“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly…” (Ps 1:1).
In this dramatic way the Book of Psalms opens, an introduction to the whole collection. It has been pointed out that the word “blessed” (Heb, ashrei) is plural and makes an exclamation, “O the blessednesses of that man…!” So the Spirit of God immediately emphasizes the standard by which all human life is evaluated: God designed humanity to be the recipient of His blessings and to be happy, but there are impediments to that path—ungodly counsel, sinful influences, and scornful attitudes.
Like the man who asked three counselors what 1 + 1 equaled. His psychiatrist: “What do you feel it should be?” His accountant: “What do you need it to be?” His lawyer: “What should we make it to be?” Instead, the blessed man doesn’t simply submit to the Torah (the word for “law”) but delights in, and meditates on, what God has revealed for our good. Lord, help us to be those blessed people today!