BibleProject | One Story That Leads to Jesusનમૂનો

Welcome to the home stretch of the Old Testament! Today, we begin the final section of the TaNaK: the Ketuvim, or writings. These scrolls develop and expand key themes from the Torah (instruction or law) and Nevi’im (prophets) through an elaborate web of hyperlinks.

The first two psalms repeatedly refer to the rest of the TaNaK to answer one question: What does it look like to be “blessed”—that is, to live the good life?

Psalm 1 describes the good life as the experience people have when rightly relating to one another. Those who prosper not through selfish or unjust gain, but by meditating on God’s instruction day and night, live this way. Yahweh gave Joshua similar counsel at the beginning of the Nevi’im (Josh. 1:8). Psalm 1 also links back to the start of the Torah. Anyone who meditates on God’s words will become like a fruitful tree planted in a well-watered garden land (Gen. 2).

From Psalm 2, we learn that the good life of right relating happens when people take refuge in Yahweh’s anointed king. The description of this king echoes key promises from the prophets (2 Sam. 7; Isa. 9, 11). He’s the messiah from the line of David who will defeat evil among the nations and restore God’s blessing to the world.

These two poems suggest that the authors designed the book of Psalms to be a prayer book for God’s people. They will read, memorize, and sing these prayers as they strive to be faithful to the commands of the Torah and wait for the messianic Kingdom.

Watch the video to learn about the literary design of the rest of this poetic collection of prayers.

Reflection Questions

• Meditate on Matthew 5:3-20. According to Jesus, who lives the good life in God’s Kingdom? What does Jesus say about the Scriptures? How do Jesus’ words help you understand what it looks like to flourish like a Psalm 1 tree in his Kingdom?
• Reflect on what you’ve learned about the symbolism of trees and mountains in the Bible. How do these themes help you understand Psalms 1 and 2?