There was a night not too long ago when, as bedtime approached, our daughter began to go through a list of things in her life that she wished were different. As the list went on, we all came to understand that at the heart of the matter was that she had started to compare various parts of her life to the lives of some of her friends. It was a natural thing for her to do, especially as she had been spending a good bit of time with those same friends, but I was reminded of two sayings: “The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence,” and “Comparison is the thief of joy.”
In this passage the Psalmist compares what it looks like when our lives are lived in a righteous manner to living in a way that is not righteous. The comparison is stark in its contrast between how we should and should not live. The contrast begins with the idea that those who do not follow the path of the wicked are “blessed.” The Hebrew word used in this place is asre, which has a connotation beyond the English word, “blessed,” and carries with it levels of joy and happiness that do not have their source in ourselves but come from God alone.
The Psalmist gives an agricultural explanation for what the blessed life is like by comparing it to a tree planted by a water source. This explanation is one that most of us can understand: trees need water, and when they are well irrigated, they will bloom in full, produce good fruit, and ultimately be the best tree that they can possibly be. This image of the well-watered tree is placed in comparison to the wicked who are like chaff, the leavings from threshed grain when wheat has been beaten with a flail, causing the heavier kernels of wheat to fall to the threshing floor, while the leaves and husk (the chaff) will fly away with a breeze to be scattered to the four winds. The tree draws its nourishment and strength from its deep roots that pull water from the streams of water and will not be blown over even in a strong wind, while the chaff will be scattered in even the gentlest of breezes.
While it is wonderful to see the different outcomes of these two ways of life, the important piece of the puzzle is what makes it possible to be either one of the blessed or one of the wicked. Those who follow the path of the righteous find the core of their existence in the Word of the Lord. When we are able to delight in the study of Scripture, in allowing our hearts, minds, and souls to dwell in it, we begin to follow the path of the blessed. It is a lifetime process, and one that we must make the conscious decision to develop each and every day.