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Text Psalm 1:1–6
Exegesis Research Paper – Part 2
Harold Hanson
RTCH-500
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Part 1 – Introduction and Context of the Passage
The text Psalm 1:1–6 is rich in emotions, attitude, feelings and interest that each
and every individual experiences in his course of life. The attributes of a righteous
individual have been captured in the text. The Lord or Jesus is most righteous who tries
to do the right thing in spite of facing numerous hurdles that come across his way
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. The
fundamental objective of the paper is to highlight the fact that blessings are bestowed on
righteous beings
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.
In life, people come across various kinds of situations. But they have only two
ways to respond to them. The first way is to adopt the right path and the other option is
to select the wicked path. The text states that the journey of the righteous people could be
quite challenging in nature but they are ultimately blessed by the almighty. Similarly, the
ones that choose the wicked path open the doors to misery and nothing else. The contest
of the test is applicable to all kinds of human experiences. Thus the decisions that humans
make paves the future path for themselves.
Genre
The genres that can be found in Psalm 1:1–6 is meditative in nature. It has been
written from the individual point of view and it highlights the concept relating to blessing.
It plays a vital role to establish the theoretical foundation of the sacred song. Here the
psalmist is basically expressing his opinions and views about life experiences
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. The text
that has been selected is mainly dominated by the concept of ‘blessing’ that is bestowed
1
"Psalm 1: Two Ways Of Life -- A Psalm Of Wisdom". 2018. Bible.Org. https://bible.org/article/psalm-1-two-ways-life-psalm-
wisdom.
2
"English Standard Version". 2018. Biblia. https://biblia.com/books/esv/Ps1.3
3
Lioy, Dan. "A comparative analysis of Psalm 1 and the Beatitudes in Matthew 5: 3-12." Conspectus: The Journal of the
South African Theological Seminary 22, no. 09 (2016): 141-182.
3
on people who follow the righteous path. At the same time, it highlights how the people
following the ungodly path suffer
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.
Godly and ungodly deeds
The person who adopts the Godly approach opens the path to get blessed. It can
help him to lead a happy and content life. The individuals who choose the wicked path
while making decisions in life are bound to be unhappy because of the chosen path. The
text is relevant for the entire mankind. During the entire life, people come across
numerous situations and instances when they have to choose between the right and the
wrong. People can get blessings from God if they apply the Word of God while leading
their life
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.
The text highlights how the individuals who live their life by having faith in God
and trusting the relationship with the Almighty are happy and blessed. There are a
number of things that have the ability to destroy and corrupt. f Similarly, there are other
things that can strengthen, develop and make life more fruitful in nature. The passage
highlights how righteous behaviour can enhance the bond and relationship with the
Almighty. This is the core message that has been presented in Psalm 1:1–6. Mankind
needs to avoid wicked and negative things so that he can get closer to God and he can be
blessed
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. The ungodly behaviour moves a person towards a wrecked state.
PART 2
The Psalm 1:1-6 has been a focal point for interpreters and could also be
considered as the major point of initiating dialogue as well as controversy between
4
"Psalm 1 Genre". 2018. Explaining The Book. https://www.explainingthebook.com/psalm-1-genre/.
5
"Psalm 1: Two Ways Of Life -- A Psalm Of Wisdom". 2018. Bible.Org. https://bible.org/article/psalm-1-two-ways-life-psalm-
wisdom.
6
Lioy, Dan. "A comparative analysis of Psalm 1 and the Beatitudes in Matthew 5: 3-12." Conspectus: The Journal of the
South African Theological Seminary 22, no. 09 (2016): 141-182.
4
religions such as Judaism and Christianity
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. The interpretation of the psalms as a
descriptor of the traits of an ideal righteous man is clearly evident in the interpretation of
the passage
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. The meaning revolves around the various obstacles that man faces in the
course of his life and there are two options for facing the obstacles which are the right
and the wicked path. The passage text implies that even if righteous people face many
challenges in their journey, they are ultimately eligible to receive blessings of the
almighty
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. On the other hand, people who select the wicked path are only picking up a
path leading to misery. It also shows that wicked people who are in the company of the
righteous would also not be spared from judgment. The journey of a righteous man is
aptly described as a seed which is planted only to reap the fruit in appropriate season
without any withering and prospering in any circumstance
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.
