Psalm 1: Two Paths of Life
Poetry, songs, and even artwork often employ the imagery of footpaths. One of the most famous examples belongs to the pen of Robert Frost:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
I’ll admit to not knowing much about poetry, Robert Frost, or his intended meaning here, but this poem kept popping into my mind as I was reading and studying Psalm 1.
Two roads, two paths, two ways.
That’s what I see in Psalm 1.
We’re shown two different ways of life: the way of the wicked and the way of the righteous (v.6).
I don’t think it is a coincidence that this is the FIRST psalm out of 150 and that this is how it starts. Psalm 1 could be read as an introduction to the whole book of Psalms. Throughout the ancient poetry, the songs and praises, the laments and prayers, we will read about these two ways of life introduced here. We will see wickedness and evil striving against and compared to righteousness and holiness. Over and over again, these themes will play out—and they continue to play out in our world today.
So, not only is Psalm 1 an introduction to the book of Psalms, it is also an introduction to the reality of life. We have this one life to live—which path are we going to take? Which way will we go?
All the way back in the beginning, Adam and Eve were given a way of life, a path of perfect peace in the perfect presence of God. But they chose a different path, a divergent path. They chose the way of the wicked. They chose disobedience. They chose sin.
From that point forward, we have lived in a world in which two paths are presented to us. We are like Robert Frost’s traveler in the woods, confronted with a fork in the road. Will we take the road well-trodden and easy, or will we take the road less traveled by?
What marks the person who decides to follow the way of the righteous, the road less traveled?
She is a person who delights in the Law (instruction) of the Lord. She thinks about, talks about, prays about, fills her life with the instruction of the Lord (v.2).
The Law of the Lord isn’t just a bunch of dos and don’ts from ancient times. The Law of the Lord is specifically what we now know as the first five books of the Bible—the Pentateuch. These books of the Bible reveal WHO GOD IS, WHAT HE HAS DONE, and WHY HE HAS DONE It. It conveys who we are in relation to Him, and it depicts the true nature of this world. The lists of dos and don’ts aren’t all necessarily required of us now, but the heart behind it is. Because WHO God is and WHAT He has done absolutely should have an effect on HOW we live today.
So, someone who delights in the Law of the Lord and meditates on it day and night is a person who always has God on her mind, who is constantly thinking about how amazing, faithful, gracious, and merciful He is. Not to mention how holy and just—something that should instill holy fear in us.
A person whose mind and life are continually being filled with this Truth is like a tree planted by streams of water, flourishing exactly as God intends. This Truth becomes the compass, becomes the actual path to be traveled upon. The way of righteousness is firmly established and well-lit by the Truth revealed in the Law—the reality of WHO God is, WHAT He has done, and HOW we are to live because of it.
The one traveling the path of wickedness completely disregards the Truth in search of her own truth—just like Adam and Eve. They wanted more than what God freely and graciously offered. Can’t the same be said of those following the way of the wicked today?
There are two paths before us today and every day. One leads to a life of flourishing, and the other to a life of destruction. In the New Testament, Jesus also describes these two paths. One is wide, the other is narrow. Only one leads to life. Only one leads to Him.
May we be people completely consumed by the truth of God—who He is and what He has done—that we follow that narrow path all the days of our life! May we be trees, firmly planted and flourishing. May we choose the road less traveled today, tomorrow, and the next day, and the next, and the next…
DIG DEEPER:
Proverbs 4:10-19
Joshua 1:7-8
Psalm 119:1-2, 16, 35
Psalm 92:12-15
Jeremiah 17:7-8
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