Key Scripture: Psalm 1:6 For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.

Read Psalm 1

In this opening psalm of the entire book, we see there are only two paths in life: the path of the righteous and the path of the wicked.
The person who chooses to avoid the advice of worldly people but instead seeks wisdom in the Word, the law of the Lord, will be blessed and shown God's favor. In the middle of this psalm is a beautiful word picture comparing the blessed person to a flourishing tree, planted by life-giving water, producing fruit seasonally. We are to understand the law of the Lord as the water nourishing the roots of this tree. As it grows, it does what it should naturally do—that is, produce fruit at the right times. The person submitted to the wisdom of the Lord will also naturally display God's work in their hearts over the course of time. A mind and heart soaked in the wisdom of the Word will produce a harvest of righteousness.

In contrast, the path of the wicked is described as useless, like chaff that is blown away in the wind. The chaff is the outer casing, the husks, of the wheat kernel. It serves a protective purpose briefly; however, in harvest time, it is removed easily at the threshing by the wind. It has no lasting value and can't be used for nourishment. This is what the wisdom of the world and wicked people is—valueless, unsatisfying, temporary.

The reader is told to take heed in the final verse of this psalm: the Lord sees both paths but is only protecting one—the path of the righteous. The other path leads to death.