Before we move on to the next Psalm which will expand our vision to more distant horizons, it seems fitting to come back to the very first verse of the first Psalm and ask the question who is this "blessed man."1
First impressions would tell us that he is a symbol of universality, a representation of the generic believer, whatever that might be. Relying on first impressions the idea of, the meaning of the word “blessed.” This is the ‘man’s’ clear state of being. Is this the same man that David is referring to in Psalm 32 verse 1? Here the man’s transgression is forgiven, whose “sin is covered.” Surely this can happen only through Christ?
This is where I get caught on thorns for I have to read this in terms of my 21st century context.
I have to ask: Don't the Psalms predate Jesus? So my question is how can I hope to find Christ here? To find an answer to this point of tension we need to think about the nature of Scripture: God breathed, inspired by the Holy Spirit, given to us through the Word.
Let me digress for a moment or two while you hold that thought.
For me the key is in the blessedness of the man and the Law of the Lord upon which the man meditates. Both of these point to Christ.
But how?
The fact that the man starts off already in a state of "blessedness" is significant. One commentator points to the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5. Jesus beings with the words "Blessed are..." and so the poor in spirit for example are in a state of blessedness already because Christ has seen and recognised their state of being.
And so too the blessed man at the start of Psalm 1. And like the poor in spirit, and others who are named in the Sermon on the Mount, we find that the blessed man is not in the company of the wicked, but firmly in the community of those who walk with the Lord and meditate on His word day and night. The Lord knows who are his, because there is a relationship with Him, resulting from meditating, praying, praising, deeply in the Word.
The blessed man is not among those who are to be judged, v 6, for he is righteous, and his righteousness is afforded him because of his walking the path and meditating on the Word of the Lord.
But there is something else going on here that needs to be highlighted, rather than merely hinted at, and that is the presence of Christ Himself.
If we turn to Luke 24:44, Christ reveals that all Scripture references Him, as both the Son of God, the Word, and importantly in this discussion the Son of Man. In looking to the man who is blessed, there is a point when we think about Christ, as not only is Christ blessed but he is also universal in that He died on the Cross, once for all.3
We are blessed men (and women) because Christ first blessed us.
Reardon2 suggests that it is Christ's voice that we hear when we read, and indeed pray through the Psalms. "Christ is the referential center of the Psalms." In Ephesians, the Apostle Paul exhorts us to "be filled with the Holy Spirit, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts."4 Turn also to Colossians 3:16 where Paul joyously calls us to "Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill out lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts."
Is it any wonder with the voice of Christ filtering through each and every Psalm we too can share in that deep gift of blessing and strength and eternal fellowship with God that this Psalm promises.
Amen.
1. For the purposes of the post the use of the pronoun “man,” is based purely on textual usage and not intended to include nor indeed exclude either gender. I thank my readers for their understanding.
2. Reardon, Patrick Henry. Christ in the Psalms. Conciliar Press; (2000) Kindle.
3. Hebrews 7:27
4. Ephesians 5:18-19.