Job 1
Psalm 1 is a chapter that serves as an introduction to the entire Book of Psalms, presenting the blessed person and the path of the wicked in contrasting terms. This chapter summarizes the overall theme of the Psalms and clearly shows the lives of the righteous and the wicked, as well as their respective ends.
1verseThere was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job. That man was blameless and upright, and one who feared God, and turned away from evil.
2verseThere were born to him seven sons and three daughters.
3verseHis possessions also were seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen, five hundred female donkeys, and a very great household; so that this man was the greatest of all the children of the east.
4verseHis sons went and held a feast in the house of each one on his birthday; and they sent and called for their three sisters to eat and to drink with them.
5verseIt was so, when the days of their feasting had run their course, that Job sent and sanctified them, and rose up early in the morning, and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all. For Job said, “It may be that my sons have sinned, and renounced God in their hearts.” Job did so continually.
6verseNow on the day when God’s sons came to present themselves before the LORD, Satan also came among them.
7verseThe LORD said to Satan, “Where have you come from?” Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, “From going back and forth in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.”
8verseThe LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant, Job? For there is no one like him in the earth, a blameless and an upright man, one who fears God, and turns away from evil.”
9verseThen Satan answered the LORD, and said, “Does Job fear God for nothing?
10verseHaven’t you made a hedge around him, and around his house, and around all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land.
11verseBut stretch out your hand now, and touch all that he has, and he will renounce you to your face.”
12verseThe LORD said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your power. Only on himself don’t stretch out your hand.” So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD.
13verseIt fell on a day when his sons and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house,
14versethat a messenger came to Job, and said, “The oxen were plowing, and the donkeys feeding beside them,
15verseand the Sabeans attacked, and took them away. Yes, they have killed the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you.”
16verseWhile he was still speaking, another also came and said, “The fire of God has fallen from the sky, and has burned up the sheep and the servants, and consumed them, and I alone have escaped to tell you.”
17verseWhile he was still speaking, another also came and said, “The Chaldeans made three bands, and swept down on the camels, and have taken them away, yes, and killed the servants with the edge of the sword; and I alone have escaped to tell you.”
18verseWhile he was still speaking, there came also another, and said, “Your sons and your daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house,
19verseand behold, there came a great wind from the wilderness, and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell on the young men, and they are dead. I alone have escaped to tell you.”
20verseThen Job arose, and tore his robe, and shaved his head, and fell down on the ground, and worshiped.
21verseHe said, “Naked I came out of my mother’s womb, and naked will I return there. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away. Blessed be the LORD’s name.”
22verseIn all this, Job didn’t sin, nor charge God with wrongdoing.
Structure and Flow
| Division | Content |
|---|---|
| Verses 1-2 | Characteristics of the blessed person (the counsel of the wicked, the way of sinners, not sitting in the seat of the proud, and delighting only in the law of the LORD) |
| Verse 3 | The outcome of the righteous person’s life (fruitfulness and prosperity like a tree planted by streams) |
| Verses 4-5 | The outcome of the wicked person’s life (like chaff driven by the wind, unable to stand in judgment) |
| Verse 6 | The conclusion of the paths of the righteous and the wicked |
Overall Meaning
Psalm 1 shows how two paths in life—the path of the righteous and the path of the wicked—are different, and how their ultimate outcomes differ. It emphasizes the importance of choosing, indicating that a blessed life is a life that meditates on and obeys God’s word within a relationship with Him. In contrast, it teaches that the life of the wicked ultimately ends in futility that disappears.
Meditation Points
- It makes you reflect on what you enjoy and what path of life you are choosing.
- You can think about the inner richness and ongoing growth that come from a life of meditating on God’s word.
- It helps you check for yourself where the ultimate end of life lies.
Try Applying It to Yourself
- Set aside time during the day to meditate on God’s word and put it into practice.
- Check your priorities in life and strive to keep away from unnecessary wickedness or attitudes that get in the way.
- Take a moment to examine whether, in every situation, you live with the determination to choose and act with God’s word at the center.
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