Russ walks through wisdom psalms as a distinct category in the book of Psalms, showing how they teach the way of the Lord that leads to life. He focuses on Psalm 1 and Psalm 73 to explore how choices become patterns, patterns become paths, and why the presence of God matters more than the appearance of success.

Inside the episode:

• In this episode, Russ introduces wisdom psalms as poems that teach how to live, not just how to pray.
• Psalm 1 contrasts the way of the righteous with the way of the wicked through a deliberate progression: walking, standing, sitting.
• Russ explains Hebrew-style meditation as filling the mind with God’s word, not emptying the mind.
• He highlights the image of a tree planted by streams of water as a picture of slow, season-based fruitfulness.
• The episode wrestles with the problem that wicked people sometimes prosper while righteous people suffer.
• Psalm 73 is used to show Asaph’s envy, frustration, and eventual shift in perspective when he enters God’s sanctuary.
• Russ emphasizes that the wise life is not about using God to get a good life, but discovering that life with God is the good life.
• He closes by pairing Psalm 1 and Psalm 73 as a summary of wisdom: stay rooted, watch your path, and trust God’s presence for perspective.
• Russ recommends reading Psalm 37 as a next step, paying attention to the actions the writer calls for.