Delight in the Lord

A Sermon by Dr. Neil Chadwick


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

One of the delicacies loved by people everywhere, is chocolate. Lovers use it to express their affection, husbands use it to make up after a fight. The Danes have a reputation for the excellence of their chocolate, and I must admit, it really is good. How do I know? My family was flying home from Sweden when the airline messed up our tickets and we were placed in a smoking section. For the 6 hours we were over the Atlantic Ocean we were in misery. The flight attendants were unable to resolve the problem, so instead they gave us an abundant supply of Danish chocolate! They thought that would make all our misery fly away!

Let me share with you a set of "Rules of Chocolate."

    If you've got melted chocolate all over your hands, you're eating it too slowly.

    Chocolate covered raisins, cherries, orange slices & strawberries all count as fruit, so eat as many as you want.

    The problem: How to get 2 pounds of chocolate home from the store in a hot car. The solution: Eat it in the parking lot.

    Diet tip: Eat a chocolate bar before each meal. It'll take the edge off your appetite and you'll eat less.

    A nice box of chocolates can provide your total daily intake of calories in one place. Isn't that handy?

    If you can't eat all your chocolate, it will keep in the freezer. But if you can't eat all your chocolate, what's wrong with you?

    If calories are an issue, store your chocolate on top of the fridge. Calories are afraid of heights, and they will jump out of the chocolate to protect themselves.

    If I eat equal amounts of dark chocolate and white chocolate, is that a balanced diet? Don't they actually counteract each other?

    Money talks. Chocolate sings.

    Chocolate has many preservatives. Preservatives make you look younger.

    Put "eat chocolate" at the top of your list of things to do today. That way, at least you'll get one thing done.

Your preferred delicacy may not be chocolate, but what then is it? Here's why I'm asking. We understand that the words "delicacy" and "delight" come from the same root. So, to say it another way, what is it that brings you delight?

If I were to ask the parents, they would say that they delight in their children - most of the time, that is; or at least when they're sleeping!

This week, the young ladies in one of the Missionettes classes were asked what was their favorite subject in school. The answer was "recess"! It's probably not true, but their silence would suggest that none of them "delighted" in school.

Many men seem to delight in sports, i.e., golf, or football (where 22 men badly needing rest are watched by 22 million men who badly need exercise). For others it's, camping, fishing, or hunting.

Women stereotypically delight in the mall. Have you seen the bumper sticker, "A Woman's Place is in the Mall"? One woman I know was having a medical problem which caused her to be tired a lot. Her complaint was that now she could only shop for two hours at a time!

Youth delight in video games. College students delight in parties. Tragically, many children delight in drums.

One might identify "delight" this way - it's what happens when there is excitement inside, a tingle, a spark. When you're doing what you really love to do, or you're with someone you really love - "de light comes on." Like what one young lover said to his partner, "When I held you in my arms, I felt a cold chill run down my spine. I thought it was true love until I realized your pop sickle was dripping."

Now let's see what the Bible says about "delight."

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

Before looking at this more closely, please note that "delight" is found right in the middle of a progression from "fret" to "rest" ("fret not, trust, delight, commit, rest").

    Verse 1 - Fret not thyself because of evildoers - this is when we notice what others possess, and we comment, "That unfair! After all, see how wicked they are! Why are they so well off, and me, a faithful Christian has to suffer such poverty and misery!" Let's just not go there.

    Verse 3 - Trust in the LORD, and do good - worry is best replaced with trust.

    Verse 4 - Delight thyself in the LORD - the key to everything before and after.

    Verse 5 - Commit thy way unto the LORD - making a life-time life-style out of it.

    Verse 7 - Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him - realizing real relaxation.

As we consider this verse, there are three questions which come to mind:

I. What does it mean to "delight"?

The word in the Hebrew means "to be happy about, take exquisite delight; to make merry over, make sport of."

As one writer put it, to delight in the Lord means to "delight in the character, will, and ways of God as a means of increasing excellence, usefulness, and enjoyment." (Family Bible Notes)

Obviously this is an exhortation, but some may believe that there's nothing you can do about it, and that the inclination for God, interest in religious things is in the genes, it's hereditary ("it's like insanity, you get it from your kids"). But let's not accept this theory of determinism - likes and dislikes are not fatalistically determined - we can and do have everything to do with what we like or do not like.

Earlier this week I learned that, some time ago, Jim decided to delight in milk-shakes, he'd have one every night to put on weight. It worked - now he can't get it off.

You may delight in chocolate, but soon discover that it's not all that good for you, so over time you teach yourself to delight in yogurt.

