Latest / Reformed Thinking / Two Ways, Two Destinies: The Blessed Man and the Perishing Path (Psalm 1) | John Peter Lange

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Two Ways, Two Destinies: The Blessed Man and the Perishing Path (Psalm 1) | John Peter Lange · Reformed Thinking

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Welcome to Reformed Thinking. This is the deep dive where we
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take a specific body of work, a commentary, a set of articles,
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or a classic text and really try to break it open for all of us.
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Today we're going right to the very beginning of the Psalter.
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We're looking at Psalm 1. And for our source material, we
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have John Peter Lange's comprehensive commentary, which
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is just an incredible resource. It's got exegetical, critical,
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doctrinal, and practical insights packed into it.
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It's a huge work, and our mission today is to really get
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to the heart of what Longe is saying about this short but
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incredibly potent Psalm. That's right.
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We want to unpack its structure, understand the theological
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analysis, and maybe most critically, pull out the
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practical applications. I mean, Psalm 1 is so often
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called the introduction to the whole book of Psalms.
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And for good reason. Yeah, it immediately sets up
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this stark, decisive contrast. It's really about the
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fundamental ethical and religious separation that exists
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among all people. It's amazing how much it does in
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just six verses. It really is.
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It sets the whole tone. It starts with this declaration
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of ultimate blessing, the word ashrae, and it finishes with a
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sentence of complete ruin. So it frames life as a
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fundamental choice, a choice with consequences that are, well
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entirely determined by your posture toward God's revealed
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will. Exactly.
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If you want to get a handle on the message of the entire
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Psalter, you have to start here. You have to dissect this
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prologue correctly. All right, so let's get into
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that. The structure, its purpose.
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Where do we begin? Well, the first thing to look at
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is just its placement. Why is it here at the very
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front? And there's a long tradition,
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you know, going way back to the church fathers, like Basil, and
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then later reinforced by John Calvin.
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They all saw it as a kind of preface.
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A short preface or a prologue to the entire collection?
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This wasn't a random decision. The compiler of the Psalter
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clearly intended for this Psalm to be the thematic entry point.
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And there's structural evidence for that idea, isn't there?
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Lange points out how the whole first book of Psalms is kind of
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framed by this. That's right, it really suggests
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a highly deliberate arrangement. The first book, which is Psalms
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One through 41, is bracketed by this beatitude.
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So it opens with Asherah in Psalm one, verse one, and again
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in Psalm 2, verse 12. And then it closes the exact
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same way in Psalm 40 verse 4 and Psalm 41 verse one.
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That's a powerful literary device.
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It's not an accident. It creates a kind of symmetry A.
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Beautiful symmetry and you see this beatitude pop up again and
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again later on in Psalm 32112 One and 19.
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It suggests A governing theme. Psalm One sets out the general
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universal truth. The two types of people, the two
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destinies. Right.
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And then what does Psalm 2 do immediately after?
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It takes that universal principle and grounds it in a
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specific historical situation. Precisely.
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Psalm 2 applies the principle righteousness versus opposition
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to a concrete event, the conflict between God's anointed
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King, the Messiah, and the rebellious nations who want to
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throw out His rule. So it moves from the ethical
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question in Psalm one, how should a person live, to the
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messianic question in Psalm 2, How will God's plan actually
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work out in history? Yes, and the righteous King
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triumphs, which shows that the blessing announced in Psalm 1 is
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ultimately secure in him. This opening 1-2 punch is
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theologically crucial for understanding everything that
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follows in the Psalter. OK, so we've established the
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structural framework. Now the next big question with
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any ancient text is always about timing.
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When was this written? Who wrote it?
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And that's a key question. Some ancient Jewish traditions
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try to say David wrote Psalm one.
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But Lance's analysis confirms what most scholars think, that
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attribution doesn't really have a solid historical foundation.
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So if it wasn't David, where does it fit?
