Sunday, July 14 – Psalms 1, 2

1. What three actions does the righteous person avoid that make them blessed? Psalm 1:1

2. What metaphor does the psalmist use to highlight the life of the righteous? Psalm 1:3

3. What consequences will we face if we choose evil? Psalm 1:5

4. What advice does God give to kings and nations? Psalm 2:10-12

Commentary and Reflection:

The general theme of the book of Psalms is that man is in trouble, but God is willing to help. Each poem and song contains the cry of a man asking the Almighty for help. Therefore, its content was a blessing not only for the Hebrew people, from whom each psalm originated but also for all who turn to its reading today, whether for private prayer or public worship.

Psalms 1 and 2 serve as a general introduction to the entire book of Psalms, as they describe the only two paths that every man (Psalm 1) and every nation (Psalm 2) must choose from, both related to happiness and eternal life or bitterness and death. There is an intimate relationship between both psalms. Psalm 1 highlights the blessed life of the individual who has chosen to love God and the eventual failure of the wicked. Psalm 2 shows the futility of universal rebellion against the Lord and the blessedness of the nations that trust in the Son of God, the Messiah.

Psalm 1 makes us reflect on a simple spiritual law: if you choose righteousness, you will prosper, but if you decide injustice, you will fail. The first verse begins with a blessing highlighting negative actions that the blessed person has not done. He has not walked, stood, or sat in the darkness of sin because his passion is different: he loves the Lord and meditates on His law day and night, finding delight in it. Therefore, he bears fruit and prospers. In contrast, the wicked who have chosen the path of darkness and delight in it will perish. Life and death are a choice apart, which is why the psalmist urges us to seriously take the wise and daily decision to be like trees firmly planted by streams of water, a symbol of our beloved God. Only in this way can we be happy and prosper as a prelude to the life to come.

Psalm 2 is the first messianic psalm of the book, where we are urged to choose God and the Messiah personally and collectively as a people and a nation, choose Jesus as Lord and Savior. In verses 1 and 2, the kings of the earth challenge God and Christ and choose the path of rebellion, conspiring against the Lord. In verses 4 to 6, God responds with disdain to that choice because He despises rebellion, but in His patience and grace, He offers and establishes the Messiah as the king of Zion. Then, in verses 7 to 9, He presents His Son as the legitimate owner of our world. The psalm closes in verses 10 to 12, calling kings and nations to choose to serve the Lord with fear and trembling, honoring His Son, the Lord, and Savior. The psalm ends with a blessing for all who have chosen to trust in God.

These two psalms are the central theme of the book: an individual call to seek God and a call to nations to serve the Lord to become blessed and saved. Your decision and mine count in both psalms. Amen.