christian midrashic musings on the first Psalm:
Psalm 1 is about metaphysics!
Two “ways” or paths or patterns are presented–the way of the righteous; the way of the ungodly. The song teaches that one of these ways is eternal and is inhabited by God; the other is not and will cease. It describes the two ways, and their future. It asks people to step off the way that will perish or pass, and onto the way which will last.
It then offers a method to remain on the path which is not dying. It says, “his delight is in the law of the Lord. And in His law he meditates day and night.” Then one becomes like a tree of Life planted by the River of Life which is where God’s mind and ways flow.
(Word, to stay alive, must always be settled upon or touched by dove or spirit. This has to do with the relationship between The Son and The Spirit. The written law or directions of God were never to be divorced from the Spirit in which those laws dwell. When they are separated, you get religion).
The song is not saying, just don’t sin, which is what religion teaches. Rather, it gives a larger reason not to enter into the ways of sin. This “larger” reason is that God is going to destroy that path–it will be washed off the metaphysical map so to speak! The way of lust or adultery; the way of greed or scorning..all the ways of sin are not eternal, and are perishing already! (John puts it, already the light is shining and darkness is passing).
So, this song is offering a larger, motivational reason to get off that path. There are two ways, the singer melodizes. One way is eternal and brings proper and exact placement of your life–in this way, we are promised to become like a tree by the rivers of Life bearing shade for others whose leaves will not wither.
“..nor stands in the path of sinners”
The path of sin will die. That is why we are urged to get off it! It is not just because we are being bad. It is because those ways are already going under so to speak. They are not safe. God is being Kind here in warning us! He is saying, look, I am wiping those roads off the map. It is inevitable. So get off them, don’t stand even along them, so you won’t get wiped out.This is a fathering gesture on His part.
This is not a religious psalm. It is not about “not sinning”. Once again it is about realizing God’s love. His love in this case is warning us that the road of sin is being wiped off the map just up ahead, so we should get the hell off it!
The guidance of the Lord leads into His Ways. To meditate on His guidance leads one into His Ways which are embedded IN HIM. (the word torah for law means instruction or guidance)
don’t listen
don’t walk
don’t sit
in those ways
why? not because you just shouldn’t
but because God is blowing them away like chaff
..a great mystery verse…”Therefore the ungodly will not stand in the judgment”…meaning that they won’t even be there because they were blown away on that path? Seems like it. The whole song is saying, look this road is going to blow. Get off it! The ones on it, won’t even be able to stand at the judgment time. The judgement is when things, as the English say, get sorted.
THE WAY of the ungodly will perish. That way or road is going to perish. Get off it.
The song also offers wisdom in telling us to look and see what path someone is standing on–not to judge them– but in order to test their counsel. Walk not in the counsel of those who are standing on the path which is perishing. If someone is standing on the path of sinners, their counsel is no good. THE PATH means the way. The way of sin leads to death.
A commentary might read sort of like this–don’t do what someone who is standing on that road says. And don’t sit with them while they are scorning others. Instead, meditate on the guidance of God, and trace it back into His Ways. This will put you, like a tree, growing beside the real rivers of Life, and your leaves will become steady shade for others.
