The Book of Psalms is a sizeable library of prayers and songs, but they all follow a few basic themes, such as fearing God, praising His goodness, and the wicked man’s destruction. Right at the beginning of the book, Psalm 2 introduces the concept of rebellious men rejecting God’s law. David says that God laughs at the futile plans of man. While humans may disregard the Lord’s authority, eventually, He will punish them. However, people who trust God—like David—find security in Jehovah’s protection. The entire Psalms more or less describe that the wicked and righteous will be rewarded with judgment and blessings, respectively. Psalm 32 summarizes this concept: “Many sorrows shall be to the wicked; But he who trusts in the Lord, mercy shall surround him. Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, you righteous; And shout for joy, all you upright in heart!” 1But what is a righteous man according to Psalms? What distinguishes the righteous from the wicked, and how will they be rewarded? That is the topic of this essay.
The book describes the righteous as the antithesis of the wicked. The two are contrasts. That is advantageous for finding our definition. For the sake of simplicity—and since it’s accurate throughout the book—I’ll use “wicked” and “fool” interchangeably. Psalm 53 says, “The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God.’ They are corrupt and have done abominable iniquity; There is none who does good. God looks down from heaven upon the children of men to see if there are any who understand, who seek God. Every one of them has turned aside; They have together become corrupt; There is none who does good, no not one.” 2Those verses state that the wicked don’t believe in God. It might seem elementary and obvious, but that means the righteous believe in God. No, they don’t just believe in God. They also trust in Him and fear his wrath.
Psalms describes God’s wrath as a scary thing. Since His power is unmatched, facing his unrestrained anger is terrifying. Here are a few verses about the topic: “For we have been consumed by Your anger, and by Your wrath, we are terrified.”3 And, “Who knows the power of Your anger? For as the fear of You, so is Your wrath.” 4But I think Psalms 18 is the most descriptive section on God’s wrath: “Then the earth shook and trembled; The foundations of the hills also quaked and were shaken because He was angry. Smoke went up from His nostrils, and a devouring fire from His mouth; Coals were kindled by it. He bowed the heavens also and came down with darkness under His feet. And he rode upon a cherub, and flew: He flew upon the wings of the wind. He made darkness His secret place; His canopy around Him was dark waters and thick clouds of the skies. From the brightness before Him, His thick clouds passed with hailstones and coals of fire. The Lord thundered from heaven, and the Most High uttered His voice, hailstones, and coals of fire. He sent out His arrows and scattered the foe, lightning in abundance, and He vanquished them. Then the channels of the sea were seen, the foundations of the world were uncovered at Your rebuke, O Lord, at the blast of the breath of Your nostrils.” 5Finally, I’ll conclude these verses on wrath with Psalm 2: “You [Christ] shall break them [the wicked] with a rod of iron. You shall dash them to pieces like a potter’s vessel.” 6All that describes God’s power and what will happen to the wicked.
What about the righteous? All of Psalm 15 says the righteous will inherit eternal life in heaven. Even on earth, God blesses the righteous. Psalm 18 says, “He delivered me from my strong enemy…The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness.”7 Moreover, Psalm 28 states that God is their Rock, strength, and refuge.8 Finally, in Psalm 36, David tells God, “How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God…Oh, continue Your lovingkindness to those who know You and Your righteousness to the upright in heart.” 9
The righteous and the wicked are treated drastically differently. God promises to shatter the wicked, meanwhile, He promises to bless the righteous. So, how are they different? What distinguishes the righteous from the wicked, according to Psalms? Psalms 62 says, “He [God] only is my rock and my salvation,” 10and Psalm 76 says, “You, Yourself, [God], are to be feared; And who may stand in Your presence once when You are angry?” 11Psalms defines the righteous as people who trust and fear God. While this essay is about Psalms, I can’t help but quote the wisdom literature on this topic. Proverbs says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.”12 Similarly, Ecclesiastes concludes, “Fear God and keep his commandments, for that is man’s all.”13 They’re not Psalms, but they share the same sentiment. So, the notion that God will bless the righteous and condemn the wicked is the backbone of Psalms. The entire point of the book is laid out in the beginning when it says, “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful, but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night.” 14And “Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, and you perish in the way when His wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him.” 15The “Son” is Jesus. It’s foreshadowing Christ, and David’s point is to give Him reverence and trust in Him.
In conclusion, there are two people. There are the righteous and the wicked. The righteous trust and fear God, but the wicked scoff at Him. God will reward them differently. The wicked will perish, but as Psalm 37 says, “The righteous shall inherit the earth and dwell in it forever.”16
Asher Sisneros 
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