A number of years ago I was conducting an interview for a local cable Television show. The man I was talking with had been brought up in a Christian home, and glad of it. He noted that some people seem to have the idea that children should be allowed to grow up, and then as adults decide whether or not they would like to have a relationship with God. He seemed to think that loving God was like acquiring a taste for fish. The more you're exposed to it, the more likely you are to develop a love for it. So, expose yourself to God, and your delight will grow.

While we don't believe that our attitude toward God is totally dependent upon heredity, we must recognize that there is a great influence that parents have on their children. It's an almost universal truth - children often delight in what their parents do. I noticed this in Michigan. Men who had been brought up by fathers who loved hunting, also loved hunting. Most children brought up by parents who love to read, also enjoy reading. If parents love to go camping, their children learn to love it too. And if parents "delight" in the Lord, their children will pick that up also.

II. What is the outcome of delighting in God?

"He shall give thee the desires of thine heart"

Here is a prime example of the dynamic partnership between God and man - man delights, God gives.

The word translated "desires" (mish'alah) is only found twice in the Bible, and means "request, petition, or desire." The "desires" of the heart then, are really the "prayers" of the heart. One Commentator put it this way, "The godly man never indulges a desire which he cannot form into a prayer to God." (Adam Clarke's Commentary)

When the Psalmist said, "He shall give thee the desires of thine heart," it sounds like a blank check, reminiscent of what Jesus said:

"And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it." (John 14:13,14)

And later His disciple, John, writes:

"This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us--whatever we ask--we know that we have what we asked of him." (I John 5:14,15)

But notice that these are "heart" desires, not "flesh" desires. The word "heart" is from " leb" {labe}), which refers to the inner man, the mind, will, heart, soul, and understanding. "Flesh" desires are for superficial, temporal, worldly things, what we call "creature comforts". "Heart" desires are for spiritual things, lasting, heavenly things. That's why Jesus also said, "Seek ye first the kingdom of God. . . ."

Some of you may remember the story David Wilkerson told about his early days of ministry in New York City. He was witnessing to a young man who found out that David's wife was pregnant. So he asked Brother Wilkerson what he wanted, a boy or a girl. "To be honest, I'd really like to have a son," he replied. Then the young man said, "So, you believe that if you pray for a son, God will give it to you, right?" Knowing full well that the gender was already determined, David had no other answer to give than, "Yes." After all, isn't that what the Bible teaches? The answer to that too is, "Yes," as long as we include the whole verse. For those who "delight in the Lord", He gives the desires of the heart. (By the way, the child born to the Wilkersons was a boy!)

"Men who delight in God desire or ask for nothing but what will please God; hence it is safe to give them carte blanche. Their will is subdued to God's will, and now they may have what they will." (Treasury of David)

"The desires of God, and the desires of the righteous, agree in one; they are of one mind in their desires." (John Bunyan)

III. How does this "delighting" take place?

Delighting in the Lord is something we do for ourselves. Please notice the second word in this exhortation, "thyself", or "yourself". The responsibility cannot be shifted, each of us are responsible for our own attitude toward God.

Is yours a cold, lifeless relationship?
The Word says, "Delight yourself in the Lord."

Do the things of this world hold more appeal than the things of God?
The Word says, "Delight yourself in the Lord."

Is your walk with God an "on again off again" experience?
The Word says, "Delight yourself in the Lord."

Has the business of your daily schedule pushed God to the side so that you only think of Him when the crisis hits?
The Word says, "Delight yourself in the Lord."

Have the burdens of your labor and the sorrows of your losses caused you to feel that the Love of the Lord has been removed from you?
The Word says, "Delight yourself in the Lord."

But then the question comes, if this is our responsibility, how do we do this? Here are three answers, easy to give, but challenging to live:

    1. Association - get with other people who are excited about Jesus, who "delight" in the Lord. Let their enthusiasm be your primary influence.

    2. Meditation - consider the benefits of the Christian Way, and the promises of God'sWord. Meditation is not emptying your mind in order to experience some special state of ecstasy, rather, it is filling your mind with the Word of God.

    3. Communication - talk with Him. Prayer isn't the satisfaction of some religious duty or obligation. The idea "absence makes the heart grow fonder" doesn't work with our relationship with God. We must be in constant communication. It has been interesting to note the frantic rush to get connected through "information age" technologies, and I wonder if it comes from a fear of being alone? When we're connected with God that fear diminishes.

It's time to take inventory. What delights you? Is it chocolate? Is it boys? Cars? Women? Antiques? Your garden? Camping trailer? Television? Computer? Shopping?

What delights you? Is it the Lord?

"Lord you are more precious than silver."

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