DELIGHT IN THE WORD OF GOD

Proclamation:

“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 … whatever they do prospers.” Psalm 1:1-3

Explanation:

This psalm was written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God and the human author is generally agreed upon to be King David.  It begins in the same manner which Jesus, The Christ, began His Sermon on the Mount.  “Blessed is the man …” has been rendered happy and blessed is this man in things temporal and spiritual, in this world, and in the world to come.  This man does not hang out with ungodly sinners.  He finds joy in The Word of God and he meditates on that both day and night.  Whatever he does in faith and in love to the glory of God will prosper.

Application:

What do we really delight in doing?  I am sure that we delight in a number of things.  The question is, 'Do we delight in reading and hearing The Word of God?'  Most Christians would say that they do, but our actions speak louder than our words.  We should enjoy, take pleasure in, and receive great satisfaction from reading the Bible.  This verse suggests that the 'blessed man' reads and meditates, reflects on or ponders, God's Word at least twice each day, "... day and night."  Do we think about and study the Bible twice each day?  We say that we love The Lord, but some of us only want to talk about Him or hear about Him once a week.  It has been said that some of us only open our Bibles on Sunday mornings, and maybe again on Wednesday night for Bible study. That's only twice a week and not twice a day.  Let us commit to praying and reading our Bible twice each day, the first thing in the morning and the last thing at night.  I am sure that would please God, and pleasing God is a good thing to do.  Who knows, we might be like the “blessed man” and whatever we do will also prosper.  We should pray that The Good Lord will restore to us the joy of salvation and grant us joy, wisdom, and understanding as we read and study His Holy Word.

THE DESIRES OF YOUR HEART

Proclamation:

“Delight yourself in The Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.  Commit your way to The Lord; trust in Him and He will do this.” Psalm 37:4-5 (NIV)

Explanation:

These are The Holy Spirit inspired words of King David as he addresses the inheritance of the righteous versus the calamity which will befall evil doers.  He said that the evil men will be cut down like grass and will wither away. (Psalm 37:1-2)  Those who commit themselves to The Lord, follow Him, trust Him, and delight in Him will be given the desires of their heart.

Application:

If you are not getting what you want out of life, maybe it is because you want the wrong things.  If your prayers are not being answered, maybe it is because you are asking for the wrong things.  While talking to His disciples directly, and to the surrounding crowd indirectly, during His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” (Matthew 7:7-8)  However, this will only happen if what we want will give God glory. (James 4:2-3)  This will also only happen for those who believe in Him, delight in Him, commit to Him, and trust in Him.  To those who get great pleasure in talking to Him, learning more about Him, and in reading His Holy Word will He give the desires of their heart.  The non-believers and evil doers who call upon The Lord will be told to depart from Him. (Matthew 7:23)  Believers who love Him and want to give God glory will be blessed with the desires of their heart.

Peace Joy and Comfort Come From God

"When anxiety was great within me, Your consolation brought joy to my soul."  Psalms 94:19 (NIV)  The King James Version of the Bible reads: "In the multitude of my thoughts within me Thy comforts delight my soul."

The author of this psalm penned this song for the people of God, for a time when the faithful were being oppressed and the wicked seemed to have no fear of The Lord.  This song expressed the consolation in the assurance that, even though they were anxious, concerned, and worried about what was going on around them, The Lord God was able to comfort them and brought a calming joy and peace to their soul.

There are times today when the situations and circumstances of life can have us so anxious that our minds just will not turn off.  However, The Bible says that we should not be anxious for anything. (Philippians 4:6)  It is a comfort for believers to know that even during times of grief, sorrow, sadness, distress, trials, troubles, and tribulations, that The Word of God can afford us consolation. (Psalms 94:19, Acts 15:31, and 2 Corinthians 1:5-7)  The Lord God can calm any storm, (Mark 4:39), or He can bring a calming peace to our mind and spirit in the midst of any storm. (John 20:19 and 26)  It does not matter what is going on in our heads or our hearts, The Lord God is The God of comfort, and He can ease our troubled mind and heart. (2 Corinthians 1:3-4)  We just have to believe, pray, and ask Him, and know that He will. (John 15:7)

Delight In The Lord

"Delight yourself in The LORD and He will give you the desires of your heart.  Commit your way to The LORD; trust in Him and He will do this..."  Psalms 37:4-5 (NIV)

King David, a man after God's own heart (1 Samuel 13:14 and Acts 13:22), told the people of God that if they delighted in The Lord, in His Word, and in His way; and if they trusted in Him, that He would grant them the desires of their hearts.

We need to understand that The Lord will also grant us the desires of our hearts if we, one, trust in The Lord and do His will; two, if we make The Lord our heart's delight; and three, if we submit our way to His way.  David was not perfect, but God blessed him.  He committed a number of sins, but his delight was in the law of of The Lord and He meditated in it day and night. (Psalms 1:2)  He praised The Lord seven times each day. (Psalms 119:164)  He even got joy out of going to The Lord in prayer. (Psalms 43:4)  David provided us with a good example.  If we want The Lord to bless us with the desires of our heart, then we must show Him that we love Him, that we love His Word, and that we love His way.  We need to submit to His way, to do good and to follow His will.  If we submit ourselves to The Lord, we will be able to resist the devil and he will flee from us, and then it will be easier to do the will of God. (James 4:7)  Things that we delight in doing, we do, and we do them often.  Let's not just tell The Lord that we love Him, let's let our actions show Him that we love Him, and that we delight in Him.

