What is the secret to happiness? That’s what the word translated “blessed” means in Hebrew. And the psalmist clearly says that the way to be truly happy is to take delight in God’s law, and to study it carefully.

Why is that? Let’s first remember that God’s law is divided into three parts – the moral law, the civil law, and the ceremonial law. Remembering the moral law, which applies to everyone everywhere all the time, helps us to put it into practice in our daily lives, more consistently loving God with all our heart and loving our neighbors as ourselves. As we think about the civil law, and how the ancient Israelites were supposed to apply the moral law to their own cultural context, we are challenged to integrate God’s law of love into every part of our lives as well. And of course as we think about the meaning of the ceremonial law, all those sacrifices which point in one way or another to the cross of Christ, we are drawn to love Him more and to devote ourselves more completely to Him.

How different this sort of mindset is from the sinful, wicked scoffers we see in verse 1. They have no time for God or His law – they’re too busy doing what feels good or makes sense to them. They have set themselves up as their own masters, determining for themselves what is right and wrong without any reference to God at all.

So, what will happen to those who live their lives apart from God? Verse 4 makes it plain – because God is the ultimate source of all life, those who are cut off from Him will just wither away, drying up like a branch cut off from its roots. Regardless of how proud and powerful they seem to be right now, they’ll end up blowing away like chaff.

In contrast, the person who bows the knee before Christ as Lord, submitting to His authority in all areas of life is holding fast to the One Who is life itself. Of course those who hold fast to their Savior will flourish like a tree whose roots are planted firmly in moist, nourishing soil. And of course they will have nothing to fear in the coming Day of Judgment (v. 5).

So, will you settle for fleeting pleasure today? Or will you walk in the way of Christ, the way that leads to eternal blessing?

Psalm 1 (ESV)

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.