Delight in the Law of the Lord

The question this evening is, “What does it mean to delight in the law of the Lord?”

What becomes clear from this song is that there are two people. There are those who delight in the law of the Lord and those who do not delight in the law of the Lord.

The word “delight” simply means those who joy or find pleasure in the law of the Lord, and based on the rest of the song, it would be foolish to be the one who does not delight in the law of the Lord. Notice:

those who do NOT delight in the law:

are not fruitful

are not prosperous

are short-lived

are judged of the Lord

Illustration:

At the RED’s game, they will play this game on the jumb-o-tron where they will put three cups of skyline chili on the board, and then the will hid one ball under a cup. They will then move them around and have someone guess where the ball is.

THIS IS NOT A GUESSING game. It becomes apparent that the one who delights in the law of the Lord is the one to be.

Proposition:

Thus, it would behoove us to not only know what is means to delight in the law of the Lord but we should be this one who delight in the law of the Lord.

(1) A Clear Identification: The one who delights in the law of the Lord is positively identified (v. 1)

(a) He is identified as “blessed” (v. 1)

(b) He is

Typically, we would simply say that this man is just happy. The problem with this simplistic understanding is two-fold:

(i) We all know people who do not smoke, chew, and run with those who do.

(ii) This simplistic understanding does not do justice to the rest of the song.

(b) He [the blessed man] is identified as “righteous” (v. 5 - 6)

This changes everything. This means that the “blessed” man is one who is in right standing with God. This means not merely one who is happy, but he is one who is happy because his standing with the Lord is right.

Spurgeon said, “…we may learn the blessings which shall rest upon the man whom God hath justified…Here the gracious man is described...”

Illustration:

Is a duck a duck because it quacks or does the duck quack because it is a duck?

It is the case here that we often confuse this passage into thinking that somehow this man is blessed because of his great activity of refusing wicked counsel; but this is our mistake. The truth is that because he is in right standing with God, this man will be one who lives this way. We should learn first that this is a description of the “righteous man” before we learn it to be a behavior.

Application:

Thus, we should take a moment to see how we understand our lives. Do we first understand the importance of being the right kind of person before we attempt to do the right kind of thing?

Transition:

The one who delights in the law of the Lord is positively identified as one who is in right standing with God. He is described this way.

(2) A Clear Disposition [characteristic qualities of mind and character]: The one who delights in the law of the Lord does so because of who he is (v. 2)

“Delight” (ḥep̱ṣô) expresses all that makes the man of God happy. The law is more than his delight; it is his chief desire.

VanGemeren, W. A. (1991). Psalms. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs (Vol. 5, p. 55). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.

(a) The contrast should be noted between ungodly counsel and the Torah

(b) The delighting is so real that it leads to practical meditation

Illustration:

For our dog at home, we have these treats that look like miniature steaks. The other morning, I was trying to get our dog to obey, so we have trained him to where he goes to his bed, and then he receives one of these treats. Part of the training is helping the dog hold his impulses and not try to eat the treat until he has obeyed.

Why do dogs act this way? Why do they impulsively jump on you? Why do dogs go to the kitchen when you are cooking? Why do you eat the crumbs from around the table? Dogs do what dogs do because they are dogs.

So it is here. The blessed man delights in the law of the Lord because of who he is. He is right with God, and in being right with God, the Lord has placed a new desire within him.

Psalm 19:9–10 KJV 1900

The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring for ever: The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.

Application:

Are there practical measures, such as: scripture reading, prayer, meditation - in your life that prove the delight you have in the law of the Lord?

Illustration:

The other night we were with friends who made us a dessert that was absolutely tasty. He is the way it went down:

(*) I took one bite, then a I went back for a second…I was so enjoying it that I went back for a third…and a fourth bite.

It should be of grave concern to you, if you are a Christian who has not delight or pleasure in the law of the Lord. Either:

(*) you have a desire, but you have put no practical measures in place to ensure that the appetite is satisfied

To you, I would encourage that you be intentional with time that you have to satisfy that appetite daily, and throughout the day.

To you, I would encourage, that if you don’t know how to satisfy that craving, speak to one of the pastors who would show you how to study and delight in the Lord daily.

