Blessing comes in community, according to Psalm 1. In this passage, which serves as an introduction to the entire Psalter, the psalmist pictures one who is considered “blessed.”
The psalm begins, “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night” (Ps 1:1–2).
It then likens the blessed person to a tree “planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers” (Ps 1:3).
A possible implication of this tree metaphor is a positive appraisal of community. Forestry experts recognize that trees isolated in a field remain far more vulnerable to extreme weather than trees clustered together in a forest. Trees in close proximity to others enjoy protection from adverse elements as they shield one another from the ill effects of high winds and heavy rains. Whether or not the psalmist wrote with this reality in mind, it serves as a helpful illustration of the value of biblical community for God’s people.
Yet the value of biblical community becomes more explicit as the psalmist considers the way of the “wicked.” The psalm continues, “The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; for the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish” (Ps 1:4–6).
Part of the judgment that the wicked will ultimately face is alienation from the “congregation of the righteous” (Ps 1:5). That is, they will remain separated forever from the blessing that comes in and through the biblical community of God’s people.
That one of the foremost aspects of future judgement is separation from the congregation of God’s people speaks to the great need for and value of biblical community. It also speaks volumes regarding the kind of community that God’s people should cultivate. If alienation from that community serves as judgment, that reality implies that biblical community is where the attributes of God—love, mercy, grace, justice, joy, etc.—find their expression. Thus, to be separated from such community is to be severed from the blessing of living among people who embody those attributes.
Sadly, this point also serves as an indictment against many Christians who devalue the local church in ways that effectively cut them off from the congregation—something Psalm 1 describes as judgement! It is not uncommon for people to simultaneously claim allegiance to Christ but reject his church. Not only is this stance inherently untenable (that is, we cannot simultaneously love and abide in Jesus while hating and rejecting his bride—the church), but it also contradicts the truth and wisdom of Psalm 1.
The blessing that Jesus offers comes in conjunction with his community. To abide in that blessing, we must press into biblical community within a local church, for it is there that one encounters and benefits from the fruit of the Spirit at work among the congregation of the righteous.
The wisdom of Psalm 1 thus admonishes us to value community and remain meaningfully involved in a local church. To do otherwise leads only to our misfortune.
