Psalm 1
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.But his delight is in the law of the Lord;
and in his law doth he meditate day and night.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.The ungodly are not so:
but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous:
but the way of the ungodly shall perish.
The Psalms begin with a benediction, “Blessed is the man.” In the monastic liturgical tradition, the entirety of the Psalter (150 Psalms) was read each week … and each liturgical week began with … “Blessed is the man.” The Hebrew reads - “Oh, the blessings of the man…”
Blessed is the man … is stated in the negative in verse 1, what a blessed man does not do, the positive in verse 2. what a blessed man does. In the negative, Blessed is the man that hath not:
walked in the counsel of the ungodly
stood in the way of sinners
sat in the seat of the scornful
In the positive, Blessed is the man who:
delights in the law of the Lord
meditates, exercises himself in the law day and night
The blessed man does not follow the counsel of the ungodly, does not stand in the way that sinners go, is not seated among the scoffers. There is something of a progression here — from a rather careless walking in the counsel of the ungodly, to a standing among those who violate God’s law, to actually sitting (signifying intimate fellowship) in the seat of the scornful – a synonym for a consummate fool.
The blessed man does delight in the law of the Lord. This man delights, takes pleasure, in the law which is “holy, just and good” (Romans 7:12), that nurtures in him the fulsome love of God and neighbor. He exercises himself (meditates) in the law day and night, morning and evening, rising up and laying down. This is how the liturgical week of prayer is spent — in the enjoyment of musing on the law of the Lord.
The man who delights in the law of the Lord …
shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water
brings forth his fruit in his season
his leaf also shall not wither
whatsoever he does shall prosper
shall stand in the day of judgment in the congregation of the righteous
The Church Fathers saw in the singular Blessed Man of Psalm 1 — as opposed to the plurality of the wicked vs 3-5 — the person of Jesus Christ. The Blessed Man finds its fulfillment in the Son of God. In the law of the Lord He delighted in and meditated on day and night, fulfilling the Law in its entirety.
JSH+