Psalm 1 Series (Part 5)
If you remember the past few days, we’ve been talking about what it takes to be one of the “Blessed is the man who…” in the very opening of Psalm 1. We talked about what we should NOT do in verse 1 of Psalm 1, but verse 2 tells us what we SHOULD do – we should be one whose “delight is in the law of the Lord”.
What does it mean to us to personally delight in the law of the Lord?
Do we indeed “delight” in God’s Word, or do we simply go through the ritual of reading because it’s what we’re supposed to do?
When we read a short phrase like this, we get the feeling of "Oh, I already do that!" and just go on without stopping to let the Spirit of God speak to us and bring us greater revelation.
"But his delight" ... what does the word "delight" mean? It talks about pleasure and happiness. Instead of finding happiness and satisfaction in our associations or relationships or jobs or families, our greatest level of delight or happiness should be found in the "law of the Lord".
The law or truth of God is not distasteful to this "blessed man", but he finds so much delight that he wants to devour it more and more.
If you can, imagine the creamiest, richest chocolate … once you've experienced the fineries of chocolate, a simple lollipop won't do. You have to have more and more—you develop an appetite that cannot be otherwise satisfied!
It doesn't matter what it costs you, even if your waistline expands a bit, the chocolate is so desirable to you that you're willing to pay the price just to experience the pleasure. That's what this type of delight is talking about!
"In the law of the Lord"... the law of God, the Torah, the Scriptures, etc.
Let's put ourselves in the place of the Hebrew Psalmist who originally penned these words. He understood Torah (the law of the Lord) to be equated with instruction, with discipline, with command, with obedience, with God's precepts for life and for pleasing the One he loved most.
It's more than simply reading and enjoying our time of quiet with God; it means applying the Word and learning to interpret it and apply it to our own lives, specifically and in every way.
This delight is a most devout searching out of scriptures to the point that true satisfaction in life comes from learning:
- how to honor the commands of God,
- how to build a Godly life,
- how to construct a Godly home,
- how to walk in the power of God's Spirit, and
- how to do all this "precept upon precept, line upon line", and all with the ultimate purpose of bringing glory to the One we love most.
There is a unique fervency the Psalmist is describing – delight is a simple word in our language, but to "delight" in the "law of the Lord" was more than a superficially delightful exercise.
To the Psalmist, to "delight" was finding the greatest sense of satisfaction that met the deepest craving of his heart through instruction, discipline, and keeping the commands of God.
Reflection:
The Psalmist knew God's Word and loved the law of the Lord. Can we say the same thing?
Prayer:
Father, I want to totally delight in Your Word. Help me set my heart to know You and love Your Word with every fiber of my heart. Amen.
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© 2026 Jan Ross
All Rights Reserved
“Sit often under the influence of God’s Word.”🌻
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