:12) and 2) “delight in the law of the Lord” (Psalm 1:2). In Jesus Christ, we receive all the blessings of Psalm 1’s blessed man. If we abide in Him, we bear fruit. When we stand strong on the Day of Judgment, we will not wither way, because God knows us (Psalm 1:6). In Jesus, we have been granted eternal life.
Join the blessed man. Take up your Bible. Read it. Devour it. Think about what it says. Pray about its plan and promises. Marvel at God’s gracious plan of salvation in Jesus Christ.