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Well, Lange argues pretty convincingly against placing it
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too late, like during the Maccabian period, which some
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critics suggested. He looks at the internal
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evidence in the text itself. And what does that evidence
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point to? 1st the vocabulary.
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The specific Hebrew word used for scorner.
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That's Lats is very distinctive. It points to the sententious
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wisdom style that was really characteristic of the Age of
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Solomon. The age of proverbs.
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Exactly. The whole Psalm has that same
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kind of structural feel and practical focus that you find in
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the wisdom literature. That's a fascinating detail.
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So just one word choice lots can help anchor the dating.
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What is it about the Scorner that makes it so unique to that
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period? The Scorner is an archetype, a
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character that's explored systematically in the Book of
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Proverbs. He's the man who rejects
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instruction, mocks authority, despises correction.
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This whole contrast between the wise man and the Scorner is a
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hallmark of that literary tradition.
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If the Psalm were much later, the language would probably
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reflect different concerns. And beyond just the vocabulary,
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the Psalm also connects to the rest of the Scripture, right?
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It doesn't exist in a vacuum. Absolutely.
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Verse 2, where the righteous man meditates on the law, seems to
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look directly back to the instructions God gave to Joshua.
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In Joshua 1.8. Yes, establishing A continuity
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with that earlier revelation. And then on the other hand, the
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vivid imagery in verse 3, the blessed man is the planted tree
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that serves as an earlier template that later prophets
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picked up on. Like Jeremiah and Ezekiel.
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Right. You see, it carried forward and
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elaborated on in Jeremiah 17 and Ezekiel 19.
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So it's much more plausible that the psalmist established this
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motif, which the prophets then adapted, rather than the other
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way around. And that suggests an earlier
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composition date for Psalm 1. So what we have is a text,
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likely from the Wisdom tradition, intentionally placed
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as the prologue to the Psalter, setting this theme of
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righteousness versus ruin. Which brings us back to the very
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first word, that exclamation that kicks the whole book off A
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Shrey A. Shrey.
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What exactly does that declaration of happiness mean?
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Well, if you trace the etymology of the Hebrew word, it signifies
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a straight and direct course. That original idea of a guided
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path leads right into the meaning of well-being, welfare,
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blessedness. It's not just a description,
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it's a pronouncement. And Lanja's commentary clarifies
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that grammatically, it's an exclamation, a declaration of
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recognition and praise. Be attitudines ileus vierai, the
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blessings plural of that man. It carries a lot of emphatic
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weight because it's a substantive, A noun, not a verb.
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It's a state of being, not just a fleeting feeling.
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And Martin Luther had a great insight on this.
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He did. He captured the feeling of this
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opening perfectly. He said that the prophet,
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looking out of the world where you see so little true piety,
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just suddenly burst forth and says bless, it is the man.
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It's a prophetic, joyful announcement of God's favor and
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success on a person whose whole life is oriented differently.
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A divine status declaration. Which immediately separates the
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human race into two camps. And if we want to understand
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this immense blessing, we first have to understand the character
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of the man who receives it. And the Psalm starts, almost
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counterintuitively, by describing what he actively
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avoids. All right.
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Verse 1 is so sophisticated in its structure.
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It's the striking double climax. It's not just about a single
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sin, but a progression. Walketh, standeth, sitteth, and
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then counsel wasted. That seems to be mapping a kind
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of spiritual descent. That's the essential reading,
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according to Lange and others like Ebenezra.
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This isn't just poetic variation for the sake of it.
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It's a deliberate intensification.
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It charts a slow, almost inevitable downward slide into a
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hardened spiritual condition. And the righteous man is blessed
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because he resists even the first step.
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He puts up a perpetual active resistance to it.
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That's the key. So let's break that progression
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down, starting with first, most subtle step.
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He's not walked in the counsel of the ungodly.
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What's the significance of counsel there?
