Psalm 1 · Blessed is the Man
The front door of the Psalter — two ways set before every reader: the tree by rivers of water, and the chaff the wind driveth away.
KJV scripture foundation
Psalm 1 (KJV):
Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.
And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.
Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.
For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.
Context
Psalm 1 stands unnumbered by any singer’s name at the head of the Psalter. It is the front door. Everything the Psalter says is said under this Psalm. It sets the whole book before us as a choice between two ways.
Together with Psalm 2 (which speaks of the LORD’s anointed), Psalm 1 forms a double introduction: the way of the righteous man, and the reign of the Messiah.
Reflection
Notice the three movements of the wrong way: walk → stand → sit. What began as passing counsel became a settled seat. This is how a Christian household loses its footing — slowly.
Notice the two verbs of the right way: delight and meditate. The Christian is a person whose gladness is in the Word and whose thoughts return to it day and night.
The tree — not a wild tree, but planted. The Christian is planted by rivers, not blown on by winds. And the tree bears fruit in his season. God’s pace, not ours.
Family application
Read Psalm 1 aloud to the household at the beginning of every Psalter season. It is short enough that children can memorize the whole Psalm.
Ask the small children which they would rather be: the tree by the water, or the chaff the wind blows away? The Psalm teaches the household to choose the tree.
Prayer
Lord God, plant our household by rivers of water. Let our delight be in thy law and our meditation day and night. Keep us from the counsel that ends in the seat of the scornful. Let us bear fruit in our season, and let our leaf not wither. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Christian tradition
- Sung at the opening of the Psalter in every Christian liturgy that follows the Psalms in order.
- The Fathers read the tree of Psalm 1 as a figure of Christ, planted by the waters of baptism.
- Augustine, Chrysostom, and Ambrose all wrote homilies on Psalm 1.
Related Atlas pages
Room connections
Where this entry meets the household in the wider house of CrossAIHub.
- Read — Psalms — the gateway to the whole Psalter.
- Pray (Chapel) — pray Psalm 1 as the household’s morning meditation.
- Family (Kitchen Table) — memorize Psalm 1 as a family Psalm.
- Kids (Kids Kingdom) — teach children the tree by rivers of water.
Further reading
Psalm 1 (KJV) — read the whole Psalm.
Psalm 2 (KJV) — the twin introduction.
Jeremiah 17:5-8 (KJV) — the tree image echoed by the prophet.
Augustine, Enarrations on the Psalms, on Psalm 1.
Elsewhere in the Atlas
Continue Your Journey
Where else this page opens into the household library.