Psalm 1 || Rooted In God’s Ways

Take a moment to breathe. Then read through Psalm 1 in your own Bible.

When I was new to sobriety, people told me that successful long-term sobriety required me to change people, places, and playthings. They warned me that I would become like who I hung around. If I spent time with people actively using drugs and alcohol, if I frequented bars and drug houses, then my life would eventually conform to those people and patterns. 

As it turns out, they were right. What we do, who we spend our time with, and what we focus our time and attention on shapes us. Here in Psalm 1, the psalmist counsels us on the path to a blessed life, one that is not only happy but also produces good fruit. 

Verses 1-2

“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.”

I’ve received plenty of questionable counsel in five decades, and I’m sure I have given my fair share as well. In the digital age, an abundance of counsel surrounds us. Voices from far and wide offer us everything from unsolicited advice to digital courses to one-on-one coaching. A simple online search leads us to countless articles promising the “10 keys to happier living.” While some of the advice we encounter may seem insightful and even beneficial in the short term, the writer of Psalm 1 redirects our focus—guiding us along the path of godly wisdom by contrasting the ways of the righteous and the wicked and emphasizing their divergent outcomes. 

In these opening verses, the writer uses multiple words to capture a life fully lived: walk, sit, stand, meditate, and delight. In doing so, he encompasses all aspects of being embodied—heart, mind, soul, and body. Walking alongside someone implies sharing everyday life, journeying together, and following them. Standing with someone indicates a deeper connection and rootedness in their presence. And sitting with someone suggests that you are relaxed and unguarded in their company. The progression of these movements is significant. As one commentator states, it's a progression from the “casual influence of ungodly people to collusion with them in their scorn against the righteous.”¹ Again, we so easily become like who we hang around.

The psalmist cautions us about lingering in the company of those who do not value the word of the Lord or follow his ways. We could take this to an extreme and become isolationists, but that is not realistic, nor is it what Scripture teaches. Instead, the psalmist warns us not to grow comfortable in the presence of or conform to the ways of those who openly reject him.

Perhaps contrary to what we might expect, the writer doesn’t instruct us that the opposite is to stand, walk, and sit in the presence of the godly or pattern our lives after them, though that may be part of it. Rather than first directing us to an outward behavior, the psalmist directs us inward to our heart, to what we love. The godly delight in the Lord, finding their joy and pleasure in him. And they meditate on his instruction, treasuring and feeding on it regularly, considering it deeply, and allowing it to take root in both their heart and mind. 

Verses 3-4

“He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season; and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away.”

As we delight in and meditate on God and his instructions, we are transformed, nourished, and sustained. The call to action is to set our minds and hearts on the Lord and his instruction, and the result is that we become like trees planted by streams of water. 

Healthy trees live long lives. They grow deep, complex root systems embedded beneath the ground surface, which helps them weather wind, storms, and droughts. They can bend and sway when the winds come without being ripped from the ground. This beautiful analogy is meant to teach us that though life brings chaos and turmoil our way, we are not uprooted because we have grown deep in the Lord.

The person who meditates on and delights in the Lord and his word is not just any tree; he is a tree planted by a river that has all it needs for an abundant, fruitful, long life. Trees' root systems stretch out to find water. We’ve all likely seen trees whose roots have broken through sidewalks and roads and found stagnant puddles. But this tree is planted near a river—which is readily flowing. The result is that the tree doesn’t become diseased or languish from lack of nutrients; instead, it produces sweet, pleasant, good, and life-giving fruit. 

One point that could be easy to miss is that the fruit isn’t for the tree. Water is for the tree. Fruit is for others. Just as a tree rooted in streams produces fruit for others to enjoy, a person who delights in the Lord and follows his ways produces fruit that is sweet, pleasant, and nourishing for those around her. 

The tree doesn’t always produce fruit, however; it produces fruit in season, in its appointed time. Though it is still rooted, nourished, and fed by the river, there are seasons of dormancy. But even then, its leaves remain; they don’t wither, languish, fall, or fade.  According to the psalmist, a person who delights in the Lord and meditates on his instruction will prosper in all they do. 

It doesn’t always feel like we are prospering though. Sometimes, life feels like one setback after another. So what are we to believe when this doesn’t appear true in our lives? When our circumstances are far from prosperous? When we feel like we are withering on the vine? The promise the psalmist holds out to us is that though there are times when droughts come, storms rage, and winds rip, we may bend and even break, but we will not be uprooted. And the time will come once again when we will yield delicious fruit. But that is not so for the wicked—those who oppose God. Because they have no roots, they are like chaff. When the gentlest of breezes come, they will be blown away and tossed about aimlessly.

Verses 5-6

“Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; for the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.”

In contrast to a tree that stands upright, tall, and firm, the ungodly will not be able to withstand the day of God’s judgment. They will be blown away like chaff, scattered in the winds, and they will not be found among the presence of those Yahweh counts as righteous.

This is an ominous warning to heed but also a rich promise to receive—one that makes me thankful for the promise of Jesus. Jesus is the true tree from Psalm 1. He is the one who took on our sinful flesh and didn’t walk in the counsel of the wicked, stand in the way of sinners, or sit in the seat of scoffers. Instead, he delighted in the ways of the Lord and meditated on his word day and night. He fulfilled all of God’s instructions in our place. He is the tree planted by a stream of water. His leaf does not wither or fade. All that he does prospers. He is the tree that produces the fruit of life for us. He is the one who enables us to stand on the day of God’s judgment. And because he is the righteous tree and we are the ingrafted branches connected to his life, his righteousness, we will sit in the assembly of God's people and feast from his table.

Jesus is the vine, and we are his branches (John 15); through him, we are nourished and fed and find solid ground. As we dwell in him, we will not only stand before God as holy, righteous, and blameless, but we will also, in the appointed time, produce a sweet fruit that others are able to feed from, delight in, and be nourished by. And that gives me hope.

Chrystie

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Questions for Reflection:

Engage the Scripture

1. What words or images stood out to you in this Psalm?

2. Why is it important to remain rooted in and connected to the Lord and his instruction? 

Explore Your Story

1. What kind of life do you want? Not the kind of life you think you’re supposed to want or what you think is the “right” answer, but the kind of life you want in your heart of hearts. Pause to reflect on this. Write your thoughts down in your journal. 

2. Who are the most influential voices in your life? What do they talk about? What do they love? What do they spend their time on? Do their lives reflect the kind of life you want to have? 

Encounter Jesus

1. Draw a tree that represents your spiritual life right now. Where are your roots? What kind of fruit are you bearing? Are there any areas that need pruning or nourishment? Based on what you've drawn, write a short prayer.

2. Draw a tree that represents what you want your spiritual life to look like. Label the roots and fruit. Based on what you’ve drawn, write a short prayer.

3. Take a walk outside and find a tree. Spend a few minutes observing it closely. Touch its bark, look at its leaves or branches. As you do this, reflect on how God has been nourishing and sustaining you. Journal about your experience and insights afterward.