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This first stage is all about the sphere of the heart and the
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mind. It's where sinful intentions
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begin. The word for ungodly, rasha, is
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the most general term for the wicked boy who stands in
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contrast to the righteous. But the keyword is etsa, which
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means advice or design or resolution.
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So walking in this council means adopting the mindset, the sphere
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of influence, the resolutions formed inside a wicked heart.
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It's the initial thought, the bad example.
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You follow the mental agreement before you even do anything.
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So it all starts with the internal disposition, accepting
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the world view or the moral premises of the wicked.
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So how does that that walking in the Council transition to the
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second, more stationary phase? The second stage is nor
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standards in the way to sinners. Here we've moved from the
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internal sphere to the external visible realm of practice.
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And standing implies something more permanent.
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It implies permanence, perseverance.
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It's you're no longer just visiting the council for advice.
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You've sort of taken up residency there.
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And the term for sinners, here chata, refers to the habitual
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center, the one who sin is no longer just occasional, but who
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is marked by the practice of evil deeds.
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And the way the direct that describes their conduct, their
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manner of acting. Exactly.
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It's the visible course of their life.
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If the first stage was consenting to the wicked's
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thoughts, this second stage is participating in their deeds.
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The righteous man avoids adopting the habits and the
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consistent behavior patterns that define the life of the
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habitual Sinner. He doesn't just flirt with the
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idea. He refuses to set his feet
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permanently on that road. Which leads us to the final,
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and, I think most chilling stage of this progression.
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Nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
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This sounds like more than just participation.
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It implies a fixed, settled, even malicious companionship.
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It is the verb for sitting. Yashab conveys a fixed,
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established position, maybe a section where they're fully
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comfortable. This is the moral and spiritual
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climax of the Descent. And as we said earlier, the
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scorner, the lutes, is the worst class of the wicked man.
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Worse than the habitual Sinner, yes.
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He's moved beyond just sinning. Habitually, he's become hardened
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to the point of active, open malice.
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How does lunge detail that hardening?
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What really separates the scorner from the Sinner?
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The scorner in wisdom literature is the one who actively hates
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correction. He actively suppresses a good
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conscience, and this is critical.
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He makes sport of holy things. So he doesn't just fail to live
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righteously, he openly mocks virtue.
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He scoffs at the claims of God's revealed instruction.
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He actively tries to pull other people away from piety.
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His wickedness isn't passive anymore.
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It's institutionalized and antagonistic.
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And to sit in the seat of the scornful, that implies what
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Fellowship authority. It could imply all of those
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fellowship, established authority, maybe even teaching
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or leading others in derision. The righteous man avoids their
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company entirely because he recognizes this state as the
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most dangerous and spiritually legal environment you can be in.
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So we trace this downward spiral, first the wicked
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thought, which is the counsel of the ungodly, then the wicked
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deed, the way of the Sinner, and finally malicious contempt, the
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seed of the scorner. And the whole verse defines the
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righteous man by his consistent refusal to engage in any part of
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this descent. Which brings us to the grammar
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that Lange emphasizes. The three verbs are in the
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Hebrew perfect pence. What does that tense tell us?
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Why is that so important? The perfect tense here is
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absolutely critical. It isn't describing 3 isolated
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events in the past. Like he once avoided walking, he
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once avoided standing. It's not that.
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It's more of a settled state. Yes, it conveys what's called
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the abstract present. It indicates A characteristic
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that's already long continued and is still enduring.
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The psalmist is defining the righteous man as someone whose
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entire existence and established character is defined by the fact
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that he always and habitually avoids this progression.
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That makes the blessing a consequence of his established
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character, not just a reward for a list of good deeds.
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It's an ingrained disposition. Precisely if the blessed man
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were described using, say, an imperfect tense, it might
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suggest he's just currently avoiding it.
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But the perfect tense applies to his whole disposition.
