Exegesis Research Paper_ Significance and Application Assignment-2
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Apr 3, 2024
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Darrian Graves
RTCH500
Exegesis Research Paper: Meaning of the Passage and Bibliography Assignment
November 24, 2023
Exegesis Research Paper: Meaning of the Passage and Bibliography Assignment
My goal for this assignment is to provide an in-depth breakdown of Psalm 1:1-6
by proving a practical understanding of the text, a historical context, a literary context, a
cultural context and paralleled scriptures with scholarly resources, when we take time to
look at these scriptures in Psalms 1, I believe every church body can practically take
away three concepts. The first protect motives, the second take delight in the scriptures,
the third keep good company around us.
Psalm 1: 1-6 reads, “Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight
is in the law of the LORD, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is
like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf
does not wither— whatever they do prospers. Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that
the wind blows away. Therefore the wicked will not stand 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 destruction.”
“Psalm” comes from the Hebrew word we use for “praises”. The Psalms is a book
that has a main purpose to give praise to God and encourage all believers of the joy that
lies in Christ. The Psalms is a prophetic poetry book filled with personal words,
instruction, sorrow, joy and anger; the words penned here are even frequently quoted by
Jesus throughout the New Testament. In one of the most beautiful books written in the
bible we are given honest and open words of psalm 1. For us to better understand Psalm 1
we must first look at the entire book at large. The Psalm is written into five parts, Part 1
of the Psalms contains Psalms 1-41. Written between 1440 BC and 586 BC, the 150
Psalms are composed by several authors. Scholars believe David is responsible for 73 of
the 150 Psalms , Asaph 12 of the 150 Psalms, the Sons of Korah 9 of the 150 Psalms,
Solomon 2 of the 150 Psalms, and Heman, Ethan, Moses each writing 1 of the 150
Exegesis Research Paper: Meaning of the Passage and Bibliography Assignment
Psalms. Leaving the remaining 51 anonymous. However Psalm 1 is written in 444 BC by
the psalms David or Ezra, and placed as a preface to the Psalms. Psalms 1 is written
with the same motive of the entire book, to encourage us as readers to live one way … in
the way of the Lord, showing us that anything other than that lifestyle is wickness. When
we look at the Holy scriptures and we find words that are used throughout the entirety of
scripture it would be smart for the reader to pay attention and or at least ask the question
why is this word so important. Right off the back in Psalms one we have a word repeated
often throughout the scriptures. “Blessed” this word is meant to describe God’s great
gifts, leading us to understand the tree metaphor. The tree here represents someone
experiencing the fullness of blessing. The healthiest tree represents one that bears fruit.
So for one to be blessed would be for one to be rooted in Christ, once rooted the tree will
grow fruit and to be rooted which is known as the greatest blessing of this life. The
opposite of experiencing this blessing is walking in disobedience. Disobedience leads us
to wicked behavior, rootlessness and death. A withered tree bears no fruit.
Psalm 1 is a wisdom psalm that shares insight and gives teaching on how to live a
life that is Godly. Psalm 1 begins with sharing two ways how a human can live. The
scriptures show us how we can make decisions and teach us that what we meditate on can
create and shift who we can become. Psalm 1 begins with a man who loves the law and
holds tight to the law and glorified for following the law. The law that is referenced here
is either the Torah or the divine teaching from God.The key word in the Psalm is the
word “Blessed” but it is important to note that blessed is not everyone as the scriptures
are clear “But the way of the ungodly shall perish.” What makes Verses 1-6 so interesting
is these verses act as an introduction to the entire book of Psalms. Because of the way this
Psalm is written we are able to disperse these verses into five different categories each
representing a different theme that we see throughout scripture. First in (1:1-3) we see a
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Exegesis Research Paper: Meaning of the Passage and Bibliography Assignment
theme respresting the Godly and set apart people of the world. Second we see in (1:4) a
theme representing the ungodly. Third in (1:5-6) we see a theme showing how everyone
is separated judicially. Fourth we see the theme of the sad reality of what happens to
those who are ungodly. Lastly the Fifth in (1:6) we see the theme of God's power and his
all knowing way. (1:6) Blessed is the man who hold the law.
Psalms 1:1 says “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers”. The wicked which is
referenced four times in ) Psalms 1: 1-6 is someone who distances themselves from
God’s presence. In Hebrew the word blessed translates to “barukh” which describes how
good it is when someone experiences God's blessing. In a more contemporary way in
saying this verse, the scripture could read “how well God must like you - you don't walk
by the counsel of the wicked”. It is important to note that commands given in (1:2) are
clear on how to ignore the way of evil. The writer does his best to instead of saying “do
not do this” he encourages the reader to love, hold onto and meditate on the things of
God. We should pay close attention to what is mentioned in ( 1:2 ) as we see how
progression is brought into the text. The movement highlighted here goes from walking
to standing and then to sitting.The three different movements show how one can get
stuck in the ways of evil and feel like you are doing something different. Walking, sitting
and standing each represent a type of person. The wicked, which is the morally backward
person who is tied to the walking movement. The sinner who is someone who is
continually missing the mark is tied to the walking movement. Lastly the mocker is
someone who can not appreciate beauty, these people are often full of themselves and
filled with pride. They make everything and everyone else look bad to make themselves
look better. The mocker is tied to the standing movement. After reading the scriptures
above we know that meditation leads to Godliness, the author here wants the reader to
Exegesis Research Paper: Meaning of the Passage and Bibliography Assignment
take a look inside and walk away asking two questions. The first, “who will we be in this
life? And the second, how will we act? Getting to the meaty portion of this passage a
major part we should focus on is the scriptures that come from verses 3 - 6. In (1: 3) we
verses 1- 3 referenced in an effort to build a bridge to the overall theme for these six
verses. In (1:1) we see how two people can be presented with the same options and one
person choosing the right option the other choosing the wrong option and the outcomes
from the decisions could not anymore crucial. In decision one we see one person who
chooses to not root himself which leads to death and disaster and in verse three we see
what happens when one chooses to make the decision to root themselves which results in
a flourishing life. Psalms 1:3 says “the tree planted by streams of water … he makes it
successful”. - One takeaway: all of us can be confident that God's way and wisdom leads
to a prosperous life . In (1:4) we find a major rub, of the two people mentioned
metaphorically, one is compared to being like a tree. This person is one who is of life and
is thriving, growing and bearing fruit. The other is like a chaff who falls away. Chaff is
not a random word, chaff is frequently used in the Old Testament scriptures to represent
something or one that is without value and or worthless. It is important to note this
comparison between the Tree and chaff is intentional, life vs death. This parallel connects
perfectly to the segway into verse 5, which says “the wicked will not stand” this is
referring to what we read earlier in (Psalms 1:1)
when the psalmist says “and doesn't
stand in the path of sinner” again letting the reader know that those who are ungodly or
wicked will be unable to stand when the day comes when we come face to face with God.
Which leaves the reader to ask the question how or why? We find a clear answer in verse
6 as this portion of scripture closes by saying “or the L
ORD
knows the way of the
righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish”. In summary there are two ways for all
Exegesis Research Paper: Meaning of the Passage and Bibliography Assignment
of us. We can live as a tree which is rooted and full of life unrooted like a chaff and
parish giving us a death sentence.
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