DELIGHT IN GOD’S WORD (2)

“And I will DELIGHT myself in Your commandments, which I LOVE” – Psalm 119:47

The scriptures are not silent on HOW to DELIGHT in GOD’S WORD: ““And I will DELIGHT myself in Your commandments, which I LOVE” (Psa.119:47). We’ll always delight in the object of our love! We give attention to and find pleasure or satisfaction in whatever or whoever we cherish and love. Whatever we love, we make time for and give peculiar attention to. Christianity should never be reduced to a matter of demands, rules, resolutions, and willpower. It is a matter of Who and what we love, Who and what we delight in, what tastes good to us: “How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! (Psa.119:103). No matter how busy we are, we still manage to work time for meals into our schedules. We should do much more with regards to our spiritual menu – the Word of God!

When Jesus came into the world, humanity was split according to what they loved: “And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men LOVED darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil” (Jh.3:19). The righteous and the wicked are differentiated by what they delight in – the revelation of God in Jesus or the way of the world. The psalmist on his part, had a holy, vibrant delight in God’s statutes, commandments, precepts, and testimonies: “Make me walk in the path of Your commandments, for I DELIGHT in it” (v.35). He trusted in and prayed to God: “turn away my eyes from looking at worthless things” (v.37). His longing, desire and delight for the Word were unquestionable: “Behold, I long for Your precepts; revive me in Your righteousness” (v.40).

Love for God and for His Word is the chief motivation for delighting therein; meditation is the active proof of that love: “My hands also I will lift up to Your commandments, which I LOVE, and I will MEDITATE on Your statutes” (v.48). The psalmist sang further: “O how I LOVE Your law! It is my MEDITATION all the day” (Psa.119:97). David’s Love for the Word was incomparably intense: “Therefore I LOVE Your commandments above gold, yes, above fine gold” (Psa.119:127); “Your Word is very pure, therefore Your servant LOVES IT” (Psa.119:140); “My soul keeps Your testimonies, and I LOVE them exceedingly” (Psa.119:167).

There are two broad ways to come to delight in God’ Word: (1) By praying for new tastebuds on the tongue of our heart; and (2) by meditating on God’s great promises to His people. The psalmist gave this prayer model: “Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law” (Psa.119:18). To have spiritual eyes to behold God’s Glory or to have holy tastebuds on the tongue of the heart, is a gift of God that can be requested and received through prayers. No one naturally hungers for or delights in God and His Wisdom, but by His inspiration. Therefore, along with praying, it’s expedient that we learn to meditate on God’s promised benefits to His people.

According to Psalm 1: 3-4, the person who meditates on God’s Word “is like a tree planted by the rivers of water that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper. The ungodly are not so, but are like the chaff which the wind drives away.” No right-thinking person would not delight in a book, the reading of which could change one from useless chaff to a mighty cedar of Lebanon! Nobody deep down wants to be chaff – rootless, weightless, and useless. Everyone would want to draw strength from some deep river of reality and become fruitful, impactful people. That river of reality is the Word of God. All the great saints have partaken and been made great by this Word of Life and Light! May the Lord awaken us to Love His Word exceedingly!