The psalm’s structure is identified in two stanzas followed by a conclusion. The
first verse of the Psalm implies that there is a terminological identity established by the
Forefathers of the Church in order to correlate the ideas behind the two situations of
doing the will of God and feeling blessed. This factor clearly implies towards the
fostering of spiritual formation that can be clearly noted in growth of the Kingdom of
God or the Church on the basis of relating between doing the will of God by spreading
his word and his institution. However, in the psalmic context, happiness is not necessarily
attributed as the direct result of divine blessings and is dependent on the natural
consequences of personal deeds of a person. The verses also clearly imply towards the
context according to a hermeneutical analysis that is vested in refraining from counselling
the ungodly i.e. the people who do not believe in the ways of God. The passage also calls
7
de Campos, Mateus. "NT502: New Testament Interpretation." (2018).
8
Kaiser Jr, Walter C., and Moises Silva. Introduction to Biblical hermeneutics: The search for meaning. Zondervan, 2009
9
Boyer, Stuart W. "Hermeneutics and the Exegetical Method." In Biblical Leadership Development, pp. 61-78. Palgrave
Macmillan, Cham, 2019
10
Andrews, Edward D. INTERPRETING THE BIBLE: Introduction to Biblical Hermeneutics. Christian Publishing House, 2016
5
the righteous man to stay away from the path of sinners who are defined as people who
do the same things throughout their life without any good.
The second verse of the Psalm is also a crucial contributor to the expansion of the
Kingdom of God or the Church because it reflects clearly on the ways in which
righteousness could be maintained. The contribution of the passage text to spiritual
formation could thus be clearly identified in the realization of a clear impression of the
word of God and developing qualities for addressing the needs for maintaining spiritual
formation throughout their life
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. The awareness of an individual about the traits of
sinners and their ultimate fate could be a notable guide for them to adopt the path of God
by embracing his word. The clearly established context in the meaning of the passage
refers to the tenets for a righteous life and the things that an individual could do to stay
on it for reaping promising benefits in the end. Therefore, the passage could be essentially
considered as a significant contributor to the spiritual growth process of an individual
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.
11
Nel, Marius. "Attempting to define a Pentecostal hermeneutics." Scriptura 114 (2015): 1-21
12
Bobo, Luke Brad. A Layperson's Guide to Biblical Interpretation: A Means to Know the Personal God. Wipf and Stock
Publishers, 2016
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Bibliography
Andrews, Edward D. INTERPRETING THE BIBLE: Introduction to Biblical
Hermeneutics. Christian Publishing House, 2016.
Bobo, Luke Brad. A Layperson's Guide to Biblical Interpretation: A Means to Know the
Personal God. Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2016.
Boyer, Stuart W. "Hermeneutics and the Exegetical Method." In Biblical Leadership
Development, pp. 61-78. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham, 2019.
de Campos, Mateus. "NT502: New Testament Interpretation." (2018).
"English Standard Version". 2018. Biblia. https://biblia.com/books/esv/Ps1.3
Lioy, Dan. "A comparative analysis of Psalm 1 and the Beatitudes in Matthew 5: 3-12."
Conspectus: The Journal of the South African Theological Seminary 22, no. 09
(2016): 141-182.
Kaiser Jr, Walter C., and Moises Silva. Introduction to Biblical hermeneutics: The search
for meaning. Zondervan, 2009.
Nel, Marius. "Attempting to define a Pentecostal hermeneutics." Scriptura 114 (2015): 1-
21.
"Psalm 1: Two Ways Of Life -- A Psalm Of Wisdom". 2018. Bible.Org.
https://bible.org/article/psalm-1-two-ways-life-psalm-wisdom.
"Psalm 1 Genre". 2018. Explaining The Book. https://www.explainingthebook.com/psalm-
1-genre/.
