Kathemerinosatos

Happy are those who do not follow the advice of the wicked or take the path that sinners tread, or sit in the seat of scoffers

Psalm 1 is classified under the category of wisdom psalms. They are seven major categories of psalms which are; lament, thanksgiving, enthronement, pilgrimage, royal, wisdom, and imprecatory. What is wisdom? The English dictionary defines wisdom as, “the quality of having experience, knowledge, and good judgement; the quality of being wise.” The Bible especially in Proverbs 9:10, defines wisdom as “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” Different translations alternatively use the words, ´happy´ and ´blessed´ but the original word used in the psalm is the Hebrew word, ésher´ which has both connotations of happiness and blessings. the word ésher´ comes from the root word áshar´ meaning ´straight´ or ´to be right´. According to the psalmist, a blessed person is the one who is able to discern godly counsel from the ungodly one. This is the most difficult area for many of us living in multi-pluralistic and multicultural contexts where we get an assortment of counsel from different sources. We live in a world where they are competing for claims for wisdom from different people and traditions. The righteous person therefore should be in a position to discern ungodly counsel lest he/she falls into the path of the unrighteous. Today let us remember that as we seek counsel from those around us, we should discern godly counsel for the ungodly one. Amen