Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers. But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night. They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do. But not the wicked! They are like worthless chaff, scattered by the wind. They will be condemned at the time of judgment. Sinners will have no place among the godly. For the Lord watches over the path of the godly, but the path of the wicked leads to destruction.

Psalm 1

Dear God, as I was reading this psalm this morning I remembered that there is a son by Kim Hill from close to 30 years ago called “Psalm 1.” I had forgotten she did that. I looked it up and it was a nice refresher for that being a nice song. I think it might have been the first track on her first album.

As I thought about this psalm’s message this morning the other thing that occurred to me is that this is the psalm that the ancient organizers thousands of years ago chose to be first. A lot like “Holy, Holy, Holy” is almost always the first song in the Baptist Hymnal, this is the first psalm in the Jewish Book of Psalms. The organizers wanted to emphasize being righteous and pursuing righteousness. They wanted to condemn those who judge, mock, and do evil things. This was the first message they wanted to emphasize.

Father, help me to remember this lesson. Help me to plant myself by your living water so that my life might grow to be of most service to you. Be glorified in me so that others will be drawn to you and experience your living water for themselves.

In Jesus’ name I pray,

Amen