According to Psalm 1, there are basically two ways to live life: As Selected (by ourselves) or As Directed (by the LORD). While the way of the LORD leads to true bliss, the way of the wicked (i.e., the way of the self) leads to self-destruction.

1. LIFE: USE ONLY AS
DIRECTED
PSALM 1 BIBLE STUDY
DANNY SCOTTON JR.
ALPHA BAPTIST CHURCH, 6.6.18

2. WHEN IS IT IMPORTANT TO FOLLOW DIRECTIONS?
• When Taking Medication
• When Following Orders In A Military
Operation
• When Cooking
• When Driving
Don’t you hate it when people don’t follow
directions and use their turn signals?

3. WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO FOLLOW DIRECTIONS?
• To Avoid Problems
• To Make Life Easier
• To Accomplish A Purpose
• Chlorine is used to clean pools. Brake fluid
is used to slow down vehicles.
• When they are combined, they are not being
used as directed
• https://youtu.be/c-vUeAXjQTw?t=656

4. DIRECTIONS ARE NOT ALWAYS CLEAR
• Tic Tacs
• https://youtu.be/FC8o8TDqiII?t=1
• Thanks be to God, the LORD gives us directions for
life in His Word

5. TWO WAYS TO LIVE LIFE: AS SELECTED OR AS
DIRECTED
• We can choose (select) our own way to live the life
the LORD gave us
• We can choose to let the LORD to direct the life
the LORD gave us.
• We can either tell God: I will live life “My Way” or
“Thy Way”

6. PSALM 1: TWO WAYS, TWO DESTINATIONS
• The Way of the LORD, conforming to God’s character (v. 1-3)
• The Way of the Wicked (i.e., the Way of Self), contrary to God’s character (v. 4-5)
• The Way of the LORD leads to bliss, the Way of the Wicked leads to destruction (v.
1, 6)

7. FIRST THINGS FIRST: THE IMPORTANCE OF PSALM 1
• The Psalms were the moving songs sung by the ancient Israelites.
• Different Types of Psalms
• Praise (e.g., Ps 100:1-2 Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands. 2 Serve the LORD with gladness:
/ Come before his presence with singing.) (KJV)
• Lament (e.g., Ps 94:3 How long, Lord, will the wicked, / how long will the wicked be jubilant?) (NIV)
• Thanksgiving (e.g., Ps 107:1 O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good: / For his mercy endureth for
ever) (KJV)
• Wisdom (e.g., Psalm 25:4-5 4 Show me your ways, LORD, / teach me your paths. / 5 Guide me in your
truth and teach me, / for you are God my Savior, / and my hope is in you all day long.
• Psalm 1 is a Wisdom Psalm – a psalm that aims to inspire people to try to live a life of godly
wisdom

8. FIRST THINGS FIRST: THE IMPORTANCE OF PSALM 1
• The Books of the Book of Psalms
• Book I: 1-41
• Ps 41:13 Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, / from everlasting to everlasting. / Amen and
Amen. (NIV)
• Book II: 42-72
• Ps 72:19 Praise be to his glorious name forever; / may the whole earth be filled with his glory. /
Amen and Amen (NIV)
• Book III: 73-89
• Ps 89:52 Praise be to the Lord forever! / Amen and Amen (NIV)
• Book IV: 90-106
• Ps 106:48 Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, / from everlasting to everlasting. / Let all the
people say, “Amen!” / Praise the Lord.
• Book V: 107-150
• Ps 150:6 Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. / Praise the Lord. (NIV)

9. FIRST THINGS FIRST: THE IMPORTANCE OF PSALM 1
• The Books of Psalms (a.k.a. The Psalter) is
structured around praise, but it begins with
Psalm 1 -- which is about wisdom.
• The first letter of the Psalm (‫א‬ | aleph) is the
first letter of the Hebrew alphabet
• The last letter of the Psalm is the last letter of
the Hebrew alphabet (‫ב‬ | tav)
• Psalm aims to teach us the A-Z (everything)
about how to live life.

10. FIRST THINGS FIRST: THE IMPORTANCE OF PSALM 1
• Whereas most Psalms have superscripts (e.g., a Psalm of David, a Psalm or Asaph),
Psalm 1 does not.
• Scholars believe this is because when all the Psalms were edited into the five-
volume, ancient hymnal, Psalm 1 (and Psalm 2) were meant to serve as the
purpose statement.
• We ought to read the entire Book of Psalms through the lens of Psalm 1
• Psalm 1 is extremely important. There are two ways to live: as selected or as
directed – with two different destinations.

