Blessedness Starts with Right Worship

“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;” –Psalm 1:1

Psalm 1 introduces us to the Psalter, the book of Hebrew worship songs. The first verse leads off the introduction with the word, Blessed.

The word blessed can also be translated happy. As a matter of fact, ’אַ֥שְֽׁרֵי־ (ašrê), the Hebrew word translated blessed in this verse, is always used in respect to man and is translated Μακάριοι, in the Greek, a word used in Pagan Greek literature to describe the state of happiness and well-being such as the gods enjoy. It is also the word Jesus uses in his Sermon on the Mount where we take our beatitudes (i.e., Blessed are the poor in spirit…).

Since the introduction to the Hebrew (and Christian) worship book leads out the way it does, it’s a good indicator we can begin our journey through the Psalms with the presupposition that blessedness is the intrinsic benefit of right worship.