As we continue in our journey together as pilgrims in this path of discipleship, the Lord Jesus is our Shepherd and Guide. Let us turn our attention to Psalm 1 on how blessed it is to walk with God, meditate on His truths, do the right thing and delight in His Word.
Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, not sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is on the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaves do not whither. In all that he does, he prospers. The wicked are not so, but are as chaff that the winds drives away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgement, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; for the
LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish. (Psalm 1:1-6)
The Psalmist delights in God’s laws day and night and wakes up 7 times through the night to praise and delight in the LORD (Psalm 119:164)! This enables him to be fruitful and evergreen (Psalm 1:2)!
How amazing is this! Yet mankind did not initiate this act of delighting in God. It is God who first showed his delight to his people as they walked humbly before him and did his will.
The Psalmist says in Psalm 37: 23-24 that the steps of a man are established by the LORD when he delights in his ways; though he falls he shall not be cast headlong, for the LORD upholds his hand.
In Psalm 22, a Messianic Psalm, God delights in his beloved Son, the Suffering Servant in the Old Testament, known to us in the New Testament as Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God who came to take away
the sins of the world. (Psalm 22:8 & John 1:29). Likewise God loves his sons and daughters and delights to rescue and deliver us when we trust in him and do his will. Micah declared that God does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in steadfast love (Micah 7:18b). Our God is a covenant- keeping God who keeps all his promises to his people. In Micah 7:18a, Micah cries out in amazement, who is a pardoning God like You…
God forgives freely, fully and faithfully! How amazing is our God in his expression of love, grace and mercy! What a holy and righteous God who keeps on loving, forgiving and pardoning us despite our
waywardness!
When the holy and righteous God disciplines us, may we not despise it as the Book of Proverbs warns us: my son, do not despise the LORD’s discipline or be weary of his reproof, for the LORD reproves him whom he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights. (Proverbs 3:11-12)
Let us therefore delight in the LORD and he will give us the desires of our heart; delight in God’s truths in our inward parts; and delight in his commandments. (Psalm 37:4; 51:6; 119:35)
Paul’s life-long desire was to please God and pursue righteousness. Paul also was deeply aware that within him was waging a battle between the old nature and the new nature, and his heart’s desire was to delight in God in his inner being (Romans 7:22). He knew that only through Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit could he find victory over sin. So he kept on delighting in God’s righteousness, and his Word to enable him to find that victory!
Brothers and Sisters, let us take heart and continue to delight in God and in his Word even though we live in a broken, confused, sinful, corrupt and decaying world.
Let me close with a chorus I used to sing decades ago which is taken directly from Scripture:
I delight to do Thy will Oh God,
I delight to do Thy Will,
And to walk with Thee is not grievous unto me,
For I delight to do Thy will.
Blessings and Peace!
