The Covenant of Grace to the Nations

Throughout church history, Psalms One and Two have been recognized as the preface to the entire Psalter. Both are untitled and anonymous. Psalm One opens with the word blessed, and Psalm Two concludes with the same word. This inclusion invites us to interpret the whole book of Psalms through the lens of these two foundational psalms.

Psalm Two clearly proclaims the mediatorial kingship of Christ and reveals the administration of the covenant of grace to the nations. How then does Psalm One relate to this same covenantal theme?

The opening word blessed indicates that Psalm One concerns the administration of the covenant of grace within God’s covenant people—the Church. This term consistently appears in the Old Testament in connection with covenantal blessings. In the Greek Septuagint (LXX), blessed is the same word used by our Lord in the Beatitudes. Spurgeon even called Psalm One “the Beatitude of the Old Testament.” Therefore, the blessedness described here is not mere emotional happiness but the profound, covenantal blessedness of life lived under the gracious rule of God.

Just as the Beatitudes introduce the ethics of the Kingdom in the New Covenant, Psalm One introduces the worship and wisdom of Israel’s covenant life. It serves as the gateway to the Psalter, presenting it as the Torah of the heart. Ultimately, it points to the work of Christ, the faithful servant who administers the covenant of grace to his people.

Psalm One divides into two main parts: verses 1–3 describe the way of blessedness for the righteous, and verses 4–5 describe the way of destruction for the wicked. Verse 6 concludes with a covenantal affirmation of God’s knowledge and judgment.

The Way of Blessedness (vv. 1–3)

Verse 1 reveals the foundation of covenantal blessedness—a total transformation that begins with the renewal of the mind and leads to complete moral and spiritual regeneration:

“Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the way of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers.”

In Hebrew, the order reads slightly differently: “Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, or in the way of sinners he does not stand, or in the seat of mockers he does not sit.” The shifted word order places emphasis on the first phrase, distinguishing it from a simple progression and highlighting the decisive break from the mindset of the wicked. This grammatical nuance underscores a transformation of understanding—a renewal of the mind consistent with the New Testament doctrine of conversion.

The word counsel here can also mean “thoughts” or “way of thinking” (cf. Deut. 32:28–29; Prov. 8:14). Calvin and other commentators note that this points to an inward change of mind. Thus, the verse may be paraphrased: Blessed is the man whose understanding has been renewed.

Psalm One’s imagery connects closely with Jeremiah 17:7–8 and Ezekiel 47:12. In that prophetic era, Israel’s prophets had a dual role: they brought covenantal lawsuits against the nation according to the Mosaic covenant, and they proclaimed the gospel promises of the Abrahamic covenant. Psalm One, therefore, joins this prophetic call to repentance—literally, a “change of mind” (Micah 6:16; Jeremiah 10:1–3; Ezekiel 33:9, 11).

The New Testament continues this same theme. The Greek word metanoeō—translated repent—means “to change one’s mind.” In Matthew 4:17, Jesus proclaimed: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” That is, turn back your mind, be transformed in your understanding, for the kingdom has come near.

Louis Berkhof explains that when the nous (mind) is renewed, a person not only receives new knowledge but also experiences a change in moral direction and purpose. Thus, “do not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the way of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers” portrays total life transformation—spiritual, intellectual, emotional, and moral.

The blessing of the covenant of grace, then, is manifested in a mind transformed by divine grace.

Delighting in God’s Word (v. 2)

Verse 2 teaches that this transformed life is sustained and shaped by love for and meditation upon God’s Word. True meditation is far more than memorization.

Matthew Henry writes: “To meditate in God’s Word is to discourse with ourselves concerning the great things contained in it, with a close application of mind, a fixedness of thought, until we are suitably affected with those things and experience the savour and power of them in our hearts. This we must do day and night…”

In other words, meditation renews our inner life and governs our outward actions. The righteous person lives according to a mind enlightened and ordered by God’s Word.

The Tree of Life (v. 3)

The passive verb in verse 3 indicates that the tree “has been planted”—intentionally and purposefully. It is not a wild tree growing by chance but one set by streams of water for fruitfulness. The imagery portrays divine care and placement. The righteous, likewise, are planted by the Lord within his covenant community—the Church. The “streams of water” symbolize the Word and Spirit of Christ.

Matthew Henry interprets these streams as the means of grace through which believers receive continual nourishment. Berkhof similarly notes that the Word and sacraments are the only appointed means of grace—objective channels through which Christ ordinarily communicates his life to his people.

The tree’s fruit and leaves thus symbolize faith and its visible evidence. Though it experiences seasons of trial, it continues to bear fruit through divine preservation. The tree represents the regenerate life—rooted, nourished, and sustained by the grace of God through his Word and Spirit.

Ultimately, this tree points to Christ himself—the true “Blessed Man.” He is the perfect Righteous One who fulfilled God’s law without sin and who now administers the covenant of grace to his body, the Church, creating “one new man” from Jew and Gentile alike (Ephesians 2:15).

The Way of the Wicked (vv. 4–6)

Verses 4–5 contrast the righteous with the wicked, echoing Christ’s teaching in Matthew 3, where the wheat is separated from the chaff. This contrast is both warning and comfort: warning the elect to walk humbly in sanctification, and comforting them with the assurance that Christ reigns over his covenant people.

Verse 6 concludes: “For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.”

The word perish stands in deliberate contrast to blessed in verse 1. The psalm thus begins and ends with the two great outcomes of covenant life: life or death, blessing or destruction. The Lord’s knowledge of the righteous is his covenantal faithfulness—the promise that the Mediatorial King will bring his people to final transformation in the eternal kingdom of God.

The Psalter as the Fruit of the Righteous

The entire Psalter should be read through the lens of Psalm One. It reflects the renewed minds of those who live under the blessings of the covenant of grace. The Psalms are the spiritual fruit of those whose hearts delight in God’s law—fruits produced by the Holy Spirit in due season. Psalm 119, especially, reveals this inner world of meditation, delight, and devotion to the Word of God.

May we seek to bring the Covenant of Grace to the nations, that Christ’s kingdom around the globe may take delight in the law of the Lord to the praise of his glory!