According to what concept was Psalm 1 written? Is Psalm 1 good or not? Surely it is a good psalm, yet it was written according to the human concept. In Psalm 1 the psalmist said that the one who delighted in the law of Jehovah would prosper in everything that he does, but eventually the psalmists were not prospering. They were suffering. In Psalm 73, the psalmist was bothered. He thought that he had cleansed his heart in vain because he was being plagued and chastened (vv. 13-14). On the other hand, he saw all the evil ones prospering (v. 3). He was bothered until he went into the sanctuary of God, the temple of God (v. 17). Then he received the revelation, and he was led to have nothing in the heavens nor anything on the earth but God (v. 25). So, he declared that God was his living portion (v. 26); not the law, but the very God Himself was his portion.

This shows us that Psalm 1 is good, but it was written with a wrong concept. The law was not given for us to keep for our prosperity. Instead, the law was given to expose us. The writer of Psalm 1, David, was exposed by the law as being a murderer and a robber of someone's wife. Because of what he had done, the situation with his entire family became a mess. Fornication and murder were among his children (2 Sam. 13:1-29), and rebellion came from his son, Absalom (15:7-12). The third psalm was a psalm of David when he was fleeing from his rebellious son. Thus, we should not highly appraise Psalm 1. It was written wrongly with a wrong concept, a human concept.

Now let us read Psalm 2:

1. Why are the nations in an uproar,
   And why do the peoples contemplate a vain thing?
2. The kings of the earth take their stand,
   And the rulers take counsel together,
   Against Jehovah and against His Anointed:
3. Let us break apart their bonds
   And cast their ropes away from us.
4. He who sits in the heavens laughs;
   The Lord has them in derision.
5. Then He will speak to them in His anger,
   And by His burning wrath He will terrify them:
6. But I have installed My King
   Upon Zion, My holy mountain.
7. I will recount the decree of Jehovah;
   He said to Me: You are My Son;
   Today I have begotten You.
8. Ask of Me,
   And I will give the nations as Your inheritance
   And the limits of the earth as Your possession.
9. You will break them with an iron rod;
   You will shatter them like a potter's vessel.
10. Now therefore, O kings, be prudent;
    Take the admonition, O judges of the earth.
11. Serve Jehovah with fear,
    And rejoice with trembling.
12. Kiss the Son
    Lest He be angry and you perish from the way;
    For His anger may suddenly be kindled.
    Blessed are all those who take refuge in Him.