Summer in the Psalms – Psalm 1
The Two Paths: Finding True Happiness
Based on a sermon preached at Second Baptist Church, June 1, 2025
Before diving into Psalm 1, it’s helpful to understand what makes the Psalms so powerful – they are songs. Think about your favorite song. Why does it stick with you? Great songs are memorable, honest (expressing real emotions), and simple.
The Psalms work the same way. Charles Spurgeon said, “All of Scripture is God’s word to us. In the Psalms, we learn to speak back to God.” They’re raw, messy, and real—just like we are.
Two Paths, Two Destinations
Psalm 1 presents us with a clear choice: there are two paths in life, and it deeply matters which one you take because they lead to completely different destinations.
“How happy is the one who does not walk in the advice of the wicked or stand in the pathway with sinners or sit in the company of mockers. Instead, his delight is in the Lord’s instruction, and he meditates on it day and night. He’s like a tree planted beside flowing streams that bears its fruit in its season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers. The wicked are not like this. Instead, they are like chaff that the wind blows away. Therefore the wicked will not stand up in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous, for the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to ruin.” (Psalm 1:1-6)
Path #1: The Way to a Happy Life
We all want to be happy. It’s written into the very DNA of our country—the pursuit of happiness is a fundamental right. We chase it in our marriages, careers, retirement plans, and every sphere of life. But what if I told you that the secret to true happiness was written down thousands of years ago in a simple six-verse song?
The psalm outlines three key characteristics of those on the path to true happiness:
1. Avoid Sin (v. 1)
Notice the progression described here: walking → standing → sitting. This is how sin works—there’s a downward spiral. First, you’re just passing by temptation, then you linger, then you pull up a chair and get comfortable.
Nobody wakes up one day and decides to develop a massive addiction or ruin their marriage. It starts small—one drink leads to another, casual conversations become inappropriate texts, and before you know it, you’re trapped.
The happy person doesn’t even linger around sin. As Proverbs asks, “Can a man embrace fire and his clothes not be burned?” The company you keep shapes your future, which is why surrounding yourself with the right people—including a church community—is so crucial.
2. Enjoy God (v. 2)
The word “delight” means to find joy and pleasure in God’s instruction. This isn’t about obligation—it’s about connection. When you love someone, you want to spend time with them. The same is true with God.
Biblical meditation isn’t about emptying your mind (like Eastern meditation), but filling it with God. The Hebrew word literally means “to mumble to yourself”—repeatedly chewing on God’s truth like a cow chews its cud, extracting more and more spiritual nutrition.
3. Stay Rooted (v. 3)
Here’s the beautiful word picture: the happy person is like a tree planted beside flowing streams. This challenges our typical view of happiness as complete freedom. We think, “If I could just be totally free with no constraints, then I’d be happy.”
But the psalm says true happiness comes from being deeply rooted—not in just anything, but in the living water of God. A plant without roots is just tumbleweed—it might seem free, but it’s dead and destructive.
The tree stays green through every season because it has access to a constant water source. Similarly, when life’s seasons change, the person rooted in God remains stable, nourished, and fruitful.
Path #2: The Way to a Wasted Life
The alternative path is simply the opposite of everything we just discussed:
- Get caught up in sin
- Ignore God’s word
- Live without deep spiritual roots
The result? You become like “chaff in the wind”—weightless, useless, blown around by every circumstance. When farmers harvested wheat, they tossed it into the air, and the chaff, the outer, useless part, would blow away while the grain fell into the basket. The wasted life produces nothing of value and ultimately leads to ruin.
The Problem: We Can’t Walk This Path Perfectly
Reading Psalm 1, you might think, “Great! I’ll just avoid sin perfectly, meditate on God’s word constantly, and stay perfectly rooted.” But you’d probably fail before leaving the parking lot.
So are we out of luck? Not at all.
The Solution: Jesus is the Path
There is one who walked this path perfectly—Jesus. He never walked, stood, or sat in sin. He lived righteously, fulfilled the law perfectly, and is himself the living water we need to be rooted in.
This connects to Psalm 2, which most scholars believe forms one complete song with Psalm 1. Where Psalm 1 begins with “How happy is the one,” Psalm 2 ends with “All who take refuge in him are happy.” The “him” is the Son—Jesus.
Jesus said it clearly in Matthew 7: there are two roads, one narrow and difficult that leads to life, and one broad that leads to destruction. But he also said in John 14:6, “I am the way.”
The Choice is Yours
Jesus has done everything necessary for you to know him. He came and lived a life that you and I could never live, and he died a death that you and I should have died. But he defeated sin and death whenever he walked out of the tomb. He offers you and me the chance at this happy life, and it’s a life that’s rooted in him.
This doesn’t mean life becomes easy when you follow Jesus—there will still be difficulties. But you’ll have Jesus, and he’ll be enough.
If you’re not on this path, you can change course today. Simply surrender to Jesus, acknowledging your need for him and accepting his gift of salvation.
If you are already following Jesus, the question becomes: Are you living out the characteristics of the happy life? Are you avoiding sin, enjoying God through his word, and staying deeply rooted in him?
The two paths are before you. Choose wisely—it makes all the difference where you end up.