Hermeneutics of Psalm 1:1

    Again rereading this very first verse from the very first chapter of Psalm these 3 words appeared in my mind. “Actions”, “Lifestyle”, and “Fellowship”. What constitutes a blessed man? Psalmist began by defining it through what is not. 

“... walks not in the counsel of the wicked,

nor stands in the way of sinners,

nor sits in the seat of scoffers;” - Psalm 1:1

    I kept wrestling if it falls under synonymous or synthetic parallelism which we discussed in the first lecture. Upon realizing the subject are similar but with different words then I paid attention to the action verbs used “walks”, “stands”, and “sits”. Walking from someone else's counsel or advice means to hear and obey their lesson or instruction. It involves doing and applying what a person learns from his leader, or teacher, or elder, or someone that we look up to. After understanding, it will manifest automatically on your actions. Thus, the first word is action. We could say perhaps the activities that the wicked do. The next part which made me think this might be a synthetic one is because of the verb “stands” and the adverb “way”. It intensifies the previous phrase even referring it as to “sinners”. Stand could refer to a position unto a certain issue, belief, or principle in life. It can also mean one's posture or attitude in life. It reflects one's identity and self-esteem. Together with the word “way” now this could be interpreted as the “lifestyle”. It pertains not only your day to day actions, or weekly routine, but on the bigger picture, it also involves your goals, ambitions, and purposes in life. Your overall mission and vision reflect on how you live and behave your life. 

    See, the main difference is that the previous line alludes to mostly to immediate actions. Each moment of acting upon what you've heard or learned from that counsel. Each move or each step that tells you to do or imitate their deeds. Imagine a spectrum and both ends represent evil and good. Every time you do good, anything, as simple as may be praying for someone, volunteer in ministry, or helping your neighbor, you move one step closer to the good one. On the other side every deed that doesn't reflect the image of God. Losing your temper or being selfish or being unforgiving or sarcastic or gossiping. Things that seem impure in God's sight moves you closer to the evil side.*

    That represents for me the first line walking on their counsel, doing their deeds, each move, each action. Whereas lifestyle is a bigger umbrella. Not only it composes your behavior but it covers a broader sphere such as conduct, journey, and outlook in life as well. It dictates your vision and purpose in life. This is how life works. It composes of series of actions that constructs your lifestyle. This observation of mine is not something new but it thrills me how Psalms 1 somehow connects with it. 

    The last one, “nor sits in the seat of scoffers. - Ps. 1:1”. This gives me a vivid picture of in Tagalog “tambay” (hangout). In our country, we have what we called a “sari-sari store” or to simply describe it – it's like a tiny-mini grocery store every 5 – 8 houses or every street. It has benches and sometimes tables. Throughout the day, a person or a few persons is seating there where they don't just do a short chat, but a prolonged conversation. They talk about different things, jokes, celebrities, news, sports, maybe girls. Sometimes they play chess or cards. Sometimes they play guitar. At night it's always a drinking gathering even there's no occasion. Imagine the pub or bar right in front of your patio every night. There are always groups of men drinking or maybe women too. If there's a small or even bigger occasion they would have karaoke and have a sing-along all night until morning. If that is your neighbor you would be fortunate if you were able to sleep. That's how in our culture hang out. That companionship of talking and discussing some things, sometimes useful things sometimes not, some of it are nonsense, they just keep on enjoying themselves, laughing together, drinking, sharing lives. No matter what they would keep coming back. Why? Because of the fellowship. They enjoy each other's company. They've chosen to.

    In a fellowship, everyone is a leader because everyone influences someone and everyone is someone who is being influenced. When someone shares an idea it will go inside your ears, and unto your head, and would affect you as a person. You may not notice it immediately but as time goes by you will get used to the idea, and even the kinds of words that person or group of people discuss and adapt their idea, thus adapting their view of the world, and later on you adapt their lives. You become like them. Because it's a sharing of lives. It changes you. The way they talk, the way they walk, the way they act, you are being converted on what type of persons they are. People say, “Tell me who your friends are and I tell you who you are”.

    To give the final blow, or I would say the culmination of the very first verse of the opening of Psalms is clearly the combination and expansion of the first 2 ideas. Everyday action builds up your lifestyle, and your lifestyle reflects what kind of fellowship you are in.

    After devoting significant time focusing on what is not, it is time to know what is. What is a blessed man? Or who is a blessed man? “but his delight is in the law of the Lord... [which] he meditates day and night”. Notice that the author didn't say the one who always gives to charity or to the one who attends bible study regularly or the one who sings praises to God. Those are all great and commendable practices but he didn't say those. Rather he says, someone who delights in God's word. In meditation, in devotion, in communing yourselves to his word. 

    This is the key part of understanding what is a blessed man according to Psalms. As I end this short sharing of mine I want to say that sometimes its hard to always have a 100% delight in his word every day. There are times that I would read the same story or the same verse again and I know what will happen next. As I've heard from other pastors and even one of Cory's spiritual formation classes that the bible will always give you something new. It speaks to you all the time in a unique way always. “Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law” - Ps.119:18. That is part of my prayer. Whenever I turn to tv, or youtube, or games I find it wonderful and entertaining. It makes me keep on scrolling and surfing the internet. I can see wonders. Now I want to turn that desire, that joy, that “in the moment” of wonder in God's law.

*Note: I'm not referring to doctrine of justification or alluding to any salvation related topics here.