lectionary.com

Pentecost Season · Proper 18 · Year C

Psalm 1

The Two Ways

September 10, 2028

St Jerome in His Study, Antonello da Messina
St Jerome in His Study, Antonello da Messina, c. 1475National Gallery, London
Jerome sits at a wooden study set inside a cathedral, with a lion padding up the aisle. Antonello paints a peacock, a basin and a cat with the same care as the saint.Blessed is the one whose delight is in the law of the Lord, who meditates on it day and night: this is that person, given a desk.Antonello da MessinaA Sicilian painter who carried the northern oil technique into Italy and combined it with a severe Italian sense of structure.National Gallery, LondonFounded in 1824 by buying one banker's collection, and deliberately placed in Trafalgar Square so that people from every part of London could walk to it.National Gallery, London
Revised Common Lectionary
GospelLuke 14:25-33Lk 14:25-33
EpistlePhlm. 1:1-21Phlm 1:1-21
Old TestamentJer. 18:1-11Jer 18:1-11Alt. OTDeut. 30:15-20Dt 30:15-20
PsalterPs. 139:1-6, 13-18Ps 139:1-6, 13-18Alt. PsalmPs. 1Ps 1

Overview & Insights

“That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season.” (Psalm 1:3)

Psalm 1 is often viewed as a wisdom psalm because it puts forth the merits of the moral life as two “ways,” the “way of the righteous” and the “way of the wicked” (1:6), which is characteristic of wisdom thought. For the psalmist the matter was very simple: one must choose between the two ways. When the final edition of the book of Psalms was forming, Psalm 1 was installed as an introduction to the Psalter. The book is an anthology that has come into existence over several centuries. Most likely the composition and placement of Psalm 1 was one of the last strokes of the book’s editor(s), and it may have been written by the editor(s), or at least chosen for its appropriateness as an introduction to the whole book. By the time of the Psalter’s final editing, the Torah (Law) had become the basis of religious study and the source of religious piety.

From Sermons.com: Join Today to access the most scholarly & well written preaching resources anywhere.

Take it further: Psalm 1

Commentary

Commentary on Psalm 1Commentary on Ps 1 Working Preacher

Reads Psalm 1 as a wisdom preface sharing Torah's concern for how to live well.

Psalm 1 Bible CommentaryPs 1 Bible Commentary Enduring Word · David Guzik

Verse notes on the tree planted by streams of water and the wind-blown chaff.

Psalm 1:1 CommentariesPs 1:1 Commentaries BibleHub

Aggregates classic commentary on the psalm's opening beatitude.

Psalm 1 (Barnes' Notes)Ps 1 (Barnes' Notes) StudyLight

Detailed verse notes on the two ways the psalm contrasts.

Background & Word Study

Psalms 1Ps 1 Sefaria

Gives the Hebrew text of the Psalter's opening psalm.

Questions preachers ask

What are the two ways in Psalm 1?

The psalter opens by contrasting two paths: the righteous who delight in God’s law and flourish like a well-watered tree, and the wicked who are like chaff that the wind blows away.

Prep at sermons.com

Ready to write?

  • Full sermons on Luke 14:25-33
  • Illustrations cleared for use in worship
  • Commentary, quotes, and Bible dictionary
Open it at sermons.com →

Trusted by pastors since 1995.

Free every Tuesday

Illustrations & Sermon Prep in your inbox

The coming Sunday’s readings, a cleared-for-use illustration, and a sermon-prep head start. One email, free.