'God’s Design and Desire is for You to be a Tree of Life'
God’s design and desire are for you to be a Tree of Life.
Psalm 1:1-3
'Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take
or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the LORD, and who meditates on his law day and night.
That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers.'
Psalm 1 opens the whole book by setting up the central theme of two ways: the way of the righteous and the way of the wicked. That contrast runs through the Psalms—those who trust in the Lord flourish, and those who reject Him perish.
The righteous person is first described by what he does not do. He does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, stand in the path of sinners, or sit in the seat of mockers. The progression—walk, stand, sit—shows a deepening involvement: listening → participating → belonging. The “blessed” life avoids being shaped by the patterns, values, and attitudes of the world.
Instead, v.2 reveals the way of meditation. Rather than being shaped by the wicked, the blessed person delights in God’s law. God’s Law, the Psalmist is referring to is the Torah, the first 5 books of the Bible. It contains the creation story including humanity, humanity’s rebellion, God’s covenants with the patriarchs, slavery in Egypt, and God giving His law to Moses on Mt. Sinai. That is what the blessed one is to meditate upon. Meditation “day and night” doesn’t mean nonstop recitation but continual reflection—internalizing God’s Word and aligning life with His will.
And then comes the image at the heart of the psalm: the Tree. Ancient Israel was an arid land, so trees that thrived by water became powerful images of life, stability, and fruitfulness. A tree planted by streams was secure, nourished, and productive. In the very beginning, God gave us a picture of what humanity was meant to be. In Genesis 2, God formed man from the dust of the ground, breathed life into him, and placed him in a garden watered by streams. Eden means “delight”—life in God’s presence, a place of abundance and joy. At the very center of that delightful garden was the tree of life, a living symbol of the kind of existence God intended for us from the start—always nourished, always fruitful, always alive in His presence.
Psalm 1 picks up this image and applies it to the righteous. The righteous are “Planted”: not a wild tree or accidental seedling—one deliberately planted by the hand of God. The Gardener Himself plants you where you will never wither or die because your roots can run deep into His living water—the Holy Spirit. God’s planting is pure grace.
At the very end of Scripture, in Revelation 22, John sees “the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.” (Rev. 22:1–2) Here the Eden story reaches its fulfillment: what was lost through sin is restored in Christ. The righteous in Psalm 1 are a preview of that destiny. Those rooted in God’s Word experience even now a foretaste of the eternal life-giving presence that will one day flow unhindered in the New Creation.
Do you see the flow? In Genesis, humanity is planted in a garden with a river and the tree of life. In Psalm 1, the righteous are described as replanted trees beside streams of living water. In Revelation, the vision is fulfilled as the tree of life grows by the river that flows from the throne of God.
Between Eden and eternity, you and I are designed to live as trees of life. We are designed to be rooted in God, to draw on His Spirit, and to bear fruit.
So, let me ask: How deep do your roots go? If they are sunk into the living water of God’s Word, then your life will not only prosper—you will become a tree of life.
Blessings,
Jonathan