Psalm 1
Big ideaPsalm 1’s two ways set to a barn-dance: the blessed are a tree by the water, the wicked are chaff in the wind — so be a person of roots, not of wind.
That man is blessed who will not walk
where godless counselors lead,
that man is blessed who will not walk
where godless counselors lead,
who will not stand where sinners gather
or sit where cynics feed.
His joy is in the law of God,
he turns it day and night —
he mutters truth beneath his breath
and finds it his delight.
He shall be like a tree transplanted
beside the channeled stream,
that bears its fruit in every season,
its leaf an evergreen.
And everything he sets his hand to
shall prosper by God’s will —
a life of roots and ordered harvest,
of water, deep and still.
Blessed is the man, blessed is the man,
whose roots drink deep and hold —
the LORD knows the way of the righteous,
and the wicked way grows cold.
The wicked are not built like this —
they have no root or ground.
Like chaff the threshing floor discards them,
like dust the wind has found.
They will not stand when judgment rises
or sit among the just —
their confidence, their name, their standing
returns to scattered dust.
Blessed is the man, blessed is the man,
whose roots drink deep and hold —
the LORD knows the way of the righteous,
and the wicked way grows cold.
So let me be a man of roots
and not a man of wind,
who feeds on what will last forever
and starves what feeds on sin.
LORD, plant me where Your waters run,
and let me grow down deep —
a tree that bends but will not break,
whose fruit is Yours to reap.
Blessed is the man, blessed is the man,
whose roots drink deep and hold —
the LORD knows the way of the righteous,
and the wicked way grows cold.
Scripture References
- Psalm 1
- Jeremiah 17:7-8
Study this song
Teaching aids drawn from the song — for personal study or group discussion.
How the song moves
Key terms & allusions
- the two ways — Psalm 1’s structure — the way of the righteous versus the way of the wicked — a doorway framing the whole Psalter.
- “he turns it day and night” (muttering the law) — Psalm 1:2; the Hebrew hagah means to mutter or murmur under the breath — an ancient way of meditating on Scripture.
- “tree planted by streams of water” — Psalm 1:3, paired here with Jeremiah 17:7–8’s identical image of the one who trusts the Lord.
- “chaff the wind drives away” — Psalm 1:4 — chaff is the worthless husk blown off when grain is threshed.
- the “Watts turn” — The final verse turns to prayer in the manner of Isaac Watts, who famously paraphrased the Psalms into English hymns.
Discussion questions
- Psalm 1 says delight — not just duty — in God’s word is the root of the blessed life. How do you cultivate delight, not only discipline?
- The wicked aren’t painted as villains, just rootless “chaff.” How is rootlessness its own kind of judgment?
- “Roots, not wind.” What practices actually put roots down deep?
For contemplation
- Are you currently more “tree” or “chaff” — rooted, or blown about?
- What are you “muttering… day and night”? What fills your idle thoughts?
- Where do you need to be “transplanted… beside the channeled stream”?