Delighting In The Word. Series

DELIGHTING IN THE WORD.

'I will delight myself in thy statutes: I will not forget thy word.'( Ps.119:16).

When I study the life of David, I see there were certain principles that he applied that brought forth success in his life. We need to see these principles. David took pleasures in the word of God. In other words he was saying. Lord I relish everything you tell me. I will never forget a word. If you want to have good success and you want prosperity to follow you. then this is the principle we also need to apply in our lives. Now David was not just focusing on success, and that he would do anything that takes to be successful. No.his focus was on God. He loved God.In Ps.1.He said “But his delight is in the law of the lord, and in his law he meditates day and night.” God told Joshua the same principle.” this book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous and then you will have good success.”(Josh.1:8).These are all practical applications. If you want to have good success, then follow that law, that principle. There is no short cut but a daily life event. It is a daily meditation on the word. It is a daily improvement on the word of Gd.

1).DELIGHTING IN THE WORD OF GOD.

David is saying I relish everything you tell me in the word, I relish everything that you tell me by your spirit. I wont forget a word of it.but I will apply it in my life. “The law of thy mouth is better unto me than thousands of gold and silver.”(Ps.119:72).The word cannot be delight-some unless you have love for God.If you love somebody, you delight in his letter/in his word. David loved God that is why he delighted in his word “O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day.(v.97). You know a child delights in its mother?Isa.66:11.says of a nursing child who delights in his mother. So delight may be in people/or in things/or in various experiences. When you delight in something, your thoughts are constantly turning to it, it cheers your heart, even when other things oppress you, you think of it early,often,and even late. it makes you smile to think of it,You do all that you do regarding it, purely because it is your delight. O how I love thy law. it is my meditation all the day. “I hate vain thoughts,bt thy law do I love.”Thy word is very pure, therefore thy servant loveth it.” Beloved are we true believers? Are we children of Gd? then we will be like David. Job also speaks of his delight in the law of God.”I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food.” When God sees his people see how he speaks.” Hearken unto me, you that know righteousness, the people in whose heart is my law.” In the inward man David loved the law of God.Like Paul says “I delight in the law of God after the inward man.” Yes there is another law in his being, warring against the law of his mind.’ I will delight myself in thy statutes. David writes much on the importance of the word of God. He has great respect for the word. He writes of his practice in the word of God. A godly man, the more good he does, the more he desires, delights, and resolves to do. Spiritual affections grow upon us by practice and much exercise. The more you love God the more you delight in him, and the more you will meditate on him. David had said “Thy statutes have been my songs in the house of my pilgrimage.”(Ps.119:54).O there is blessedness in delighting in the lord. What is it? It prevents one to forget the world. It brings forth the favor of Gd.”delight thyself in the lord, and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.”(Ps.37:4). “Let thy tender mercies come unto me, that I may live, for thy law is my delight.”(Ps.119:77).The mind will always run upon that which the heart is delighted in, and the heart is where the treasure is. If there is anything that displeases you, soon it will be forgotten, you will be even glad you forgot about it. Like when we were young boys, we used to enjoy their company, sit with them, joke with them. doing nothing. but no sooner we get a job. our focus is changed, we no more sit with them. but every time a friend wants to while away with you, you just give an excuse and go back to your work. Because something else has taken the priority, something else has become your delight. Like there are so many things that we learnt in school of which we have forgotten. it goes from one ear to the other and then out of us. The worldly man that are intent upon carnal interests forgets the word, it is not his delight. Like if anything displeases us, we are glad that we can forget it. You feel relieved from that inconveniences, that now you no more have to think about it. Like some of us say.O Praise God, I am out of school, or out of college. that my school days are over. I don’t want to remember it. Like no sooner our exams were over, our books were sold to the paperwala/junk,the very next day. we want to forget it. David said .I will delight, in the word, and never forget it. it was peace for him when he thought of the word. it was refreshing for him. David had many things to delight in. He had his splendor and magnificence of his kingdom, the throne the crown, the popularity, the women singing and dancing his praises. Like Nebuchadnezzar in Dan.4:30 who said. Is not this great Babylon that I have built,for the house of the kingdom, by the might of my power, and for the honor of my majesty?' Like Alexander the great who conquered kingdom after kingdom. and delighted in it. But then isn’t there difference, when David saw the magnificence and Nebuchadnezzar saw his magnificence? Is there not the difference of delight between one who is spiritual and bought a house, and a carnal person who also built his house? They both delight in it.but how different is the delight. Like when David played the harp. there was delight, but bible says. That chants to the sound of the viol, and invent to themselves instruments of music, like David.”(Amos.6:5).They too sang on harp. and said. let us sing like David. This was mirth for them, but for David it was delight-some. The sleep of a believer and the sleep of an unbeliever is different. when you labor for the lord and sleep at night, and when you don’t labor for the lord and sleep at night there is relaxation, but yet it is different. Wicked men may sing and dance, to appease their flesh. but David will sing and dance because he delighted in the statutes of God. He may take comfort in his house/land /his position/but it will be in a subordinate way. for the chief solace of his life, and the true joy of the all his labors, was in the word of God. Like some have joy in the things of the world. but Jeremiah said “:thy words were found, and I did eat them; they were unto me as the joy and rejoicing of my heart.' (Jer.15:16).Others rejoiced in the dainties, he rejoiced in the word. the joy for the disciples was that at least now they could go and get some food,but for Jesus, this was the joy that his meat was to do the will of the father. Paul said “I delight in the law of God in the inward man.” David had said.” Blessed is the man…he delights in the law of God, and in the law of God he meditates day and night.” God's people will delight in his law; it is one of the greatest enjoyments they have on this side heaven, in the time of their absence from God. It is the instrument of all the good that they receive — comfort, strength, quickening. How did he delight in the word of God? He read it, applied it, cherished it, kept it in the centre of his life. Look at the Eunuch, after he was returning from public worship. he went in to private worship. Some attend the Sunday church, and then keep aside the bible.O it is over, till next Sunday. But those who desire God like the Eunuch, will say, that was the public worship I had, let me have a private worship with God.Let me read the bible on my own. How does one delight in the word? By hearing the word. heeding to the word.” wherefore be swift to hear.”(Jms.1:19).I was glad when they said come let us go unto the house of the lord.”(Ps.122:1).Are we glad of these occasions, of hearing, not only to tickle the ear, but to warm the hearts? Is it only in the church? or do we carry it everywhere we go?” thou shall talk of them when you sit, in your house, and when you walk by the way,” (Deut.6:7).this is delighting. Do you carry a pocket bible with you? When you sit at the bus stop you read the bible, when you have spare time you read the bible? If you want Jesus to walk with you, you need to be like the two disciples at Emmaus road, they talked of Jesus. If we delight then we don’t read, but meditate upon it. day and night. Like when one loves some food. He will roll it in his mouth, if you are given a sweet, you will roll it under your tongue. and keep at it. so a godly mans thoughts will run along with his delight. Only clean beasts chew the cud. God’s children will be ruminating, going over the word again and again. delight will always breed obedience, and it will increase all the more. Statutes is a rule. I will obey all rules, let me just be in this place. Every work carry it with delight.” I have rejoiced in the way of thy testimonies.”(Ps.119:14).When David entered the gates he entered with rejoicing. How do we enter the gates of the church? Is Sunday a delight for us? Are we waiting when we will go to church on Sunday? Isaiah said “thou shall call the Sabbath a delight.”(Isa.58:13).