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This is the man who has always been separate, whose life has
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been consistently marked by this non adoption of the wicked's
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practices. So when we put all this
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together, the structure, the grammar, what's the core
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doctrinal warning that Lange pulls out of this for the
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believer? The structure itself is a
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powerful, escalating warning. The gradations of evil pass into
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one another often much faster than we think.
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The very first steps suddenly adopting the wicked's counsel
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are already profoundly dangerous because they oppose God's
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expressed will. And for us, holding to something
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like the Westminster Confession, we recognize the pervasive
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nature of our own indwelling sin.
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Right. So Psalm 1 warns us that true
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blessedness starts with an active, habitual, comprehensive
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separation. Not just physical isolation, but
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a refusal to align our thoughts, our habits, or our settled
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companionships with the ungodly, the Sinner, or the scorner.
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The moment we consent to the evil counsel, we're already on
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the way to the seat of this corner.
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So the path to blessedness starts not with some grand
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action, but with avoidance and a very careful guarding of the
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heart. That's the negative side.
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And after defining the righteous man by what he rejects, the
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Psalm pivots sharply in verse 2 to define him by what he
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affirms. It uses that strong phrase kium.
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Kium. But if, or maybe more
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emphatically On the contrary, it's a radical shift in focus,
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now we get to the positive mark that defines his inner life.
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Which is what? But his delight is in the law of
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the Lord. This is it.
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This is the essential positive characteristic.
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And the first thing we want to understand is the object of his
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attention, the fora, the law. And given the strong connection
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back to Joshua 1.8 and Deuteronomy 6.6, this isn't just
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some vague general revelation or natural law.
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It's referring specifically to the written instruction of
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Moses, the covenantal Law, the revealed instruction given by
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Jehovah to his people. And the righteous man finds not
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just an obligation in it, but his delight, his inclination.
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It's an affection, not just a duty.
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And that delight is shown through a consistent practice.
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And in his law doth he meditate day and night.
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This introduces the practice of Haga.
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The word meditate, yes. And etymologically, haga is very
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visceral. It's related to murmuring,
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muttering, or a low vocal discourse.
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That's interesting because when we hear meditate today, we often
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picture something totally silent, you know, theoretical
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contemplation. But this sounds much more
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active. It was.
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It was far more physical and audible than our modern concept
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of just silent reading. Haggah means ruminating over the
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divine instruction. It's a quiet, soliloquy kind of
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investigation or discourse within the soul, but often
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expressed by a low murmur or muttering sound.
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So speaking it aloud to oneself. Yes, allowing the word to
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physically and audibly occupy the mind.
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Dillich called it the quiet soliloquy of investigation.
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It wasn't just abstract thinking.
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It was the active, almost devotional repetition of the
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text. Which makes the phrase day and
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night even more profound. It implies this discourse is
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just perpetual. It means it's a continual,
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perpetual exercise. Lange even notes that among the
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Jewish people, the night was historically seen as an
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especially good time for intensive study.
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You know, from about 6:00 in the evening to 6:00 in the morning.
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So it's not that the righteous man never sleeps or works.
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Of course not. But it means that the law
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provides the underlying rhythm of his life.
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Whether he's working by day or reflecting by night, the Thora
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is the constant object of his affection and his mental
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occupation. And it seems crucial that Lange
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draws a distinction here. He says this is a practical
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absorption, not a legalistic exercise.
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How does the delight part prevent this constant meditation
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from becoming just, you know, brooding over the ladder?
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The affection is the safeguard. The righteous man finds joy in
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the instruction because he recognizes it as God's gracious
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path to life. It's the instruction of Jehovah,
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the covenant, keeping God. If the focus shifts from the
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giver of the law to just the letter of the law, that's when
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the exercise becomes burdensome and legalistic.
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But the focus here is on genuine spiritual hunger.
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The continual exercise of haga is simply the outward sign of
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the internal delight that drives the man to seek nourishment from
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God's revealed will. And this perpetual internal
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orientration, this delight and continuous absorption, it leads
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directly to the glorious description in verse 3.