11. THE WAY OF THE LORD (V. 1-3)
• (v. 1) Blissful is the one who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked
• or stand in the way of sinners
• or dwell in the assembly of mockers
• Parallelism -- when elements from one line correspond / add to elements from
another line
• Ps 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God;
• the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
• Progression of Degrees of Comfortability
• From taking wicked advice, to walking in the way of the sinners, to mocking or
scoffing at those who follow the way of the LORD.

12. THE WAY OF THE LORD (V. 1-3):
WHO ARE THE WICKED?
• Who comes to mind when you think of wicked people?

13. THE WAY OF THE LORD (V. 1-3):
WHO ARE THE WICKED?
• More generally, the wicked are simply the people who go do not walk in the way
of the LORD, but go the wrong way. They go their own way:
• We live in a “My Way” culture. But our way is not
necessarily God’s way

14. THE WAY OF THE LORD (V. 1-3):
WHO ARE THE WICKED?
• One of the greatest American ideals is that everyone should be able to go their
own way
• When President Obama accepted the Democratic Party Nomination in August
2008, he said ,“…It is that promise that has always set this country apart - that
through hard work and sacrifice, each of us can pursue our individual dreams
but still come together as one American family, to ensure that the next
generation can pursue their dreams as well.”
http://edition.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/11/04/obama.transcript/
• Though, as many people in this room can attest, this promise hasn’t been valid
for all people throughout American history, it seems that we Americans are often
focused on following our own dreams, going our own way

15. THE WAY OF THE LORD (V. 1-3):
WHO ARE THE WICKED?
• We often want to do our own thing. We don’t want anyone to tell
us what we can and cannot do.
• Shakespeare: “to thine own self be true.”
• American morality is centered not on the fulfillment of God’s
commands but on self-fulfillment
• A 2015 poll by the Barna Group suggests that a majority of
American adults somewhat or completely agree with the
following three statements.
• “The highest goal of life is to enjoy it as much as possible”
(84%).
• “To be fulfilled in life, you should pursue the things you desire
most” (86%).
• “The best way to find yourself is by looking within yourself”
(91%). https://www.barna.com/research/the-end-of-absolutes-
americas-new-moral-code/
The Way of the
Wicked =
The Way of Self

16. THE WAY OF THE LORD (V. 1-3):
TRUE BLISS
• Society tell us: Follow Your Heart, Do what makes you happy
• But Psalm 1 tells us that going our way does not lead to true happiness, which comes
only from the LORD
• “Blessed is the one…” is a declarative formula for a state of happiness.
• The word translated blessed or blissful (‫י‬ ֵ‫ר‬ ְׁ‫ש‬ ַ‫א‬ |ʾašrê) means “truly happy,” “blissful,” or “how
happy!” (e.g., “How happy” are the Eagles fans, because their team won the Super Bowl).
• It is not a synonym for a divine blessing (‫ך‬ ַ‫ר‬ ָּ‫ב‬ | bārak) (e.g. Num 6:24-26 The LORD bless you
/ and keep you; / 25 the LORD make his face shine on you / and be gracious to you; / 26 the
LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace.” (NIV))
• Psalm 1 is saying that true happiness – bliss – comes from walking in the way of the LORD

17. THE WAY OF THE LORD (V. 1-3):
TRUE BLISS
• How many times do we read about people who have all the things
we often crave (e.g., Cars, Clothes, Money, House, Fame,
Women/Men, “Success”) but are not truly happy – not truly
satisfied?
• Ever buy something that made you happy – temporarily?
• The car that was once new now stays in the garage, the dress we
couldn’t wait to wear is now in the back of the closet, the new toy
we had to get, is now stored in the attic
• Things lose their luster
• If God is the source of all joy, peace, happiness, satisfaction, and
fulfillment… why do we search for such things outside of God?