OR

(*) you have no desire, but you say that you are right with God. The professing Christian who has no desire at all for the LORD or his Word is highly suspect.

1 Peter 2:2–3 KJV 1900

As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious.

Illustration:

There are certain foods that I have no desire to eat. For example: I have not desire to eat “peanut soup” in Ghana. I have not desire to eat dog food, cat food…These types of food repulse me.

What then do we say when someone says the are a believer, they have the Holy Spirit, but they have not desire for what the Holy Spirit has written?

Transition:

The one who delights in the law of the Lord is identified as one who is right with God. Because he is truly right with God, he delights in the law of the Lord.

Thus, delighting in the law of the Lord is a divine work of God. There is hope!

Thus, delighting in the law of the Lord is a divine work of God. There is hope!

(3) A Clear Sanctification: Delighting in the law of the Lord describes a man in whom the LORD is working

(a) The very activity of this man shows his humility (he meditates in the law day and night)

(b) The very promise that he expects shows that he is at the mercy of the Giver of the promise (shall be like a tree…etc)

There are two phrases, I want to key in on for us this evening: (v. 3) whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

This man receives an eternal promise that his leaf will not whither, and whatever he does will prosper. It is eternal because the rest of the song goes on to point out the judgment.

Illustration:

There’s this show called the Carbanaro Effect, and he does these magic tricks to people while they are being filmed. On one episode, he his acting as a waiter and he brings out this chocolate lava type of cake. As he cuts into it, the cake keeps oozing out chocolate, all over the table, and just would not stop....

This is the idea here that the leaf of this man, his prosperity will never end.

But there is another phrase I want to leave us with this evening, (v. 6) the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous…This is an intimate knowledge of the LORD meaning not merely that the Lord knows the steps that this man is taking, but that the LORD knows the man himself.

The knowledge of God involves not only an objective knowledge about the righteous but also a subjective relationship with them, assuring them that he cares for his own, protects them, and will reward them

VanGemeren, W. A. (1991). Psalms. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs (Vol. 5, p. 58). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.

How do we make sense of these two phrases because we know that wicked men prosper even though they deny God?

Psalm 73:3 KJV 1900

For I was envious at the foolish, When I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

This passage is hard to accept unless you see how it points us to Jesus Christ. There are several ways in which this passage points us to Christ:

(1) Jesus’ opening Sermon in , Jesus uses this term “Blessed are the poor in spirit: for their’s is the kingdom of heaven.”

Illustration: Steve Volante made a great observation when I asked him about and the Sermon on the Mount. He said, the word “Blessed” is about position that is established. Then the Lord gives practice, and then He gives promise.

POSITION. PRACTICE. PROMISE. Because of who we ARE, we PRACTICE, and we experience PROMISE.

(2) Jesus is the Servant of the Lord who Prospers in ().

(3) Jesus is the ONE who perfectly delighted in the Law of the Lord (, the wilderness temptation;

Have you every considered that even on the Cross Jesus referred to the Old Testament? .

Jesus is the perfect man. Only in Christ do we acquire this standing of righteousness, and then we can consider ourselves to be BLESSED.

After we are blessed by having Christ, we then will be the people who delight in the law of the Lord because the law is our SCHOOLMASTER to bring us to Jesus!

Only in Christ do we acquire this standing of righteousness

Conclusion:

So, if you will be the one who delights in the law of the Lord:

(1) you must have the one who did this perfectly - you must receive Jesus Christ…you cannot have this desire without him

(2) you must recognize this desire to be in you…some are simply so distracted that they never listen to their spiritual body

Illustration: this is much like the person who is on medicine, and in the hustle of the day, you lost track of the time and got off schedule to take your medicine.

(3) you must align your priorities to feed this wonderful appetite

Illustration: My favorite sandwich is a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. My least favorite part is the work to put it together. My most favorite part is tasting and seeing that the effort was worth it.

So it is with Christians who desire to delight in the law of the Lord, but they make no effort to enjoy or meditate therein.

Let’s be people who practice according to who we are - Because we are blessed individuals (in Christ) we are those who delight in the law of the Lord.