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It shifts from the man's character to the consequences.
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Right, and he shall be like a tree planted by the brooks of
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water. An.
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Analogy that is so rich, especially in the context of the
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arid demanding climate of the Orient.
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We have to dissect every element first.
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The comparison. The man is like a tree.
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He's granted stability and a life that mirrors a perfectly
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situated natural object. Let's focus on that word.
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Planted lunge highlights that the verb shows this is a
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guaranteed consequence of his conduct.
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But there's more there. There's an assertion of divine
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agency. That is the cornerstone of the
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Reformed understanding of this verse.
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The tree did not select its own location.
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It did not plant itself. It was planted.
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Which affirms that the man is righteous not by his own
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inherent strength or skill. Not by his activity alone, but
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by divine agency through the means of grace that Divine Mercy
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has established. Like the tree, he has to take up
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the nourishment from the streams God provides.
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But the planting is God's initial sovereign action.
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That provides a really robust theological foundation against
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any kind of works based reading of the Psalm.
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The very ability to be righteous, to delight in the
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law, is itself a gift secured by God's choice in action.
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Absolutely. The blessed man is dependent on
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the streams of grace and his continual meditation.
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His haga is simply the means by which he draws that life giving
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water up into a spiritual system.
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And the imagery of the water itself underscores the sheer
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abundance of that supply. The term used for Brooks pelgy
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is a double plural. Which emphasizes distribution
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and richness. It speaks of abundance, which is
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essential for continuous life in a dry climate.
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Luther famously referenced the Evergreen date palms in the
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Jordan Valley trees that thrive because they have continuous
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deep access to water. This is an assurance that the
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means of grace God provides His Word, His Spirit, will never run
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dry for the righteous soul. And the result of this perfect
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placement and constant nourishment is guaranteed that
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bring us forth his fruit in his season, His leaf also shall not
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wither. The output is reliable and
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timely. The emphasis is on timeliness
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and reliability. The tree gives the expected
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fruit at the proper time. It never disappoints, and
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commentators throughout history have drawn clear spiritual
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parallels here. The leaf in the.
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Fruit, the fresh foliage, the leaves that don't wither, are a
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figure of faith. Faith stays vibrant, invisible,
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even in harsh times. It processes the water of life,
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the Divine Word, and changes it into spiritual SAP.
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And the fruit. The fruit is the figure of
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works, the works of righteousness, which ripen and
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spread blessings to others. This moves us to the conclusion
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of the analogy, which can sound like a sweeping promise of
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worldly success. And whatsoever he do with shall
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prosper. Now we have to be careful not to
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mistake this for some guarantee of material comfort or an easy
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life, right? Especially when you consider the
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history of suffering among God's people.
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How does lenge define this promised prosperity?
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This is a critical point that the commentary clarifies.
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The prosperity promised here is spiritual and providential, not
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necessarily material wealth or freedom from hardship.
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So it's not the prosperity gospel.
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Not at all. It's the experience described in
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the New Testament in First Timothy 4.8.
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Godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the
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life that now is and of the one to come.
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The prosperity here means that the man's efforts, as long as
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they align with God's will, will achieve their intended spiritual
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purpose. His life will be effective in
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bearing fruit for the Kingdom. So he may suffer, he may face
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persecution, but his root system is secure, his fruit will ripen
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on time, and his overall life will be marked by divine favor.
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That's it. The emphasis is on the fact that
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Jehovah, the covenant keeping God of historical revelation, is
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the infallible guardian and rewarder.
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The security of the blessing is rooted entirely in the character
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and action of the one who did the planting and provides the
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water. And now the narrative takes a
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dramatic turn in verse 4. After describing this vibrant,
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rooted life of the righteous man, the psalmist introduces the
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stark antithesis with just a few words.
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The ungodly are not so. It's the counter reality, the
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negative definition, the ungodly.
