Psalm 1:1 ESV

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;

"The Blessed Life"

There are two verbs in Hebrew meaning “to bless.” One is bārak and the other ʾāšar. Can any differences between them be tabulated? For one thing bārak is used by God when he “blesses” somebody. But there is no instance where ʾāšar is ever on God’s lips. When one “blesses” God the verb is bārak, never ʾāšar. One suggestion to explain this sharp distinction, i.e, that ʾāšar is reserved for man, is that ʾāšar is a word of envious desire, “to be envied with desire is the man who trusts in the Lord.” God is not man and therefore there are no grounds for aspiring to his state even in a wishful way. Similarly God does not envy man, never desires something man is or has, which he does not have, but would like to have. Therefore God never pronounces man “blessed” (ʾašrê) (Janzen). It should also be pointed out that when bārak is used the initiative comes from God. God can bestow his blessing even when man doesn’t deserve it. On the other hand, to be blessed (ʾašrê), man has to do something. Finally, bārak is a benediction, ʾāšar more of a congratulation. The former is rendered by elogētos in the LXX and the latter by makarios.

To be “blessed” (ʾašrê), man has to do something. Usually this is something positive. A “blessed” man, for example, is one who trusts in God without equivocation: ; [H ]; [H ]; [H ]; [H ]; ; . A “blessed” man is one who comes under the authority of God’s revelation: his Torah, ; ; ; his word, ; his commandment, ; his testimony, ; his way, ; . The man who is beneficent to the poor is blessed ( [H ]); ). Note the negative approach of , “blessed is the man who does not.” He isolates himself and shuns the company of certain people, the ungodly. The psalm ends by noting that it is precisely these ungodly who will in the end be isolated. They will not stand in the judgment. They will be conspicuous by their absence for they will perish.

I. A Blessed person pays attention to their influences! (Separated from the world!)

A. They avoid negative influences. Progression of influence

Watch who they walk with (listen to). (Thinking)

Watch where they stand (path of sinners) (Behaving)

Watch whose in their seat (arrogant & conceited) (Belonging)

Thinking

Thinking

Behaving

Behaving

Belonging

Belonging

B. They align with positive influences. (Saturated in the Word!)

Their Pleasure

His delight is in the law of the Lord

Their Practice

and on His law he meditates both day and night

II. The Blessed person has unlimited potential! (Stabilized for the Work!)

A. The picture of happiness!

He is like a tree (planted)

planted by rivers of water (provisions)

that yields fruit (productive)

in its season (patient)

in all that he does, he prospers (prosper)

B. The picture of unhappiness

Instability

Psalms I: Chapters 1–41 (King James Version) Psalm 1: How to Be Happy and Blessed in Life, 1:1–6

In the process of winnowing [wheat], as it has been carried on in the East for thousands of years, the grain is tossed into the air so that the wind may cause a separation of chaff and straw. The light husks from the wheat and fine particles of straw are dispersed by the wind in the form of a fine dust; the heavier straw which has been broken into short pieces by the threshing process falls near at hand on the edge of the threshing-floor, while the grain falls back upon the pile.… This straw is ordinarily saved and fed as ‘roughage’ to the animals. It could easily be gathered and burned … while the chaff is blown away beyond recovery, a strong figure to depict complete annihilation.

Insufficiency