Psalm 1:1–6 (ESV)
The Way of the Righteous and the Wicked
1 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;
2 but his delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law he meditates day and night.
3 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.
4 The wicked are not so,
but are like chaff that the wind drives away.
5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
6 for the Lord knows the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish.

The Blessed Man’s Negative Relationships Because of His Positive Relationship

Psalm 1 reveals there are two ways a person can live their life: sincerely devoted to God’s instruction, or a companion of wickedness. Devotion to Torah is the hinge-piece. The man is blessed because of his negative relationship to the wicked (Psalm 1:1), but the cause behind that negative relationship is the man’s positive relationship to Yahweh’s Torah (Psalm 1:2a). This positive relationship is characterized in Psalm 1:2b by meditating on Yahweh’s Torah with intent.¹The verb יֶהְגֶּ֗ה means “to read in an undertone” or “to utter while meditating.” See HALOT, s.v. “הגה,” 1:237. His reason for doing is because “his delight is in Yahweh’s Torah — בְּתוֹרַ֥ת יְהוָ֗ה חֶ֫פְצֹ֥ו — (1:2a, translation mine).

The Effects of the Blessed Man’s Relationship to Torah

Equally as important is the effect of this positive relationship. The blessed man is described as a fruitful tree because of its proximity to water. The tree only grows and does not wither. Likewise, the man prospers in all that he does (Psalm 1:3). The wicked are starkly contrasted against the blessed man: instead of being trees, they are chaff; instead of being planted, they blown away (Psalm 1:4). Worst of all, the wicked are excluded from the company of the righteous because they will not stand on the other side of eschatological judgement (Psalm 1:5).²Frederick J. Gaiser, “‘The Law of the Lord is Perfect’: The Wisdom Psalms,” Word and World, 41, no.3 (2021): 201–202. https://research.ebsco.com/plink/f3c034a2-3b21-3e0a-a599-00be1f893703; James M. Hamilton Jr., Psalms, ed. T. Desmond Alexander, Thomas R. Schreiner, and Andreas J. Köstenberger, vol. 1, Evangelical Biblical Theology Commentary (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Academic, 2021), 97.

The Difference Between The Wicked and the Righteous — Yahweh’s Torah

Psalm 1 makes a clear distinction between the blessed man and the wicked. The blessed man — אַ֥שְֽׁרֵי־הָאִ֗ישׁ — is among the congregation of the righteous — בַּעֲדַ֥ת צַדִּיקִֽים. He survives eschatological judgement because he is like a tree planted by water, and all this is because “his delight is in Yahweh’s Torah.” The Psalter begins with a theology that Yahweh’s Torah is at the center of a blessed life that produces fruit and leads to eschatological life.