David Schrock writes that the Psalms use the word “blessed” fifty-one times (ESV). The Psalter uses it in five different ways. All five different ways are united by the theme that God is the source and sovereign benefactor of blessings. Blessings are a gift. God gives them to those in a covenant with him. It is necessary to listen to the Scripture because it teaches us who is “blessed.”
First there is the blessed person. The psalms refer to the blessed individual the more frequent times, twenty-two times. Psalm 1 opens with the blessed man. “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord” (vv. 1-2). We find personal blessing in Ps 32:1: Blessed is the one whose sins are forgiven (Ps 32:1), in Ps 65: who is chosen by the Lord (65:4), in Ps 84: who dwells near to God (65:4; 84:4-5, 12), in Ps 94 and 119: who is taught by the Lord and his Word (94:12; 119:1-2). In Ps 127, parents are blessed. In Ps 41, those who care for the poor (41:1-2). The most recurrent blessing comes to persons who cling to the Lord in faith (40:4; 112:2; 128:1-2, 4; 146:5). In the Psalms, personal blessing is totally "centered on God and his Law."
Another kind of blessing in the psalms is temporal blessing. In the psalms we read of the rich man's blessedness, his riches. It is clear by the psalms that it is God's blessing that counts and not material blessings. In Ps 49.18, we read that "the arrogant rich man “counts himself blessed,” but in the end dies “never again [to] see light” (49:18-19). The point is obvious, “man in his pomp will not remain” (v. 12). Even under the old covenant, earthly riches were not indicative of God’s judgment. Personal well-being—then or now—tells us little to nothing about our eternal condition. ... God is the one who judges and the one who blesses."
Another kind of blessing in the psalms is the blessedness of God Himself. In the psalms God is the subject of blessing sixteen times. Again and again the psalms say God is blessed. "Psalm 18:46 reads, “The LORD lives, and blessed be my rock.” Subsequently, the Psalms follow a pattern of blessing God (“Blessed be the Lord”) for a number of particular reasons (see 28:6; 31:21; 66:20; 68:19, 35; etc.). Additionally, the Psalmists bless God at the end of each book in the Psalms (41:13; 72:18-19; 89:52; 106:48). The only exception is Book V, which concludes with a five-Psalm “hallelujah chorus” (146:1-150:6). Once again, blessedness in the Psalms is manifestly theocentric."
The fourth type of blessing is the blessed King. The king of Israel is described as blessed in five places. "For instance, the king is blessed for his royal beauty (45:2); he is blessed because of his sovereign power (72:17); and he is blessed for defeating the enemies of God (137:8-9). In keeping God’s covenant with David, the priestly-king mediated the relationship between God and his people. In fact, in Psalm 2, God’s blessing is directly tied to an individual’s relationship with the king."
The final type of blessing refers to the blessedness of God's people. In the psalms the blessing of the nation is very important. Blessedness is a corporate affair, the blessedness of the covenant community. There are so many instances in the Bible that talk of Israel's transgression, their departure from the covenant blessedness. "Therefore, five times in the Psalter blessedness is aimed at the nation (33:12; 37:22; 89:15; 112:2; 144:15)."
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