Delighted
Psalm 1:1-3 NKJV
1 Blessed is the man
Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,
Nor stands in the path of sinners,
Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord,
And in His law he meditates day and night.
3 He shall be like a tree
Planted by the rivers of water,
That brings forth its fruit in its season,
Whose leaf also shall not wither;
And whatever he does shall prosper.
I grew up in North Carolina with parents who were very southern, both raised in Georgia. And in all fairness, 50-60 years ago, Southern Hospitality and manners were a thing. I was around some thick southern accents, and there is nothing like hearing a deep southern-accented voice tell you they would be delighted to do something. It has been a minute since I heard anyone say they would be delighted to do anything. The word is not used nearly as much in our daily talk, although it is still a part of formal and written conversation.
The book of Psalms begins with our three verses for today. The instruction and the promise of these verses shouldn't be overlooked, for they are the pathway to God's blessings. Blessed is the person who will do these things.
First is to guard the input coming into our lives. Counsel from the ungodly can be in the form of a person talking to us or the media talking to us. If God is not honored and not in it, we need to be aware. Avoiding the paths, or the ways, of those who sin and not occupying the place of someone who is scornful of God and the things of God. Sounds simple enough at face value, but we need to be conscious of the fact that we are surrounded by ungodly counsel, sinning paths, and scornful seats. To think otherwise is not wise.
The remedy is to delight in God's Word and ways. The Hebrew word delight means to incline towards something because of desire. So we can incline towards reading and meditating in God's Word because we desire the life and light it brings to us. There is a big difference between delight and duty or delight and drudgery. But what delighting and meditation on God's Word brings should be enough to move us in that direction.
Who doesn't want to flourish and be fruitful? Who doesn't want to be constantly nourished and have everything you do prosper? If we are honest, we all want these flourishing, fruitful benefits, and God's Word shows how they can be activated in our lives. Cut away the wrong input and feed on that which brings life, vitality, and fruitfulness. Sounds simple because it is. The challenge, as always, is in the doing. But the next time you pick up your Bible, hopefully today, tell yourself: I am delighted, Lord, to read and feed on Your Word. Thank You for causing me to be fruitful and flourishing.