Psalms for Life: Introduction and Psalm 1

Introduction to Psalms for Life

Today we're beginning a new sermon series focused on the book of Psalms. Over the coming weeks, we'll explore a selection of these powerful passages that have shaped the spiritual lives of believers throughout history.

Why the Psalms Matter

The book of Psalms holds a unique place in Scripture. It is the most quoted Old Testament book in the New Testament—approximately half of all scriptural quotations in the New Testament come from Psalms. It's also the longest book in the Bible and contains both the longest and shortest chapters. Remarkably, Psalm 118:8 is considered the middle verse of the entire Bible.

Psalm 23 is the most used Psalm at UK funerals. Many of us can recall familiar verses: "The Lord is my shepherd" or "I lift my eyes to the hills." The Psalms are deeply woven into Christian worship and personal devotion. Yet we often approach them simply as a resource to "dip into" for encouragement, missing their deeper significance.

Theologian O. Palmer Robertson reminds us that the Psalms are not merely a songbook or treasury of encouraging verses. They possess both intentional structure and intentional purpose. Our goal in this series is to understand that framework and discover how to use the Psalms for life—not just for comfort in the moment.

The Historical Background

Much remains mysterious about the Psalms. Augustine, the early church theologian, famously began writing a commentary on Psalms while acknowledging: "The overall theme and purpose of the Psalms, which seems to contain the secret of a mighty mystery, has not yet been revealed to me." Yet he proceeded anyway—a wonderful example of faith pressing forward despite incomplete understanding.

What we do know: Many Psalms were written by King David around 1000 BC, though others date as late as 500 years later. The book was compiled over time and wasn't organized chronologically. The divisions and titles we see in our Bibles are original to the text, unlike other biblical books where medieval monks later added chapter and verse divisions.

During Israel's exile to Babylon (586-515 BC), these Psalms were gathered together to encourage worship and provide identity to the nation during times of great testing and difficulty. They were given eternal significance in that dark season.

The Two Pillars: Torah and Messiah

The first two Psalms establish the twin themes that run throughout the entire book—what scholars call the poetic pillars of the temple of the Psalms.

Psalm 1 focuses on the Torah of God—God's law. But this isn't about rules or commandments in a narrow sense. As Robertson explains:

"The Torah is a wholesome approach to life that comes from a full apprehension of the will of God for the well-being of human beings made in God's image."

In simpler terms: knowing how to live God's way well. It's about living abundantly as God intends.

Psalm 2 points to the Messiah—the coming King. Written centuries before Jesus, it speaks of a king like David, yet eternal and supreme. These two themes are repeatedly coupled throughout the Psalms (Psalms 18-19, 118-119), creating a pattern: Torah and Messiah, law and gospel, both equally essential.

Robertson beautifully states:

"Torah and Messiah, law and gospel, both are equally essential for the fulfillment of the Lord's covenants and the advancement of the Lord's kingdom."

We enter the Psalms through these two doorways: understanding the way God intends us to live, and anchoring ourselves in the hope of the coming King who makes that life possible.

Psalm 1: Blessed Are the Righteous

Let's look at Psalm 1 together:

Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law, the Torah, of the Lord and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever they do prospers. Not so the wicked. They're like chaff that the wind blows away. Therefore, the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.

Understanding "Wicked" and "Righteous"

When we hear the word wicked, we might picture cartoonish villains—the Wicked Witch of the West or the Joker. We imagine people who do terrible things. But that's not what this Psalm means. The distinction between wicked and righteous has nothing to do with the severity of our actions. Rather:

Wickedness and righteousness are about our relationship to God's law—to the way of living God has designed for us.

The righteous are those who say, "Yes, God, that's what I want to do." The wicked are those who say, "No, not for me, thanks." It's a matter of attitude and orientation, not moral achievement.

A Humbling Truth

Here's the uncomfortable reality: the wicked includes every one of us—at least at one time. Before we became Christians, we were wicked. We had no desire to follow God or know anything about Him. As Paul writes in Ephesians:

"All of us lived among them, the heathens at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh, and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath." (Ephesians 2:3)

And in Romans 8:

"The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so." (Romans 8:7)

If we count ourselves among the righteous today, it is entirely by the grace of God and through no merit of our own. This isn't arrogance; it's humility. We were rescued, not because we earned it, but because God had mercy.

