Psalm 1 is full of contrastive images of chaff and trees. We have two choices for how to interpret these images. Either we relegate their purpose to a mere rhetorical device to grab and maintain our attention, or perhaps we can see them as illuminating for us a much richer, spiritual reality.

Intertextual Readings: Psalm 1 & Matthew 3

There is, in fact, much that could be said about the chaff and the tree in Psalm 1. First, I want to contextualize their uses within the greater biblical narrative by comparing their depictions in Psalm 1 and Matthew 3:1-12.

In the latter passage, John the Baptist uses the images of chaff and trees from Psalm 1 as part of his gospel presentation. In Matthew 3, as he is preaching and baptizing, the religious elites come out to inspect and evaluate his actions. Upon seeing them, John calls them out with the strongest language he knows, and nature imagery underlies his critique. He urges them to repent and bear good fruit, like a well-watered tree. If they do not repent of their sins, especially their self-righteousness, God’s wrath will be poured out on them like chaff.

The Destruction of Chaff

“Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. ” (Psalm 1:4)

“But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire” (Matthew 1:12)

It is at this moment, in verse 12, that John picks up the language of chaff from Psalm 1 and applies it to everyone who does not repent. Those who do not repent and choose to remain in their sin and wickedness are likened to chaff. Similarly, like chaff that has been separated by the wind, so too will unbelievers be gathered up and burned. This is an obvious reference to the wrath of God’s judgment (i.e., hell), and a sobering and frightening reality. All who choose themselves over God, who prefer to live for themselves instead of Christ, will perish in God’s fiery judgment.

The Well-Watered Tree

“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 1:1-4)

“Produce fruit in keeping with repentance…The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire” (Matthew 3:8, 10)

Did you notice that John also takes up the image of the fruit-bearing tree in verses 8 and 10? The fruit that is good in God’s eyes is a lifestyle marked by repentance. This life no longer seeks to live for him/herself but for God’s glory. This life is a rejection of this world and the embrace of Jesus and His commands. Put another way, a tree that bears good fruit is a life that trusts in Jesus, regardless of our life’s circumstances.

The story of Psalm 1 comes full circle when we realize that our natural starting point is chaff. We all begin life as chaff. This is because of our sin and our life apart from Christ. But when one repents of their sins and confesses Jesus as King, they are instantly changed from chaff to a tree “planted by streams of water.” What follows is a life of continual repentance, a life of continual trusting in Jesus, which in turn bears “fruit in its season and its leaf does not wither.” Jesus takes us from chaff and transforms us into fruit-bearing trees, and we can continue in our sanctifying process by remaining steadfast at the well of living water to be nourished and to grow day-by-day.

Jesus takes us from chaff and transforms us into fruit-bearing trees. Let us continue in our sanctifying process by remaining steadfast by the streams of living water to be nourished and to grow day-by-day. Click To Tweet