Psalms 1:1 “Blessed [is] the man that walketh not in the counsel of the wicked, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.”

What does it mean to be blessed?  Is that to say that the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked will be blessed like in getting lots of money and material wealth? I hear people all the time who come into money saying they have been blessed.  We somehow associate blessing with money.

Catholics and Jews receive blessings from a priest or rabbi.  That is nothing traumatic about this, we are called to bless one another in Philippians 2:1-30.   Normally a blessing involves the asking for aid from God on behalf of another, intercession.  I have friends that I bless daily although they are not aware of it.  Within the Catholic Church it is a rite involving a ceremony and prayers which are performed in the name and with the authority of the Church by a minister certified by the church.  Such persons or things that are blessed are sanctified as dedicated to Divine service. Often a blessing is also a specific request for Divine favor to be invoked upon the individual.

Yet, the word blessing has a much broader sense and means many other things. It is often synonymous with praise such as Bless the Lord. It can be a wish or desire that all good fortune of a spiritual or supernatural nature will go with a person or thing.  There is a scene in Fiddler on the Roof where Motel asks the rabbi if there is a blessing for a sewing machine.  The rabbi replied that there is a blessing for everything. He then asked God’s favor on the sewing machine that it would have divine favor to perform well so Motel could support his family.

Traditionally when one seeks a blessing from their priest, rabbi or even their pastor, they are seeking Divine favor for their venture or even some event in their life. The rather uncomfortable elephant in the room is that you are asking a human who is as flawed as you are to bestow God’s favor upon you because he simply has the authority or sanction of a religious body and that somehow makes this flawed human more accessible to God.  I do have a problem with that, but I have no problem with any human, whether backed by a religious body or not, asking for God’s Divine favor on my behalf.  I have a friend that for eight years I have prayed daily that God would bless her or show divine favor upon her. She recently admitted that she felt someone had been praying for her over the last few years as she would suddenly feel God’s presence for no reason at all. I like to think the reason is because I specifically asked God to show her some of His Divine favor.

So is Psalms 1:1 telling us that God will bestow Divine favor upon those who do not walk in the counsel of the ungodly.  Hey makes sense to me.  But I think there is more, let’s see what this verse has to say in the Hebrew.  The Hebrew word most commonly rendered into the English bless is barak.  Yet barak does not really mean divine favor.  In its very Semitic root it means to bend the knee.  That is often an expression of worship and praise in ancient times. It also is sometimes rendered as peace or a gift or present. So maybe you could infer something of Divine favor in that but that is not a direct meaning, just implied.

Curiously, Psalms 1:1 does not use the word barak for bless but the word ‘ashar.  ‘Ashar is often rendered as happy.  Just what is happiness?  Webster calls it a sense of pleasure, contentment and joy. So happy and/or joyful is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked.  That also works but there is more.  This word is rooted in an old Akkadian word for walking a straight path, in other words walking in the right path or the right direction.  In ancient times, as it can be today, if you walk through the desert it can be very easy to get twisted up. Sometimes there were traveled paths but bandits usually hid along those trails and if you did not have enough traveling companions to watch your back, you tended to avoid those trails.  Remember, how can two walk together lest they be agreed (Amos 3:3)? But if you veer off your course a few feet you could miss the town you are looking for by many miles.  Remember Jesus said in Matthew 10:29: “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny?”  I mean who buys sparrow.  They are certainly not much for eating.  They were generally not used for sacrifice as they did not amount to much. So why even invest a penny in a fairly worthless bird?  God created the sparrow with something of life saving device for a traveler, the sparrow has homing instincts.  When you leave for a journey you purchase a few sparrows and then go off to your destination.  On the way home, especially if you veer off the road most traveled  to avoid bandits,  you would release your sparrow which really cannot fly too far so they are easy to follow and he will lead you directly home. Of course if the poor little guys “falls” on the way home Jesus says that your Heavenly Father is aware of it and He will guide you the rest of the way.  Yeah, I know, I like the idea that God mourns the death of the little guy so how much more for me. So forget what I just said, I don’t want to threw mud on an old and cherished sermon illustration and song.

Ok, back to ‘ashar. Have you ever been on a hike and you got lost. Happens to me all the time. Or you are on a trip at night and you just can’t figure out where you are. You feel that sense of being lost. It is a dreadful feeling.  Then when you see a sign or landmark that points you in the ‘ashar or right direction  and you are instantly filled with happiness.

Therein lies the meaning that I believe the writer had when he said “’ashar are those who do not walk in the counsel of the wicked.”  He is simply saying that if you do not walk in the counsel of the wicked you will be ‘ashar, headed in the right direction.  I tell you that is happiness.  I was recently headed in the wrong direction and I was sad, miserable and vindictive.  Then God put me on the right path and I cannot describe the sense of happiness and joy – ‘ashar.