Psalm 1 Summary - 5 Minute Bible Study

Psalm 1 Short Summary:

A man will be blessed if he refuses to take advise from wicked people, refuses to frequent the places sinners frequent, and refuses to keep company with scoffers (those who mock God and other men). Having avoided those things, a man will be blessed if he meditates on the laws of God. If he fills his mind with God’s teachings day and night. “His delight is in the law of the Lord” (1:2).

Psalm 1 Summary

AUTHOR:

• Not specifically stated. Many believe it was David.

NEW TESTAMENT REFERENCES:

• No known references in the New Testament.

THEMES:

• The counsel of wickedness vs the wisdom of God’s law.

• Sin offers a person nothing but instability and fruitlessness.

• The practice of the laws of God gives a person stability, meaning, and security with God.

DEFINITIONS:

• Scoffer – Someone who mocks or talks about a person or an idea as if they believe the person foolish or the idea stupid.

• Chaff - Chaff is the useless part of a harvested plant, the leaves and other debris that surround the seed. The seed is kept, and the chaff is thrown away or burned.

OUTLINE:

• THE WAY OF THE RIGHTEOUS VS THE WAY OF THE WICKED (1:1-6):

  • A man will be blessed if he refuses to take advise from wicked people, refuses to frequent the places sinners frequent, and refuses to keep company with scoffers (those who mock God and other men).

  • Having avoided those things, a man will be blessed if he meditates on the laws of God. If he fills his mind with God’s teachings day and night.

  • “His delight is in the law of the Lord” (1:2).

  • A man who meditates on and practices God’s laws is like a tree planted by a stream of water, healthy and prosperous.

  • Like a healthy tree, his life is fruitful.

  • In contrast, the wicked are like chaff that the wind blows away. Chaff is the useless part of a harvested plant, the leaves and other debris that surround the seed. The seed is kept, and the chaff is thrown away or burned.

  • God will judge those who walk in the way of wickedness.

  • God will preserve those who walk according the His law.
    

APPLICATION:

• Meditation is a practice that has been growing in popularity in recent years.

• Ideas about meditation vary, with each guru teaching something different about what the mind should focus on during meditation.

• Some say the meditator should strive for an empty mind, some say to focus on the breath, others teach that a person should focus on the present moment.

• Ultimately, these strategies of meditation are self-centered, they don’t take a person outside of themselves.

• It is interesting that the Bible, in Psalm 1, give us a topic for meditation, the law of God.

• This topic takes us outside of ourselves, connecting us with our Creator and our fellow humans.

• We should dwell on God’s instructions and precepts, asking questions like, “Why is this instruction important to God” and “How does this command affect my relationship with the Creator and the other souls He created.”

• Meditating on God’s law connects us to something greater than ourselves, and it ultimately makes us more like our Creator, more like Jesus, which should be the goal of all those who bear His image (Gen 1:26).