18. THE WAY OF THE LORD (V. 1-3):
UNPOPULAR
• Scholars point out that there are three groups (1) the wicked, (2) sinners, and (3)
mockers compared to only one person who walks in the way of the LORD
• It is important to remember that walking in the way of the LORD is probably not
going to be popular.
• Our country is built on the primacy of popularity
• We often listen to the most popular songs, watch the most popular shows, and
look up to the most popular people (celebrities)
• We often enact laws and elect leaders that are the most popular (i.e., get the most
votes)

19. THE WAY OF THE LORD (V. 1-3):
UNPOPULAR
• God’s morality is not
decided by human
votes
• In our country, what is
politically correct is
often seen as more
important than what is
biblically correct
• We should not be
surprised that walking in
the way of the LORD will
be countercultural and
considered foolish

20. THE WAY OF THE LORD (V. 1-3)
LAW = INSTRUCTION, DIRECTION
• (v. 2) but rather in the law of the LORD (s)he delights / and on His law (s)he meditates
day and night
• The law (‫ה‬ ָּ‫ּתֹור‬ | tôrâ) can refer to certain Old Testament Laws, to the first five books of
the Bible (a.k.a. The Pentateuch), or to the entire Old Testament
• But, in Psalm 1, as in much of the Wisdom literature of the Bible (Psalms, Proverbs,
Ecclesiastes, Job), tôrâ means “instruction” or “teaching” or “direction”
• Prov 31:26: She speaks with wisdom, /and faithful instruction (tôrâ) is on her tongue
• Prov 1:8 Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction / and do not forsake your mother’s
teaching (tôrâ).
• Blissful is the one who delights in the direction of the LORD

21. THE WAY OF THE LORD (V. 1-3)
MEDITATION ON THE LORD’S DIRECTIONS
• Whereas Eastern meditation often involves emptying
one’s mind or focusing on one’s inner thoughts/self,
biblical meditation is focused upon God and His
Word
• Meditation includes reading, reciting, reflecting on,
memorizing, etc. to conform one’s life to God’s Word
• Silent reading was rare in the ancient world. And the
verb meditate (‫ָּה‬‫ג‬ ָּ‫ה‬ | hāgâ) is more frequently translated
“utter”, “mutter”, “moan”, “groan”, or “declare.”
• Thus, it seems that such meditation was often audible.
• This is why The LORD tells Joshua to always keep the
Book of the Law on his lips.

22. THE WAY OF THE LORD (V. 1-3)
MEDITATION ON THE LORD’S DIRECTIONS
• Josh 1:8 Keep this Book of the Law
always on your lips; meditate on it
day and night, so that you may be
careful to do everything written in
it. Then you will be prosperous and
successful
• Malachi 4:4 “Remember the law of
my servant Moses, the decrees and
laws I gave him at Horeb for all
Israel.
• (I. = Torah (tôrâ), II. begins with
Joshua 1 and ends with Malachi 4,
III. begins with Psalm 1)
• The Hebrew Bible is structured
around meditation on God’s
direction (tôrâ)
https://web.cn.edu/kwheele
r/diagram_OT_Bible.html

23. THE WAY OF THE LORD (V. 1-3)
LIKE A PROSPEROUS TREE
• (v. 3) And they are like a tree (trans)planted by streams of water / which gives fruit
in its season / and whose leaf does not wither / whatever (s)he/it does prospers
• Grammatically, the verb can actually refer back to the truly happy person or to the
tree.
• Vivid Imagery of a stable tree that is fruitful because it is always nourished by
the waters.
• Very similar to Jeremiah 17:5-8

24. THE WAY OF THE LORD (V. 1-3)
LIKE A PROSPEROUS TREE
• What comes to mind when we think of prosperity?
• Biblical prosperity is not about worldly health and wealth
• True prosperity is about accomplishing God’s purpose and bearing the fruit of a
godly life
• Out of the 69 times the verb translated prosper ( ‫ַח‬ ֵ‫ל‬ָּ‫|צ‬ ṣālēaḥ) occurs in the Old
Testament, 59 times it means to succeed in a particular endeavor — “almost always
because of God’s gracious and ever-present hand.”19
• In addition, out of these 59 cases in which the verb
means succeed or prosper, “only once are finances even remotely in view” (Ezek
16:13).21
• This is not a promise for financial prosperity!

25. THE WAY OF THE LORD (V. 1-3)
LIKE A PROSPEROUS TREE
• How do trees prosper? How can you tell a successful tree from an unsuccessful
tree?
• By their fruit!
• Can someone remind us of the fruit of the Spirit?
• love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-
control (Gal 5:22-23)
• Not to mention, the fruit of the prosperous tree is food for others
• It seems that the prosperity in Psalm 1 involves accomplishing God’s
purpose in a way that will benefit others

26. THE WAY OF THE WICKED (V. 4-5)
LIKE CHAFF
• Ps 1:4 Not so the wicked / but rather, they are like chaff that the wind blows away
• Threshing is when you remove the seed or the edible part of a crop from the
straw or the husk. The chaff is the leftovers
As scholars note, “The self-
ambitious, the self-serving, and the
proudly self-reliant are like chaff that
the wind drives away.” --
Bruce K. Waltke, James M. Houston, and Erika Moore, The
Psalms as Christian Worship: A Historical Commentary