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Even when they seem to be flourishing on the outside, they
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derive no actual lasting profit from their circumstances.
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They haven't formed the faculty to receive nourishment.
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Exactly. They have no delight, no
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meditation to appropriate the nourishment of life.
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Whatever seems to have matured in them is superficial.
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It fades. They remain without a root,
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without spiritual SAP. They fail to attain any real
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vigor or bring forth any true fruit.
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And their lack of substance is illustrated by that terrifying
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analogy of the chaff. They are like the chaff which
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the wind drives away. To get the full force of this
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image, you have to picture ancient agriculture.
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Threshing floors in the east were large open areas, often
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located on heights specifically so the wind could help with the
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winnowing. So the good grain which is
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heavy, it drops to the ground. It drops, but the chaff, light,
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hollow, empty is just blown away.
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It's disappearance is immediate and traceless.
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And it illustrates 2 profound things about the wicked man.
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First, his destiny. A rapid, violent, and utterly
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traceless destruction. You see the same image in Psalm
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35 or in the New Testament when John the Baptist talks about
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sifting in Matthew 3. And the second.
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Thing their inner condition. The chaff represents emptiness,
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hollowness, nullity. They stand in absolute contrast
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to the abiding nature of the good grain.
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The wicked man, though he might appear weighty and important in
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the world, is in his essence worthless and unsubstantial.
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He is ripened only for destruction.
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And that fundamental emptiness leads directly to the
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consequence described in verse 5.
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Therefore, the ungodly shall not stand in the judgement.
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This isn't some random disaster, but an inevitable consequence, a
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just divine punishment. We have to be precise about the
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term judgement here. This isn't a human court.
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It's not exclusively A messianic judgement.
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It's the inescapable divine judgement that's referenced
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again in the last verse. And the phrase not stand.
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What does that mean? It's crucial.
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It means they can't hold their ground, they can't maintain
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their position, they cannot be vindicated in the court of God.
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When they face God's perfect standard of justice, their whole
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way of life, based on their own counsel, on their own way, will
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immediately collapse. Some of the older interpreters
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speculated that not stand might refer to being excluded from the
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general resurrection. Does Lange support that reading
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at all? No, the context and the meaning
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of the Hebrew word really argue against that narrow
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interpretation. The judgement here isn't just
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about physical exclusion from a moment in time.
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It's about the incapacity to be justified, to be declared
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righteous, or to stand firm against the weight of God's
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scrutiny. They may be resurrected, but
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they will not be vindicated. And the verse continues, They
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shall not stand, nor sinners in the congregation of the
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righteous. This brings up a critical
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doctrinal distinction about God's people in the world.
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It connects directly to the distinction we draw between the
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visible and the invisible church.
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As long as the people of God are here in this world, the visible
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church will always contain a mixture.
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You'll have hypocrites, false brethren, sinners, all mingled
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within the external gathering. But the Congregation of the
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righteous is something different.
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That refers to the true internal spiritual people of God,
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organized and acknowledged by divine order.
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The judgment then acts as the ultimate sifting mechanism, the
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final separation. Precisely.
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The judgment serves to definitively sever the
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unrighteous from the true body of Christ.
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Even if the wicked wanted a place with the righteous in the
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end, they can't stand there because their core spiritual
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nature is chaff. This separation is the ultimate
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execution of divine righteousness that must and will
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sift the true from the false. That gives so much practical
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weight to the warnings back in verse one.
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If you follow the Council the Way and the seat of the Scorner,
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you're aligning yourself with the chaff, regardless of your
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external profession or your participation in the visible
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assembly. Your inner condition determines
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your eternal lot. The wicked may appear to thrive
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for a time, but their way is inherently unstable.
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They are like the lightest material on a high threshing
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floor, just waiting for the inevitable wind of judgement.
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And the entire argument of the Psalm culminates in the final
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verse. It provides the ultimate
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theological assurance for the righteous and the dreadful
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sentence for the ungodly. Yes, verse 6 for the Lord
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knoweth the way of the righteous.
