Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, or set foot on the path of sinners, or sit in the seat of mockers.
Mark how the Psalms opens with a benediction, just as our Lord's Sermon on the Mount does. The word blessed here is plural, O, the blessednesses!, speaking to the manifold riches of grace God pours upon the justified man who refuses the counsel of the wicked and stands apart in the congregation of the righteous.
AI summary
Commenting on Psalm 1:1
This Psalm stands at the head like a preface to teach the godly that their blessedness lies in meditating upon God's law. The impious may strut about in their folly, but they shall come to a miserable end; it is those who pursue heavenly wisdom who are truly blessed.
AI summary
Commenting on Psalm 1:1-6
Blessed is this man, doubly blessed, thrice happy, blessed in things temporal and spiritual, in this world and the one to come. He refuses the counsel of the ungodly, those restless despisers of God who are ever in mischief, casting up nothing but mire and dirt; he walks in a different path altogether.
AI summary