Two Delights

Psalm 37:4 – Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.

To delight in something is to be happy about it; take exquisite delight; to make merry over, or make sport of.¹ Within this writing, we take notice to the delight that is in the Lord, but there is another ‘delight’ that affects the hearts and souls of men as well.

There are but two delights a person can place their hearts upon. To witness the first delight, we can go to the beginning with Adam and Eve. The Lord created the heavens and earth. They had been dressed and arrayed according to His good pleasure. The man was created out of the dust of the ground and the woman out of one of his ribs. She was to be a help meet to share a common purpose: to be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over ever living thing that moves upon the earth (Genesis 2:29).

They had everything they needed. Their provisions were met. Their place of residence was dressed by the Lord (Genesis 2:8). They lived without the knowledge of sin or evil. Their hearts and minds were pure. They lived naked without shame (Genesis 2:25). They had communion with the Lord in the garden. We can say they had it all.

Through one decision of delight in something against God’s command, their lives changed, but also the delight of their hearts. Their delight for the Lord was exchanged for a delight of self-indulgence.

1. The delight of self-indulgence. The delight of self-indulgence is filled with pleasing one’s self with whatever would make them happy. For Eve, it was fruit that was good for food, pleasant to the eye, and able to make her wise. She took of the fruit and ate and shared some with Adam (Genesis 3:1-6).

Self-indulgence originates from Satan. He is the first in recorded history that sought to please himself. He sought to place himself above the stars of God and led over a third of the angels in heaven against the Lord (Isaiah 14:12-15; Ezekiel 28:16-19; Luke 10:18; Revelation 12:4, Revelation 20). Satan introduced mankind in how to please (and delight in) himself.

Self-indulgence will always exist in opposition to the Lord. It will never agree to the Lord’s terms (Galatians 5:17). It wants to live separate from Him in order to please itself. It is in rebellion to all the Lord stands for.

2. The delight of the Lord. David revealed another delight – a delight beyond the shores of self-indulgence. This delight does not focus upon the countless desires of a lusting heart, but the happiness and joy of God.

The delight of the Lord is doing what pleases Him and doing it purposefully, intentionally, and continuously. We would indulge ourselves in doing what He does; loving the way He loves; giving the way He gives; and speaking the way He speaks.

A heart that delights in the Lord is one that seeks to please Him above all other things.

3. Where you place your delight, your desire will be fulfilled. If you delight yourself in self-indulgence, you will gain more of the world within your heart. If you delight in the Lord, you will draw closer to His presence and will.

There is an unspeakable peace that comes when you delight in the Lord. A soft sense of joy that nothing in the world can give, explain, or reproduce. When you experience that joy and peace, you will want more of it…and will be torn if you ever allow it to fade because of a desire for self-indulgence.

4. Delighting in the Lord is all consuming and self-sustaining. When your desire is to delight in the Lord, it is a determination to grow in intimacy through the Word, prayer, fasting, and communing with the Lord throughout your day.

Saints of God, we can delight in the Lord each and every day. We don’t have to live in a manner that exists beneath His standard. It takes an intent focus and purpose; a grit and stance that digs deeper as the fight (and day) wages on; and a constant gaze upon the delight and desire that lights our heart in peace.

Let nothing come between you and your delight (and communion) with the Lord. Nothing will satisfy you as the Lord. The desires He gives your heart will saturate your soul and feed others in love and peace.

Matthew 6:19-21 – Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

^{1 – Blue Letter Bible. “Dictionary and Word Search for `anag (Strong’s 6026)”. Blue Letter Bible. 1996-2012. 26 Jan 2012. < http:// www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=H6026&t=KJV}

^{Photo courtesy of Stock.XCHNG.com/Marcelo Gonzalez}