Think Of The Great Things That God Has Done

"Great are the works of The LORD; they are pondered by all who delight in them.  Glorious and majestic are His deeds, and His righteousness endures forever."  Psalms 111:2-3 (NIV)

Here the psalmist exalts the works and deeds of God.  He also states that those who love The Lord marvel at His works, and are awe struck by them for they are glorious and majestic.   

When we consider what God has done, all of His wondrous creations, His mighty acts, His protection and His provisions, His healing and His love, His grace and mercy, it is no wonder that we are impressed, confounded, humbled and respectful.  Just think of what He has done for you from conception up until this very minute.  Who would not serve a God like our God.

Some Blessings Are Based Upon Our Choices

"Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers.  But his delight is in the law of The LORD, and on His law he meditates day and night."  Psalms 1:1-2 (NIV)

The author of this psalm clearly states that some blessings are based upon individual choices.   Blessings come to those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand with sinners, or sit with those who mock The Truth.  Blessed is he who delights in The Word of God, and who meditates on it day and night.

Some blessings we receive just because God is who He is and He chooses to bless us even though we do not deserve to be blessed.  Each heart beat, each breath, each thought, and each of our bodily functions is a blessing.  However, there are some blessing we receive based upon what we choose to do or not to do.  Hanging around the people that we choose to be with, when we know that they are up to no good, can cause us to miss out on some blessings that God had prepared for us.  Reading, studying, and reflecting on The Word of God twice each day will result in special blessing for us.  Let us pray that we will make better choices in the upcoming year, and that we will spend more time reading the Bible.

Tell The Truth Don't Lie

"Lying lips are abomination to The LORD: but they that deal truly are His delight."  Proverbs 12:22 (NIV)

King Solomon makes it clear how The Lord feels about liars.  He also states that The Lord delights in those who tell the truth.

There is no distinction in the Bible between the proverbial "little white lie" and any other kind of lie.  A lie is a lie.  Even the lie that was told to "protect someone's feelings", is still a lie and we will have to give an account for it.  Liars are one of several things that are an abomination to The Lord.  All lies are of the devil for he is the father of lies. (John 8:44)  In fact, there is a special place in hell reserved for liars. (Revelation 21:8)  It is better for us not to say anything at all than to tell a lie.  We need to ask God for forgiveness's for every lie spoken, and ask for His help to control our tongue.  God delights in those who tell the truth.

DO WE REALLY DELIGHT IN THE WORD OF GOD?

“Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of The Lord, and on His law he meditates day and night.” Psalms 1:1-2 (NIV)


The psalmist first describes the people that believers should avoid: the wicked, sinners, and mockers. Then he describes what the believer should delight in The Word of God, and states how often he should meditate on it.

Do we really delight in The Word of God? When we read His Word do we take great pleasure in it, does it bring us joy, does it make us happy, and does it give us a sense of satisfaction? How often do we read The Word of God? Here the psalmist suggests that the man who reads The Word of God twice each day, morning and night, is blessed. We need God’s help in delighting in His Holy Word. We have not because we ask not. (James 4:2) We should pray to God and ask that He would create in us receptive hearts and minds so that we might receive His Word with gladness, joy, and delight. We were all charged to share The Word of God with others. It is much easier to share with others something that we ourselves enjoy and are really enthusiastic about.

Delight Thyself In The Lord And Get Your Desires

"Delight thyself also in The Lord; and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto The Lord; trust also in Him; and He shall bring it to pass." Psalms 37:4-5

When we find joy in The Lord and in reading The Word of God, He will give us what our heart desires because we will want that which is right for ourselves and others and that which gives Him glory.

We need to be committed to doing things His way. When we trust in Him, He will provide for us the desires of our heart.

The Steps Of A Good Man

"The steps of a good man are ordered by The Lord; and he delighteth in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; for The Lord upholdeth him with His hand." Psalms 37:23-24

It is not clear to me from my research whether the "... he ..." and "... his ..." in this verse should be read as "... and The Lord delighteth in a good man's way ..." or as "... and a good man delighteth in The Lord's way ..." It appears that either way we read it could be appropriate. However, the second seems to be consistent with Psalms 1:2.

What is very clear is that the steps and direction of a good person are established or guided by The Lord and even though we fall down, stumble in our walk with Him, or suffer hardships, we won't stay down, we will recover because The Lord is holding us up. We are in God's hand.

Be Extra Specially Blessed

We are all blessed in more ways than we realize. However, some of us receive special blessings from The Lord.

"Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of The Lord; and in His law doth he meditate day and night." Psalms 1:1-2

We are blessed by hanging around, running with, and associating with saints instead of worldly sinful and evil folk. And we are blessed when we enjoy reading and studying The Word of God and by doing that at least twice each day.

If you want more out of life, then do things differently. You can't get good results by doing the same old bad things. Try God's way.

The Desires of Your Heart

Not getting what you want out of life? Maybe that is because you want the wrong things.

"Delight thyself also in The Lord; and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto The Lord; trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass." Psalms 37:4-5

To "delight thyself in The Lord" is to take great pleasure in Him; to get great joy and satisfaction from Him. Does thinking about The Lord and reading His Holy Word give you great joy and great satisfaction?

He will give you what your heart desires because it you delight yourself in The Lord and trust in Him, then what your heart desires will be the right things for yourself and for others.