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Psalm 1

If Psalm 23 is the best-known psalm in the Bible, Psalm 1 is the most comprehensive. Though the author and context are unknown, there is a reason this psalm was made the gateway to Israel's worship poetry. Indeed, Psalm 1 can be said to introduce all the Bible's wisdom literature—Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Song of Solomon, Ecclesiastes—for the theme it highlights in just six verses: the contrast between the destiny of the righteous and the wicked. The righteous are like a tree that brings forth fruit and never withers (verse 3) while the unrighteous are like chaff that the wind drives away to destruction (verses 4, 6).

But there is a reason why the righteous person remains standing throughout life—because "his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night" (verse 2). This principle is a reminder to God's people that they are people of a book—the "Book of the Covenant" (Exodus 24:7; 2 Kings 23:2). If the delight of the righteous is in "the law of the Lord," that means the righteous person delights in meditating on, and walking in, his covenant obligations before God.

The righteous person knows that God has promised blessing to those who keep their covenant obligations (Deuteronomy 28:1-14) and curses for those who don't (Deuteronomy 28:15-68). Just as Deuteronomy 28 summarizes in detail the fork in the road that every Israelite had to face, so Psalm 1 presents that fork in summary fashion: bear fruit by setting one's mind on God's truth or perish by rejecting God's truth. As an introductory song to a "hymn book" that reiterates God's truth throughout, Psalm 1 presents the choice with clarity.

In that sense, Psalm 1 summarizes the entire Bible: From Genesis to Revelation God has revealed His truth in covenant form, through the prophets, and ultimately in the incarnation of truth in His Son, Jesus Christ (John 14:6; Hebrews 1:1-2). Man's choice is always the same.

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