Psalm 1:1-2
1 Blessed indeed is the man
who follows not the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the path with sinners,
nor abides in the company of scorners,
2 but whose delight is the law of the Lord,
and who ponders his law day and night.
From The Abbey Psalms and Canticles, recently approved for liturgical use in the United States.
Delight in the law, pondering the law–what do we make of that?
There are two things we need to keep in mind as we pray this psalm.
The first is to broaden our understanding of what “the law” and “his law” meant for the Jews. The “law” was much more than a listing of individual laws given to the Jews–it encompassed every verse of the first five books of Scripture! Genesis through Deuteronomy gave, illustrated, and illuminated all the laws and life instructions for a people struggling to build a relationship with God. The Jews and all Christians have found spiritual sustenance and instruction in all the varied people, events, family histories, stories, and particular rules for conduct that make up those books of the Torah. The Law is much broader and richer than the laws. Intimations of Christ-to-come are found all through these books.
The second thing we must keep in mind is that, for a follower of Christ, Christ himself is the Law. We delight in Christ, his every word and gesture. We ponder Christ as we ask to be guided by the Holy Spirit to help us understand what he says and does and asks. We delight in what we are trying to become: Christ-like. We ponder the goodness of God-in-Christ who shares his life with us. Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life for us, day by day.