Bible Study Psalm 1:1-6
Notes
Transcript
Psalm 1 functions as the introduction to the entire Psalter. It sets the tone by contrasting two ways of life: the way of the righteous and the way of the wicked. It is considered a wisdom psalm, resembling Proverbs in its emphasis on choices, consequences, and delight in God’s Word. The psalm is anonymous, though some Jewish traditions associate it with David or Ezra.
The psalm begins with a blessing — “Blessed is the man…” — and describes the righteous person as one who avoids ungodly influences but delights in God’s law (Torah). The imagery of a tree planted by streams of water conveys stability, growth, and fruitfulness. In contrast, the wicked are compared to chaff, easily blown away by the wind — rootless, fruitless, and temporary.
Psalm 1 doesn’t just teach moral advice; it frames the whole book of Psalms: life is about living in relationship with God. The “blessed” life is found in meditating on God’s Word, not in following the world’s path. The psalm ends with a sobering truth: two ways exist, but only one leads to life. Jesus echoed this in Matthew 7:13–14, teaching about the narrow and broad ways.
Matthew 7:13–14 ““Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.”
Roadway of Approach (Facilitator Flow)
Roadway of Approach (Facilitator Flow)
1. Opening Connection (5 min)
Ask: “When you think of the word blessed, what comes to your mind?”
Happiness
2. Reading the Psalm (5–7 min)
Read Psalm 1 aloud in 2–3 translations (assign readers).
Ask: “What word, phrase, or image stood out to you?”
3. Observations (10–12 min)
Walk through verses 1–3 (the righteous).
Pr 4:14 | Do not enter the path of the wicked, And do not walk in the way of evil.
Je 15:17 | I did not sit in the assembly of the mockers, Nor did I rejoice; I sat alone because of Your hand, For You have filled me with indignation.
Ps 26:4 | I have not sat with idolatrous mortals, Nor will I go in with hypocrites.
Ps 26:5 | I have hated the assembly of evildoers, And will not sit with the wicked.
Pr 4:15 | Avoid it, do not travel on it; Turn away from it and pass on.
This invites both spiritual and everyday responses and gets people talking.
V. 1 Involves Actions. The Christian Life here at church can be more difficult to make mistakes but when we are active day in day out a chances of sin are greater.
V. 2 Psalm 1:2 “2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord, And in His law he meditates day and night.”
Delight
2656. חֵפֶץ chêphets, khay´-fets; from 2654;
Do you find your study of the Bible a pleasantry? What can we do to make it pleasant?
Jos 1:8 | This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.
Ps 119:35 | Make me walk in the path of Your commandments, For I delight in it.
Ps 119:14 | I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies, As much as in all riches.
Ps 119:16 | I will delight myself in Your statutes; I will not forget Your word.
Ps 119:1 | Blessed are the undefiled in the way, Who walk in the law of the LORD!
Meditate
1897. הָגָה hâgâh, haw-gaw´; a prim. root [comp. 1901]; to murmur (in pleasure or anger); by impl.
May I make a plug her for Sunday School (Life Groups)-A good teacher will affirm your growth and complement you and gain your confidence in Bible Study.
“Day and night” -Is study at one time better than the other?
What time works best for you?
V. 3
Psalm 1:3 “3 He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper.”
Planted
Rooted
Pr 4:14 | Do not enter the path of the wicked, And do not walk in the way of evil.
Jos 1:8 | This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.
Je 15:17 | I did not sit in the assembly of the mockers, Nor did I rejoice; I sat alone because of Your hand, For You have filled me with indignation.
Je 17:8 | For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, Which spreads out its roots by the river, And will not fear when heat comes; But its leaf will be green, And will not be anxious in the year of drought, Nor will cease from yielding fruit.
Ge 39:3 | And his master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD made all he did to prosper in his hand
“Rivers of water” means movement, life, clean, flowing-not stagnant, not contaminated.
“Brings fruit”-prosperity
“whose Leaf shall not wither”-eternity. God’s Word holds true through eternity past and future.
Walk through verses 4–6 (the wicked).
Chaff-blows away with the wind.
Ephesians 4:14 “14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting,”
Job 21:18 | They are like straw before the wind, And like chaff that a storm carries away.
Ps 35:5 | Let them be like chaff before the wind, And let the angel of the LORD chase them.
Is 17:13 | The nations will rush like the rushing of many waters; But God will rebuke them and they will flee far away, And be chased like the chaff of the mountains before the wind, Like a rolling thing before the whirlwind.
Ps 17:13 | Arise, O LORD, Confront him, cast him down; Deliver my life from the wicked with Your sword,
Is 35:5 | Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, And the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.
V. 5 Psalm 1:5 “5 Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.”
Ps 5:5 | The boastful shall not stand in Your sight; You hate all workers of iniquity.
Ps 9:16 | The LORD is known by the judgment He executes; The wicked is snared in the work of his own hands. Meditation. Selah
Ps 9:7 | But the LORD shall endure forever; He has prepared His throne for judgment.
Ps 9:8 | He shall judge the world in righteousness, And He shall administer judgment for the peoples in uprightness.
Ephesians 6:13 “13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.”
Luke 21:36 “36 Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.””
V. 6 Psalm 1:6 “6 For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, But the way of the ungodly shall perish.”
Ask: “What differences do you notice between the righteous and the wicked?”
4. Interpretation (10–12 min)
Discuss the meaning of “delighting in the law of the Lord.”
Explore the imagery of the tree vs. the chaff.
Ask: “What does this psalm teach us about God’s involvement in human life and choices?”
5. Application (10–12 min)
Ask: “How do we cultivate delight in God’s Word, not just duty?”
“What does being like a tree ‘planted by streams of water’ look like in real life?”
“Where are believers tempted today to walk, stand, or sit with the ungodly?”
6. Closing (5 min)
Summarize: Two ways of life — one rooted, one rootless; one fruitful, one fruitless.
Close by praying Psalm 1 into your group’s lives.
❓Discussion Questions for Psalm 1
❓Discussion Questions for Psalm 1
What do you think “blessed” means in this context? How is it different from how our culture defines “blessed”?
Verse 1 uses the words walk, stand, sit. Do you see a progression here? What does that reveal about how sin influences us?
What does it mean to delight in God’s Word (v.2)? How is that different from simply reading it?
What does the tree image (v.3) teach us about the righteous life?
Why do you think the psalmist contrasts the wicked with chaff (v.4)?
How do verses 5–6 remind us of eternal consequences?
How might this psalm point forward to Jesus (the truly righteous One)?
