Delight your self in the Lord

[Rich]

How does one delight oneself in the Lord? This has bothered me for years. I don't have a clue.:confused:

[TinStar]

I am delighted (amazed and happy) about His salvation, I am delighted about His mercy, provision, creation, love, etc., etc. He is my source of JOY.

TinStar
Soli Deo Gloria!

[Rock Chuck]

I'm delighted to know that when this country crashes, we'll still have a roof and food on the table. Jesus promised us that, like the birds of the field, God will take care of us.

[ncboman]

Delight in knowing the Lord is forgiving, and in knowing enough knowledge answers all questions and solves all mysteries.

Taking one phrase from Psalms and understanding it involves using the surrounding verses in context.

ncboman

[DaveHawk]

To delight in the Lord is to rest in the Lord. Even when we fail we have assurance that He will be there to carry us through.

[Robie]

Amen!

[Waidmann]

ncboman is right on here. To understand a passage in the Scriptures one has to look at in in context. By context, I mean not only what is being said in the surrounding verses, but also what what type of writing it is. In this case, that would be a Psalm. Psalms frequently paint a word picture, and are best understood in the context of the picture, rather than an individual phrase. The complete verse (Psalms 37:4) reads:

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

This is not a promise to give you whatever you desire if only you delight in Him. The punchline here is not receiving whatever you desire. The point is delighting in the Lord.

In context, look at the rest of Psalm and see the whole picture being painted. Trust the Lord, don't worry--God has your back.

Waidmann

Psalm 37
1Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity.

2For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb.

3Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.

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

5Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.

6And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday.

7Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.

8Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil.

9For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the earth.

10For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be.

11But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.

12The wicked plotteth against the just, and gnasheth upon him with his teeth.

13The LORD shall laugh at him: for he seeth that his day is coming.

14The wicked have drawn out the sword, and have bent their bow, to cast down the poor and needy, and to slay such as be of upright conversation.

15Their sword shall enter into their own heart, and their bows shall be broken.

16A little that a righteous man hath is better than the riches of many wicked.

17For the arms of the wicked shall be broken: but the LORD upholdeth the righteous.

18The LORD knoweth the days of the upright: and their inheritance shall be for ever.

19They shall not be ashamed in the evil time: and in the days of famine they shall be satisfied.

20But the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of the LORD shall be as the fat of lambs: they shall consume; into smoke shall they consume away.

21The wicked borroweth, and payeth not again: but the righteous sheweth mercy, and giveth.

22For such as be blessed of him shall inherit the earth; and they that be cursed of him shall be cut off.

23The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way.

24Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand.

25I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.

26He is ever merciful, and lendeth; and his seed is blessed.

27Depart from evil, and do good; and dwell for evermore.

28For the LORD loveth judgment, and forsaketh not his saints; they are preserved for ever: but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off.

29The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein for ever.

30The mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom, and his tongue talketh of judgment.

31The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide.

32The wicked watcheth the righteous, and seeketh to slay him.

33The LORD will not leave him in his hand, nor condemn him when he is judged.

34Wait on the LORD, and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land: when the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it.

35I have seen the wicked in great power, and spreading himself like a green bay tree.

36Yet he passed away, and, lo, he was not: yea, I sought him, but he could not be found.

37Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright: for the end of that man is peace.

38But the transgressors shall be destroyed together: the end of the wicked shall be cut off.

39But the salvation of the righteous is of the LORD: he is their strength in the time of trouble.

40And the LORD shall help them, and deliver them: he shall deliver them from the wicked, and save them, because they trust in him.

[TinStar]

I've heard that put another way too. When we are in close fellowship with the Lord His desires become our desires; and not the desires of our flesh.
Too often some have used this verse as part of the "prosperity" gospel. When we come to Christ in repentance we are to mold our hearts to His desires.

TinStar
Soli Deo Gloria!

[DaveHawk]

Our human nature is that of rebellion. But as we learn about, dwell in, take on, the nature of the Lord we begin to see the world as it really is. How do you handle the nature of the world when your heart is taking on the nature of the Lord ?

[Rich]

When I posted the question, I posted it because I heard someone say "Delight yourself in the Lord."

After reading the entire Psalm Waidmann was kind enough to post, I am leaning toward the idea the pormises in the Old Testament are for Israel.

Can someone reinforce this or correct this position?:confused:

[ncboman]

When I posted the question, I posted it because I heard someone say "Delight yourself in the Lord."

After reading the entire Psalm Waidmann was kind enough to post, I am leaning toward the idea the pormises in the Old Testament are for Israel.

Can someone reinforce this or correct this position?:confused:

Even the Arabs came from Abram/Abraham. If the promises weren't meant for everyone, why would they be in the Bible?

ncboman

[Rich]

Why would they be in the Bible?

Because the Bible ws written by and for the Jews.

[ncboman]

Why would they be in the Bible?

Because the Bible ws written by and for the Jews.

Disagree. All the Children of Israel are not Jews.

ncboman

[TinStar]

The Bible was written for and by the Jews.

Well that's a new take on things. What about Paul's letters to the Gentile churches? Is salvation for Jews only? If not; why were so many prophecies about Christ in the OT?

TinStar
Soli Deo Gloria!

[Rich]

You boys are gangin' up on me........
















and winnin'! An ignorant prejudice is fun, but when the ignorance is gone the prejudice is displayed for even the prejudice owner to see. It's hard to kick against the Truth.

Thanks, guys. That's part of why I post here.

[Waidmann]

ncboman and others,

I think that we're putting our fingers on something very important. One of the foundational principles of hermeneutics is "audience relevance". Most people agree that audience revelance is extremely important, yet it's like nailing Jello to a wall. It's hard to do.

Yet, it had it's own rewards.

Yes, much of the Bible was written to Jews. Some of the stuff written is specific to them. Most of what Jesus said is likewise spoken to Old Testament Jews. Not us. There is a lot of confusion as to whom Jesus is speaking in a lot of the passages.

Much of the rest of the New Testament, however, is written to a mixture of Jewish and non-Jewish Christians.

This is an interesting discussion.

Waidmann

[Deerslayer]

The great thing is that no matter who it was originally written to it is all useful to us.

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
II Timothy 3:16-17

[DaveHawk]

Chris, I can't agree more. It is by the Spirit that we understand.