When those who were baptized this morning entered the water, they didn't qualify because they "got eight out of ten" or hit some moral threshold. Rather:

"He saved us not because of righteous things we'd done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit." (Titus 3:5)

God has washed us clean. God has made us new. God has given us rebirth through the Holy Spirit. If we are righteous, it is a gift.

Delighting in God's Law

But there's more. The righteous don't merely receive this blessing passively. Verse 2 says they "delight in the law, the Torah, of the Lord and meditate on his law day and night."

This doesn't mean we must all become biblical scholars. Rather, it means:

We face every aspect of our lives—day and night—with a view to pleasing God in that situation by knowing and following His word.

When we're at work, at home, with friends, facing challenges—in every context—we ask: How can I live in a way that pleases God here? This is an instruction for all of us, not just theologians.

The Fruit of Righteousness

What's the result? The righteous person is "like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever they do prospers."

Notice: the tree doesn't produce fruit by its own effort. The water comes to it. The tree simply stands and receives. Similarly, as we seek to follow God—imperfectly, often getting it wrong—God brings forth fruit in our lives that bears testimony to His work in us.

Often we don't notice this fruit in ourselves. But others do. Pay attention to what God is doing in your brothers and sisters. Notice the forgiveness, the love, the kindness emerging from their lives. Tell them: "I've really noticed the way you handled that situation. The love you showed. That's wonderful." These observations encourage one another.

And "prosperity" here isn't measured in material wealth. Rather:

Our lives prosper spiritually as they become more aligned with what God intends. As we desire to follow Him, He prospers us in that way.

The Way of the Wicked Leads to Destruction

In contrast, the wicked are like chaff blown away in the wind. In biblical times, farmers would toss harvested grain into the air; the wind would scatter the worthless chaff while the grain fell back down. Here's the crucial point:

The Psalm isn't saying the wicked people are worthless. It's saying what they do with their lives—what they hope to build their identity and hope upon—ultimately amounts to nothing from an eternal perspective.

Their earthly endeavors, their efforts apart from God, are worthless. Their lives become "dry and lifeless, regardless of how they look on the outside."

This contrast between righteous and wicked runs throughout the book of Psalms, concentrated especially in the first 41 Psalms (Book One). It is central to understanding the Psalms.

Eternal Consequences

But here's what makes this crucial: These aren't just lifestyle preferences. The Psalmist is clear:

"The wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. The Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to destruction."

Everyone belongs to one category or the other. The people at your school, university, workplace, and community—all belong to one group or the other. This is not insignificant. It means the gospel message of Jesus Christ is of vital importance to everyone around us.

Next week we'll learn how Jesus, the Messiah promised in Psalm 2, has made a way for us to know righteousness. But judgment is coming, and many don't know it.

An Invitation

If you're here today and you've never experienced the transforming power of Jesus—if you don't know that God has made you righteous through His grace—today is your opportunity. You don't need to get everything right. You don't need to perfectly keep God's law. You simply need to say yes to Him.

That invitation is open to everyone, just as it was open to those baptized today, and just as it was open to me decades ago. If that's you, I'd be happy to speak with you afterward, or ask the person who brought you—they can explain how you can know that transforming grace today.

Prayer for the Lost

And perhaps you're thinking of people you know—family members, friends, colleagues, neighbors—wonderful people you love, but who don't yet know this righteousness God offers. Let's lift them to God in prayer:

Father, we want to lift up the people in our lives—our friends, our neighbors, people we see every day, people we've known for years. We want to lift them to You, Lord. God, would You move in their lives just as You moved in ours? We didn't do anything to deserve it, yet You moved. Would You have mercy on them? Would You give us boldness to speak up to them, and would You give them a desire to know Your law, to live well according to Your design, to have an abundant and prosperous life? We offer them to You, Lord. Amen.