Do You Delight?

The Book of Psalms as I later found out in seminary is best translated the Book of Praise. It is a book of praise becasue well God is praised constantly. There are 2 kinds of Psalms: sad ones and happy ones. So then how is the Book of Praises about praises in the sad ones. I'm glad you asked, as the Psalmist shows us that the laments always move to praise. For example many lament Psalms start out with "why does this crap happen, why do you turn away, why do you abandon me?" (I wish God would be like: Do you want some cheese with that wine?" I know cheesy! No pun intended) So the pattern is consistent: Psalm that start with lament end in praise, and we see this movement throughout.
Second important thought: Psalm wasnt written by David (alone!). There were many psalmist as indicated by the beginning of the majority of the Psalms.

So into the meat:

Psalm 1 gives a contrast between 2 kinds of people. Now this Psalm reminds me of a John book (Gospel of John, 1 John, 2 John, etc) because he makes clear distinctions between 2 different kinds of people: People who love God and people who do not.

Psalm 1 does this also:
vs. 1:
"Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked...But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night"

So a man is blessed when he does not walk in the way of the wicked but rather when he DELIGHTS in the law of the LORD.

To delight: a high degree of pleasure or enjoyment; joy

law-contextually the law is not necessarily the Mosaic Law, rather it is God's commands, or as RC Sproul says the "whole of Scripture" The Hebrew actually says "teachings"

So a man is blessed when he takes pleasure in the commands of Yahweh. How do we take pleasure in God's commands? First we need know what joy our LORD takes in us:
1. He loves us unconditionally
2. He is always available
3. He values us
4. He never abandons us
5. He hears us
6. He loves us unconditionally
7. He is in control of all things
8. He is irresistable
9. He loves you unconditonally

Did you catch the pattern. God delights in YOU! He created us all with the purpose of loving HIM. That was our original creation. We were in the Kingdom of God--God's people, under God's rule, in God's place. God created man in his image, and after creating them blessed (Gen. 1:26-27) them, setting them apart from every other being in the garden. All was very good, in Ephesians 1:4 it says that before creation he chose YOU!

We can take delight in God because He takes delight in us first.

So the righteous man delights in God's law, obviously the contrast is true, the wicked hate God's law. They despise it, and want nothing of it.

Notice what the righteous man also does: "he meditates on it day and night"

Meditate:to engage in thought or contemplation, reflect.
The Hebrew here gives meditate--studies or recites (which makes sense knowing Jewish customs of recitation in the synogogue)

So the man delights in God's teachings, and reflects on it day and night.

When have you reflected on a passage of Scripture? Now this doesnt mean you need to go into seclusion for 2 weeks and recite a passage. Rather our Christian culture jumps from one verse to another without really taking the meaning of it, nor the meaning to the individual seriously.
Here is a goal you should try:
Read a passage of Scripture, how ever long you want. Then reflect on it throughout the day. How did it fit into your day: did you have an experience that reflected that passage, a conversation? Did it apply to something you thought about, saw, touched, read in another book? Just reflect on it for once and see where that takes you. It might just help reduce the stress level of so many people. It gives renewal, just see Psalm 19:8-" The teaching of the LORD is perfect, renewing life." (JPS Hebrew)

If this Psalm is correct, we have joy in God's teachings (Scripture) and we should and want to meditate on it daily (prayer, reflection).
The benefits are detailed in the rest of the passage:

He is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither.
Whatever he does prospers.

Not so the wicked!
They are like chaff
that the wind blows away.

Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.

For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish.

So do you delight in the teachings of God? Do you meditate daily?
Be Blessed!