Devotion: Psalm 1 – Righteous or Wicked Character?

From today onward till the end of the year, I have decided to have my devotion and meditation on the Psalms, Proverbs, …

Some thoughts on Psalm 1:

It started like a kind of a beatitude, “Blessed …

Many of us (including me) may not see ourselves as these 2 extremes – we are neither “righteous” nor wicked, (verse 6) even though we are Christians, believers in Christ.

To be righteous is to delight in the Law of the Lord – meditating, obeying, and walking in the way of the Lord, completely right with God, no fault found!! :)

To be wicked (i.e. lawlessness) is to have no Law and subject to no authority whatsoever. Most of us would not be classified under this, since we still obey the laws of this land.

From this passage, I learn how to differentiate a righteous person from a mere Christian. Verses 1-3 spell it out.

(1) My associations - who I hang out with and who my friends are. (v1)
(2) My thought life – meditation, reading, surfing webs, etc (v2)
(3) My actions – works that bear fruits to the delight of others and self. (v3)

Memorise – Psalm 1

Psalm Category – Wisdom Psalm / Teaching (or Didactic) Psalm

Found an outline (by Arthur G. Clarke):

PSALM 1 - CONTASTED CHARACTERS

I. THE GODLY APPROVED (1-3)
1. Consistent Conduct (1-2)
2. Consequent Character (3abc). Fig. TREE
3. Confident Conclusion (3d). Enduring Prosperity

II. THE GODLESS ABANDONED (4-5)
1. Consistent Conduct (4a). “Not so” (antithesis 1-2)
2. Consequent Character (4b). Fig. CHAFF
3. Confident Conclusion (5). Eventual Perdition.

III. THE GOAL ATTESTED (6)
Two ways – two ends. cf. Matt 7:13-27