Psalm 1

No, I haven't gone crazy. I certainly won't do every psalm in a row.

vs 1

Wow, the TNIV scholars really went to town on Psalm 1. Who doesn't fondly remember those poetic words of the opening of the book of Psalms, as read by Don Carson on numerous occasions? I think the TNIV is more easily understandable, but it does lose a bit more of the poetry. I suppose it is a worthwhile sacrifice.

Anyway, whereas I might have tried to better explain the NIV ("stand in the way" means something completely different idiomatically to us), the TNIV expresses it perfectly. It describes how blessed those are who aren't being or acting wicked.

vs 2

So contrasted with those who might be or act wicked are those who contemplate God's law and delight in it. They will be blessed. So blessing does not simply come to those who are not openly wicked, but to those who delight in God's law and are active - not just in deed either, but in thought.

vs 3

What a lovely picture. Just imagine, if you will, that sugar is incredibly hard to come by, and so the most delectable and tasty thing around is fruit. Or imagine that chocolate grows on trees. Either way, this is not a blessing of sustenance, it is a blessing of prosperity. They are well resourced, well looked after, and they are productive. That is the result of a life which is spent contemplating and delighting in God's Word.

Is that so hard to believe?

vs 4

Chaff is basically the opposite of fruit. You would never eat it. Instead, it represents all the hard work you need to do just to get the grain to make your daily bread. It was separated with wind, hence the picture.

vs 5

"The judgement" is an interesting term. It gives judgement a sort of finality. There will be a final judgement, and in it the wicked won't stand. Apparently, there will also be an assembly of the righteous. I am assuming, because of the context, that this also is an eschatalogical thing. But it could well be that not only do the wicked fall in the final judgement, but they can't even stand among the righteous in this world. I lean towards the eschatalogical though.

vs 6

Well, several thousand years have passed since this psalm was penned, and the ways of the wicked have yet to be destroyed, so I am going to assume that will happen in the end times. But the Lord watches over the righteous now, and did then, and will continue to do so. The NASB and KJV use the term "know" instead of "watch over". I don't really find that helpful per se (I mean, if we read that simply, and we assume God knows everything, then it's pretty meaningless - so therefore it is more complicated, but not really expressed), but in combination with the term 'watch over', I think we get a better understanding of what is being said - that God keeps the righteous in mind, and regards them with special care.