Psalm 1

Follow Righteousness and Submit to the Lord’s Anointed

Neither Psalm 1 nor 2 have a superscription giving attribution. The apostles Peter and John ascribe Psalm 2 to David in Acts 4:24-26, as does Paul in Acts 13:33. David may be the author of Psalm 1 as well, as it opens Book 1 of the Psalms, which along with Book 2 is generally attributed to him (see Psalm 72:20). On the other hand, it could well be the work of another composer, as it may have been placed here by a later editor to serve as an introduction to the entire collection of the Psalms. Of course, a psalm of David himself could have been used for the same purpose, as Psalm 2 seems to be part of the introduction as well.

Regarding Psalms 1–2, The Zondervan NIV Study Bible notes: “These two ‘orphan’ psalms (having no title) are bound together by framing clauses (‘Blessed is the man…{whose} delight is in the law of the Lord’; ‘Blessed are all who take refuge in him’) that highlight their function as the introduction to the whole Psalter. Together they point on the one hand to God’s law and to the instruction of the wisdom teachers (Psalm 1) and on the other hand to a central theme in the Prophets…namely, what [God] has committed himself to accomplish for and through his anointed king from the house of David (Psalm 2). In this way these two psalms link the Psalter with the rest of the [Old Testament] literature and alert those who take it in hand that to hear these psalms aright they must be understood within that larger frame of reference. At the same time, as the port of entry into the Psalter they make clear that those who would find their own voice in the psalms and so would appropriate them as testimonies to their own faith must fit the profile of those called ‘blessed’ here.”

In Psalm 1, the psalmist contrasts the way of the righteous, which brings blessings, with the destiny of the wicked. “For a prime indicator of the psalm’s central theme [compare] the first and last words, which frame the whole (“Blessed…perish”)” (note on Psalm 1). The word translated “blessed” can also mean “happy.” However, as The Expositor’s Bible Commentary points out, it is important to remember that this state of true happiness is “not merely a feeling. Even when the righteous do not feel happy, they are still considered ‘blessed’ from God’s perspective. He bestows this gift on them. Neither negative feelings nor adverse conditions can take His blessing away” (note on verse 1). Because the righteous delight in God’s law (verse 2; Psalm 119:6) they bear good fruit for God.

God blesses those who are trying to live the right way (verse 6) and gives them a sense of joy and purpose. He does not bestow that same attention on the ungodly (verses 4-5). In terms of productiveness for God, the wicked are as useless as wind-blown chaff. Jeremiah makes a similar pronouncement about ungodly men: “Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who depends on flesh for his strength and whose heart turns away from the Lord. He will be like a bush in the wastelands” (Jeremiah 17:5-6, NIV). Evil men are prone to engage in deepening wickedness (verse 1). They move from walking alongside of evil, to openly standing in sin, then sitting as teachers of evil.

The godly, in contrast, “are devoted to the Lord (Deuteronomy 6:7, cf. Joshua 1:7-8). In all their activities they keep distant from the ungodly, lest they get under their influence. They carefully guard themselves in their family, business, and social relations as they set the terms of their relations, while being polite and gracious” (Expositor’s, note on verse 1).