Interpreting the Imprint
In the renewed pursuit of higher education, specifically that of the Masters degree I seek to obtain, the meaningful hurdle arrives soon in the first draft of an exegesis paper I’ll be writing on Psalm 1.
From the NIV, “1 Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers,
2 but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night.
3 That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers.
4 Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away.
5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
6 For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.
Commonly ascribed to David as the author, the six verses say a lot about ordering oneself under the Father. I look forward to the task of analyzing the historical context, cultural, and literary contexts that give accuracy (I pray) to the interpretation I’ll present.
For the moment, however, how does this Psalm, through the Holy Spirit, speak to me? How might it speak to you?
From verse one, blessing reaches the one who “does not walk in step” with the wicked. As we know, Jesus co-mingled among sinners, but never appropriated sinful behavior to stoop down to unrighteousness. We’ll never withdraw sufficiently on earth to be devoid of some sin in any context, after all we bring it in to any situation through our own unrighteousness through pride et al. But verse one provide effective caution to point forward to when Jesus will discuss the selectivity of justice through descriptions such as the narrow gate (Matthew 7:13-14). “Walking in step with” or “stand in the way that” points to a subscription to the flesh that subordinates the law. If sanctification means something to you as a believer, this first verse is a great guideline to recognize temptation and avoid sin. Verse 2 poetically concludes the initial point that the “law of the Lord” brings delight, particularly through constant meditation. Here we can take instruction that legalism isn’t the call to action, but personal conviction of our own heart through regular meditative relationship with God.
Verse 3 takes up the ecology motif so common throughout Scripture so that we can promptly recognize the example of strength in faith. When I walk through Point Fermin park near our house, it juts out enough to still have a lighthouse on it, but the park itself is recognizable by numerous massive fig trees, each easily over 100 years old. These trees are akin to the description in Verse 3, their impressive, they are known by their fruit, and they seem to endure the municipal seasons of Los Angeles parks and rec.
“Not so the wicked!” brings a contradiction to the opposite binary image. As winter rains have passed through recently, this season has brought wind as well. Imagine the tumble weeds rolling along in the midst or aftermath of this kind of weather. Just like chaff, these victims of circumstance lack a rooted foundation, and are so typically lifeless, brittle, and dead on appearance.
If we take on a satisfaction to be blown about in this manner, we are accepting a fate that upon judgment, will bring eternal consequences. Verse 5 connects the uprooted compost fodder to the way sinners will stand out in the assembly of the righteous.
Now, we know, by grace through faith through Scripture through Christ we glorify God alone, and it’s Christ who makes us righteousness by his death and resurrection. What a gift. And thanks to the gospel of John, chapter 1, verses 1-5, we know that Jesus was with the Father in the beginning and is with the Father watching over the righteous, what sweet relief to know it’s not up to my power, or your power, or really our mutual lack of it, to save.
What remains at the end of verse 6 as we involve ourselves in the present fallen world where the truth of Jesus is known and we pray spreading, we have the accurate, reliable, faithful forecast to avoid the “way of the wicked that leads to destruction.” That way of the wicked traces all the way back to the first sin in the garden when the crafty serpent convinced Adam and Eve that God’s command was open to interpretation for our benefit. It isn’t.
Rather, as the apostle John wrote in John 1 verse 4-5, “In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”
The law is indeed written on our hearts, but your future is in the hands of Jesus Christ.