Psalm 1 and the Road Not Taken

In a world before we could get information at the speed of a click, people memorized stuff. At school I memorized poetry passages. At church I memorized Bible passages. Two passages that I committed to memory back in the day were Psalm 1 and Robert Frost’s iconic poem “The Road Not Taken.”

Today I can quote neither poem fully. But I still remember a few lines from both, and more importantly, I recall what they are about. Both Psalm 1 and Frost’s poem speak of two diverging paths in life. At some point we all stand at a place of decision—making a choice to travel either one road or the other.

Here is where Psalm 1 takes on a much more significant meaning for me as a follower of Christ: the psalm is part of Holy Scripture. It stretches far beyond human wisdom and poetic beauty; it issues from the very mind of God. The One who created us in His image, who knows us intimately even before we’re born, and who provided the way of salvation for us through faith in Jesus Christ said in Scripture that we must all choose between two ways.

The choice we make has consequences both in this life and in the life to come.

One way has a God-given road map: God’s Word. All who follow this path receive divine instruction, security, and purpose. God watches over those to travel this path, promising that they will have a full and meaningful life both now and forever.

The other way is characterized by sin and wickedness. Those who travel the self-guided, self-serving road will be blown about this way and that by every empty scheme humans can imagine. And most tragically, this “way of the wicked leads to ruin” (Ps. 1:6).

God’s grace toward us is such that in Jesus Christ we can be rescued off the road to ruin and planted solidly on the road to eternal life. Which road are you taking today? Your answer makes all the difference.

David Briscoe is a content editor at Lifeway for Explore the Bible resources.