Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful; But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper. The ungodly are not so, But are like the chaff which the wind drives away. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. For the LORD knows the way of the righteous, But the way of the ungodly shall perish.

This Psalm can be considered to be the Preface to all Psalms. It is the psalmist's desire to teach us the way to blessedness, and to warn us of the sure destruction of sinners. This then, is the matter of the Psalm 1, which may be looked upon, in some respects, as the text upon which the whole of the Psalms make up a divine sermon. The Psalm teaches a Christian to beware of 1) opinions of others, 2) practical life, which needs to be informed by the Scriptures (the law of the Lord), and 3) the foolishness of being associated with sinful people – those that do not love Jehovah and are scornful of Him (as an example of scorn see 2 Kings 2:23).

Division - This Psalm consists of two parts: in the first (from stanza 1 - 3) David sets out the attributes that provide for the state of happiness and blessedness of a godly person which is consistent with his or her actions, and what blessings such a one shall receive from the Lord. In the second part (from stanza 4 to the end) David contrasts the state and character of the ungodly person, reveals the future, and describes, in telling language, their ultimate doom, hell (Psalm 9:17).

Paraphrased from C.H. Spurgeon - The Treasury of David