Examining Psalms 1
In preparation for a post on Ephesians 2, I realized that I needed to start first with Psalms 1, the Old Testament. There are a lot going on in this Psalm so I’ll only touch on the parts relevant to a discussion on Soteriology and how it proves a reformed understanding and interpretation of Ephesians 2:1-10. Later in the post on Ephesians 2 I’ll be linking to this post and will also update this post to point back. My approach is always to take things step by step so that non-Calvinists can see for themselves what Scripture actually teaches! Everything is interconnected, and one of the reasons why I started this Substack is so that I can have posts that link to one another. This allows theological students to see how consistent and biblical Reformed Soteriology is. There are a lot I will discuss later down the road, so this is just the beginning.
Generally, I don’t quote the entire chapter but Psalms 1 is a short one with a lot of deep theological truth, further proving that God’s word is exceedingly broad (Psalms 119:96) no matter how short or small it is in length.
[1] Blessed is the man
that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly,
nor standeth in the way of sinners,
nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
[2] But his delight is in the law of the LORD;
and in his law doth he meditate day and night.
[3] And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water,
that bringeth forth his fruit in his season;
his leaf also shall not wither;
and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
[4] The ungodly are not so:
but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.
[5] Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.
[6] For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous:
but the way of the ungodly shall perish.
Theological truth are mostly taught via letters in the New Testament. God teaches us His truth in OT’s era via stories and events involving people. And the NT points back to these stories or events to make its points (cf. 1 Corinthians 10:6-11).
“Everything the apostles have taught and written they have derived from the Old Testament, for everything that would take place in the future in Christ and would be preached has been proclaimed in it… For this reason, they based all their preaching on the Old Testament, and there is no word in the New Testament for which one does not see behind it the Old Testament in which it was previously proclaimed.” —Martin Luther
What Paul says there in Ephesians 2 can be found throughout the Old Testament. Take for example, Paul is pointing us back to Ezekiel 37:1-14 to show us what the condition is like if left to ourselves in v.1-3 (Ephesians 2). And what happens when God steps in, v.4-10 (Ephesians 2). Paul is also pointing back to Isaiah 6 in v.3 (Ephesians 2) when he says, “we … were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.” Isaiah came to this realization in the presence of the Holy, “Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips”! Paul realized this. He was just as the others, unclean. One more example from John 3 before I move on because I don’t want this post to be about Ephesians 2. Jesus points us back to Genesis and the Flood when He says, “That which is born of the flesh is flesh…” (more on this in a future post). The point here is that we need to know our Old Testament (cf. John 3:10)!
This is where Psalms 1 comes in. People such as Abraham, Noah and Moses will give us a much better understanding of Ephesians 2 because God saved these people in the same way He saves us today. Here in this Psalm we see a contrast between: The godly vs. ungodly, the Regenerate vs. the Unregenerate, the Elect vs. the Non-Elect etc…
Only the Regenerate…
1:1 > Walks in the fear of God (Psalms 128:1, 122:1; Nehemiah 5:9)
1:2 > Delights in the Law of God (Psalms 119:47-48,70; Romans 7:22).
1:3 > Will produce fruits and persevere because God works in them, and are sealed and kept by Him (Philippians 2:12-13; 2 Corinthians 1:21-22; Psalms 1:6, 37:23-24)
The ungodly, unregenerate and non-Elects are not so (v.4). But who is this blessed man (v.1)? Look at Abraham.
“You are the LORD God,
Who chose Abram,
And brought him out of Ur of the Chaldeans,
And gave him the name Abraham;
You found his heart faithful before You,
And made a covenant with him…”
—Nehemiah 9:7-8
God first chose Abraham while he was an idolater living in a pagan land. Abraham’s faithfulness was the result of God choosing him, not the other way around. Joshua 24:1-5 confirms this, here’s a commentary on Joshua 24 from BBC:
In this succinct summary of history from Genesis to Joshua, one outstanding fact is evident: the sovereignty of God. Notice how He tells the story: [I took] (v. 3), [I gave] (v. 4), [I sent] (v. 5), [I brought] (vv. 6–8), [I would not listen] (v. 10), [I delivered] (v. 11), [I sent] (v. 12), [I have given] (v. 13). Jehovah works according to His eternal purposes, and who can stay His hand? Such a God is to be feared and obeyed (v. 14).
To be known by God (Galatians 4:9) is to be chosen by Him before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4). This couldn’t be clearer from Nehemiah 9:7 and Genesis 18:19! God CHOSE Abram and brought him out of Ur of the Chaldeans (Nehemiah). Another way of saying chosen? Known: Genesis 18:19, “For I have KNOWN him [Abraham]…”. It’s not a general knowledge of a person we’re talking about here. It’s an intimate and electing love kind of knowing (cf. Psalms 91:14). This is further confirmed by Moses. God set Moses apart long before he was born. It was God who called out to Moses by name. More on Noah and Moses in a future post examining Genesis 6:8, titled, “Noah found Grace”
God always chooses people for a purpose. Holiness and good works are one of the purposes. Let’s get back to Genesis 18:19 mentioned previously to complete the sentence: “For I have known him [Abraham], in order that he may command his children and his household after him, that they keep the way of the LORD, to do righteousness and justice, that the LORD may bring to Abraham what He has spoken to him.” Abraham was found faithful before God before or after God chose him? After God chose him (Nehemiah 9:7-8). We’re called to be holy, and to do works prepared for us. Isn’t that what Paul says in Ephesians 1:4, “just as He CHOSE us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love…” ? How about Ephesians 2, which we’ll get to later down the road, v.10, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them” ?
Are you beginning to see the tapestry of Reformed Soteriology yet? How consistent the Bible is if we just allow it to interpret itself? This brings us to the final verse of Psalms 1 which is the key.
Psalms 1:6 > “For the LORD [knows] the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall perish.”
The blessed man in Psalms 1:1 is the man whom God had set apart for Himself and gave him a new heart that hungered and thirsted for righteousness.
A similar comment concludes the first psalm, where the psalmist declares, “The LORD knows [yada‘] the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish” (Ps. 1:6). By virtue of his omniscience, God knows every man’s way. Yet the psalmist’s intent is to say that God graciously favors the righteous and protects his way from perishing. —John MacArthur & Richard Mayhue (Biblical Doctrine)
A blessed man will walk after God, delight in His law and bring forth fruit because that blessed man is known by God and chosen by Him before the foundation of the world.
The ungodly are not so, “I never KNEW you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!” (Matthew 7:23).
Blessed is the man You choose,
And cause to approach You,
That he may dwell in Your courts.
We shall be satisfied with the goodness of Your house,
Of Your holy temple.
—Psalms 65:4