More psalms: Psalm 1, 10, 33, 71, 91

Many of the psalms have no author attributed to them, so we have a large group of ‘unallocated’ psalms that have no identified author. Psalm 1 sets the scene for all the psalms: it looks at righteousness and sin, and the consequences of each. How much better would the world be if everybody ignored the advice of wicked people, and stayed well away from scoffers?

Psalm 1

Happy are those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or take the path that sinners tread, or sit in the seat of scoffers; but their delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law they meditate day and night. They are like trees planted by streams of water, which yield their fruit in its season, and their leaves do not wither. In all that they do, they prosper. The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgement, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; for the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.

The clause ‘the wicked will not stand in the judgement’ has been interpreted in various ways:

• they won’t [be able to] stand the trials when they come
• they won’t be able to rise (to stand up tall and proud) on judgement day—similar to hanging their heads in shame—as their sin is shown to them
• they’ll be swept away, as the previous verse said, like chaff (which Jesus also referred to in Matthew 3:11-12)