The Way of the Blessed Life

What is the blessed life and how do we attain it? The introductory psalms point the way in telling us to delight in the Lord’s law and the Lord’s anointed. Let’s see what we can learn about the way of the blessed life from Psalms 1–2 and the NIV Study Bible.

Introduction to Blessed Life in Psalms 1–2

“Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night . . . Kiss his son, or he will be angry and your way will lead to your destruction, for his wrath can flare up in a moment. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.”

Psalm 1:1–2; 2:12

These two “orphan” psalms (having no title) are bound together by framing clauses (“Blessed is the one . . . whose delight is in the law of the LORD”; “Blessed are all who take refuge in him”) that highlight their function as the introduction to the whole Psalter. Together they point on the one hand to God’s law and to the instruction of the wisdom teachers (Ps 1) and on the other hand to a central theme in the Prophets, namely, what Yahweh has committed himself to accomplish for and through his anointed king from the house of David (Ps 2). As the port of entry into the Psalter, these two psalms make clear that those who would find their own voice in the Psalms and so would appropriate them as testimonies to their own faith must fit the profile of those called “blessed” here.

Psalm 1 – Blessed are those who delight in the Lord’s Law

Overview

Godly wisdom here declares the final outcome of the two “ways”: “the way that sinners take” (v. 1) and “the way of the righteous” (v. 6). The psalmist develops three contrasts that set the righteous apart from the wicked: (1) their “way” of life (vv. 1–2); (2) the life condition they experience (“like a tree,” “like chaff,” vv. 3–4); and, climactically, (3) God’s judgment on their different ways (vv. 5–6). As part of the introduction to the Psalter, this psalm reminds the reader

(1) that those of whom the Psalms speak (using various terms) as the people of God must be characterized by delight in God’s revealed will—those who stubbornly choose the way of sinners have no place among them (v. 5; see Ps 15; 24)—and

(2) that godly piety is a faithful response to God’s written directives for life—which is the path that leads to blessedness.

For a prime indicator of the psalm’s central theme, cf. the first and last words, which frame the whole (“Blessed . . . destruction”).

Verse Study Notes 1:1–3

1:1 Blessed. The happy condition of those who revere the Lord and do his will (see 94:12; 112:1; 119:1–2; 128:1; Pr 29:18; cf. Ps 41:1; 106:3; Pr 14:21; Isa 56:2) and who put their trust in him (see 40:4; 84:5,12; 144:15; 146:5; Pr 16:20; Isa 30:18; Jer 17:7; cf. Ps 2:12; 34:8). Reference is not first of all to health and wealth but to the assurance and experience that they live under the guardianship and faithful care of the gracious Lord of life.

The Psalter begins by proclaiming the blessedness of the godly and ends by calling all living things to praise God in his earthly and heavenly sanctuaries (Ps 150). walk . . . stand . . . sit. Speaks of progressively greater levels of association with the ungodly and participation in their ungodly ways. sinners. Those for whom wickedness is habitual—a way of life (v. 5). mockers. Those who ridicule God and defiantly reject his law (see Pr 1:22).

1:2 meditates on his law. Seeking guidance for life in God’s law rather than in the deliberations of the wicked. day and night. See Jos 1:8.

Verse Study Notes 1:3–4

1:3 like a tree . . . does not wither. See Jer 17:8; a simile of the blessedness of the righteous. Such a tree blesses people and animals with its unfailing fruit and shade.

1:4 like chaff . . . blows away. A simile of the wretchedness of the wicked. Chaff is carried away by the lightest wind.

Verse Study Notes 1:5–6

1:5 will not stand in the judgment. Will not be able to withstand God’s wrath when he judges (see 76:7; 130:3; Ezr 9:15; Na 1:6; Mal 3:2; Mt 25:31–46; Rev 6:17). assembly. The worshipers gathered at the tabernacle or temple (as in 22:25; 26:12; 35:18; 40:9–10; 111:1; 149:1). righteous. One of several terms in the OT for God’s people; it presents them as those who honor God and order their lives according to his will.

