1Bem-aventurado o homem que não anda no conselho dos maus, nem fica parado no caminho dos pecadores, nem se senta junto dos escarnecedores.
2Mas sim, que tem seu prazer na Lei do SENHOR; e medita em sua Lei de dia e de noite.
3Porque ele será como uma árvore, plantada junto a ribeiros de águas, que dá fruto a seu [devido] tempo, e suas folhas não caem; e tudo quanto fizer prosperará.
4Os maus não são assim; mas são como a palha que o vento dispersa.
5Por isso os maus não subsistirão no julgamento, nem os pecadores no ajuntamento dos justos.
6Porque o SENHOR conhece o caminho dos justos; porém o caminho dos maus perecerá.
📖 Chapter study
Summary
The psalm opens the book by contrasting two paths: the way of the righteous, who meditates on the law of the LORD and flourishes like a tree planted by streams of water, and the way of the wicked, who is like chaff blown away by the wind and cannot stand in the judgment.
Explanation
Psalms was Israel's hymnbook and prayer book, used in temple worship for centuries. Psalm 1 functions as a gateway: it sets the standard that will guide the reading of all 149 psalms that follow — there is a path that leads to life and one that leads to ruin. The image of a tree planted by streams of water describes someone deeply rooted, who withstands life's droughts because he is continually nourished by the Word, unlike chaff, which has no root and no weight of its own. Today this invites the question: is my life rooted in something stable, or am I carried along by opinion and the wind of the moment?