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This is the ultimate ground of certainty.
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It is, and this knowing because it's declared of Jehovah, the
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covenant God, is so much more than just theoretical awareness
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or simple cognition. Lens uses this powerful Latin
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phrase no say kum, affectu and affectu.
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Meaning to acknowledge with affection and with effect.
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Right. God's knowledge here is an
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active covenantal acknowledgement.
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It's God confirming, guaranteeing and actively
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safeguarding the righteous man's existence and his path.
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So the righteous man prospers, not just because he studied the
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law, but because the Almighty God is actively his guardian.
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Exactly this knowing provides the assurance.
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It guarantees the consequence promised back in verse three
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that secure fruitful life. Because God knows and upholds
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this way, error and deception are entirely excluded from the
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final divine judgment. A person's lot is determined not
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by chance or luck, but by righteous and infallible
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judgment that corresponds to their disposition towards God
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and His revealed Word. And then the final word of the
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Psalm. It stands as the most terrifying
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contrast to ashtray at the beginning.
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The entire path of the ungodly. Their duresh their way shall
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perish. The Hebrew word is tobode.
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The finality of this closing word is absolute.
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It suggests the utter ruin and destruction associated with
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abandoned. It's a lost way, bearing the
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character of inevitable and eventually endless destruction.
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So while the righteous man's way is known and upheld by God.
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The wicked man's way is actively abandoned by God.
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His lot is sealed in ruin. It's as terrifying as the lot of
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the pious is delightful. So this short song really
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functions as a comprehensive summary of life, ethics and
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destiny. The contrast is absolute.
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So, based on London's full treatment, what are the key
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practical takeaways we should synthesize from this?
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I think there are three main ones.
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First is the necessity of avoiding the society and the
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practices of the wicked. We have to recognize that the
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gradations are subtle. It starts with just an accepted
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evil thought or counsel, and we have to conscientiously guard
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against that first step. OK.
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That's number one. What's the second?
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The absolute necessity of conscientiously using the means
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of grace that means our continuance in righteousness, is
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maintained by our delight and active absorption or haggah in
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the holy law of God. The instruction of the Lord is
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what provides the constant supply from the streams of
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grace, allowing our roots to sink deep.
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And the third. We have to rely on the principle
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of divine agency. We draw comfort from that image
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of the planted tree. Piety does grant the righteous
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manpower to withdraw from evil and withstand temptations, yes,
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but he only grows and matures because he is planted by God and
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takes up the nourishment afforded by God.
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Which connects the whole Psalm back to the broader framework of
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our Reformed faith. We are made righteous by divine
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action, justification by faith, and the state of grace then
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yields the necessary fruit. That's it.
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The song leaves us with a necessary choice, and it's
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determined by where we find our delight.
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The contrast isn't theoretical, it defines our final outcome.
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It really forces you to ask yourself, are my roots secure?
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As some of the commentators summarized it, you have to
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choose in this life the society and the way you wish to maintain
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forever. Because the things in which you
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find your deepest delight will either bless you completely or
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destroy you entirely. And that choice has eternal,
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irreversible consequences, because the character of the
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divine judge guarantees the lot of both.
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Absolutely. The way of the righteous is
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known and guarded. The way of the wicked is
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unknown, unsecured and destined for ruin.
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You know, as a final thought, Taub reminds us that the wicked
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man plows the sea. He leaves nothing substantial
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behind, nothing but the way in which he is whirled away to
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destruction. He who has nothing firm in
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heaven, have nothing sure on earth.
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Thank you for helping us explore this powerful text and the
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meticulous analysis from Lange's commentary.
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It offers incredible clarity on the two paths before us.
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It's been a privilege. And thank you, our listener, for
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sharing your sources for this deep dive.
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We encourage you to continue your reflection on the absolute
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truth of the two paths laid out in Psalm 1.