The Psalmist Is Trying To Say Analysis

What do you think the psalmist is trying to say?

In Psalm 1:1-3, I believe what the psalmist is trying to convey is that if Israel follows God’s word and turns away from the evil that others try to impose, then they will be happy and flourish. In the first verse, it explains that whoever rejects the “thinking, behaving and belonging, in which a person’s fundamental choice of allegiance is made and carried through” (Kidner, 2008, p.64), then that person will be blessed. It is important to understand that we must turn away from the influences of the world. We don’t want to get caught up in thinking in ways that are not according to God’s word or behave in a way that is unholy lest we end up becoming just like the world, evildoers who go against God. The psalmist goes on to say that when we instead take pleasure in God’s word and focus our mind on it, then we will grow strong and become fruitful in his purpose for us. As Kidner (2008) explains a firmly planted tree is “a living organism which absorbs [water], to produce in due course something new and delightful” (p.65). It is no wonder that the psalmist chose this kind of symbolism to express the stronghold of a Christian who follows the way of the Lord and not of the world. In the end, whoever follows God’s law will prosper and not flounder.

In today’s society, it is important that this psalm is still applied in living a Christian life. Temptation never ceases and the wicked always persists, sometimes in ways that are not always noticeable, or that seem obvious. It can be difficult if we are not strong in our faith to fall into the thinking of the world, that is why it is important to continually read the Bible so that we can know God and what he expects of us. This will help us to grow spiritually and resist what the world offers so that we can be successful in reaching the kingdom of heaven.

Is there something within the psalm that needs clarification?