27. THE WAY OF THE WICKED (V. 4-5)
LIKE
• Ps 1:5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment / nor sinners in the
congregation of the righteous
• Because the wicked are so unstable, they are unable to stand – perhaps to defend
themselves before God
• “At the final divine assessment those who are right with God (righteous) contrast with
those who followed their own counsel and, by implication, did not bring their lives
within the parameters of divine revelation.” J.A. Motyer, New Bible Commentary
• The wicked will not ultimately be in the congregation of the righteous (i.e., those who
walk in the way of the LORD)

28. TWO WAYS, TWO DESTINATIONS (V. 6)
• Ps 1:6a For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous
• Ps 1:6b but the way of the wicked will perish
• In the Greek translation of the Old Testament that is quoted by the New
Testament writers – The Septuagint (LXX) – the same word for perish (ἀπόλλυμι |
apollymi) is used by Jesus in the New Testament when speaking of the Two Ways

29. TWO WAYS IN THE NEW TESTAMENT
• Jn 3:16f. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that
whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life (NIV)
• Mt 7:13-14 Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the
road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the
gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

30. ONE RECOMMENDED WAY OF MEDITATION:
SCRIPTURETYPER
• https://youtu.be/MTPPKa7lY38
• Scripture Typer has changed my life
• What are some other ways?

31. CONCLUSION: DOES IT NOT MAKE SENSE?
• If you want to get the most out of the Microsoft Windows, does it not make sense to follow the directions of Bill Gates – the
creator of Microsoft Windows?
.
If you want to cook a dish by Rachel Ray, does it not make sense to follow the directions of Rachel Ray -- the creator of the
recipe?
.
If you want to take care of your Civic, does it not make sense to follow the directions of Honda – the creator of the Civic?
.
If you want to get the most out of your life, does it not make sense to follow the directions of the Creator of life?
.
Psalm 1 is fundamental. Fundamentally, there are Two Ways to Live Life: As Selected (The Way of Self) or As Directed (The
Way of the LORD).
.
According to Psalm 1, the unpopular way of the LORD leads to true bliss -- and a more pleasant destination.

32. BIBLIOGRAPHY
• Boice, James Montgomery. Psalms 1–41: An Expositional Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2005.
• Greidanus, Sidney. Preaching Christ from Psalms: Foundations for Expository Sermons in the Christian Year. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2016.
• Howard Jr., David M., Joshua, vol. 5, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1998),
• Jacobson, Rolf A., and Beth Tanner. “Book One of the Psalter: Psalms 1–41.” In The Book of Psalms, edited by E. J. Young, R. K. Harrison, and Robert L. Hubbard Jr. The New
International Commentary on the Old Testament. Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, U.K.: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2014.
• Kraus, Hans-Joachim. A Continental Commentary: Psalms 1–59. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 1993.
• Kidner, Derek. Psalms 1–72: An Introduction and Commentary. Vol. 15. Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1973.
• Longman, Tremper, III, and Peter Enns, eds. Dictionary of the Old Testament: Wisdom, Poetry & Writings. Downers Grove, IL; Nottingham, England: IVP Academic; Inter-Varsity
Press, 2008.
• Longman, Tremper, III. Psalms: An Introduction and Commentary. Edited by David G. Firth. Vol. 15–16. The Tyndale Commentary Series. Nottingham, England: Inter-Varsity
Press, 2014.
• Matthews, Victor Harold, Mark W. Chavalas, and John H. Walton. The IVP Bible Background Commentary: Old Testament. Electronic ed. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press,
2000.
• Motyer, J. A. “The Psalms.” In New Bible Commentary: 21st Century Edition, edited by D. A. Carson, R. T. France, J. A. Motyer, and G. J. Wenham, 4th ed., 485–583. Leicester,
England; Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity Press, 1994.
• Waltke, Bruce K., James M. Houston, and Erika Moore. The Psalms as Christian Worship: A Historical Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, U.K.: William B. Eerdmans
Publishing Company, 2010.
• White, R. E. O. “Psalms.” In Evangelical Commentary on the Bible, 3:367–98. Baker Reference Library. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1995.
• Wilcock, Michael. The Message of Psalms: Songs for the People of God. Edited by J. A. Motyer. The Bible Speaks Today. Nottingham, England: Inter-Varsity Press, 2001.