1:6 way . . . way. What the psalmist says of the two ways applies by implication also to those who choose them (37:20).

Psalm 2 – Blessed are those who delight in the Lord’s Anointed

Overview

Peter and John ascribed this psalm to David in Ac 4:25—possibly in accordance with the Jewish practice of honoring David as the primary author of the Psalter. A royal psalm, the psalmist likely composed this for the coronation of a Davidic king in light of the Lord’s covenant with David (see 2Sa 7). As the second half of a two-part introduction to the Psalms, it proclaims the blessedness of all who acknowledge the lordship of God and his anointed and “take refuge in him” (v. 12). This psalm is frequently quoted in the NT, where it is applied to Christ as the great Son of David and God’s Anointed.

Four balanced stanzas of three verses each are divided at the center (v. 7a) by a short prose line that serves as a thematic hinge. Stanzas two and three contain messages from the heavenly King that warrant the warning to the “kings” (v. 10) whose rebellion (v. 2) is the focus of the first stanza.

Verse Study Notes 2:1–6

2:1–3 The nations rebel. In the ancient Near East the coronation of a new king was often the occasion for the revolt of peoples and kings who had been subject to the crown. The newly anointed king is here pictured as ruler over an empire.

2:1–2 For a NT application, see Ac 4:25–28.

2:1 Why . . . ? A rhetorical question that implies “How dare they!”

2:2 LORD . . . his anointed. To rebel against the Lord’s anointed is also to rebel against the One who anointed him. anointed. Refers to the Davidic king and is ultimately fulfilled in Christ. The English word “Messiah” comes from the Hebrew word for “anointed one,” and the English word “Christ” from the Greek word for “anointed one”.

2:4–6 The Lord mocks the rebels. With derisive laughter the Lord meets the confederacy of rebellious world powers with the sovereign declaration that it is he who has established the Davidic king in his own royal city of Zion (Jerusalem).

2:4 See 59:8.

2:5 anger . . . wrath. God’s anger is always an expression of his righteousness (see 7:11).

2:6 holy mountain. The site of the Jerusalem temple (see 2Ch 33:15; see also 3:4; 15:1; 43:3; 99:9).

Verse Study Notes 2:7–12

2:7–9 The Lord’s anointed proclaims the Lord’s decree on the occasion of the king’s coronation. For NT application to Jesus’ resurrection, see Ac 13:33; to his superiority over angels, see Heb 1:5; to his appointment as high priest, see Heb 5:5.

2:7 son . . . father. In the ancient Near East the relationship between a great king and one of his subject kings, who ruled by his authority and owed him allegiance, was expressed not only by the words “lord” and “servant” but also by “father” and “son.” The Davidic king was the Lord’s “servant” and his “son” (2Sa 7:5,14).

2:8 your inheritance. Your domain—just as the promised land was the Lord’s “inheritance” (Ex 15:17; see Jos 22:19; Ps 28:9; 79:1; 82:8). ends of the earth. Ultimately the rule of the Lord’s anointed will extend as far as the rule of God himself.

2:9 According to Rev 12:5; 19:15–16 this word will be fulfilled in the triumphant reign of Christ; in Rev 2:26–27 Christ declares that he will appoint those who remain faithful to him to share in his subjugating rule over the nations. dash them to pieces like pottery. See Jer 19:11.

2:10–12 The rebellious rulers are warned against dishonoring the Lord and his anointed.

2:11 trembling. Awe and reverence.

2:12 Kiss. As a sign of submission (see 1Sa 10:1; 1Ki 19:18; Hos 13:2). Submission to an Assyrian king was expressed by kissing his feet. he . . . his . . . him. Most likely the reference is to “the LORD” (v. 11). your way will lead to your destruction. See note on 1:6 above. Blessed. See 1:1 and note. take refuge. See 5:11; 34:8; 64:10; cf. 104:18.

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