Delight



Psalm 119:129-136 – Peh
129Your testimonies are wonderful; therefore my soul keeps them.
130The unfolding of your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple.
131I open my mouth and pant, because I long for your commandments.
132Turn to me and be gracious to me, as is your way with those who love your name.
133Keep steady my steps according to your promise, and let no iniquity get dominion over me.
134Redeem me from man’s oppression, that I may keep your precepts.
135Make your face shine upon your servant, and teach me your statutes.
136My eyes shed streams of tears, because people do not keep your law.

Delight is an interesting emotion and we probably use that word far less than others as we describe our emotional state. But the first four verses of this strophe smack of delight. I truly wonder if the writer ever actually opened his mouth and panted over the Word of God, because that would be really something else. I can honestly say I have experienced true delight when reading God’s Word, but I’ve never panted over it. Am I missing something?

It would be easy for me to get carried away by these verses because I understand the pure joy that comes with learning something new about God while reading His Word. And I often sense that the people around me find those reactions rather strange. But that’s okay. Sometimes those revelations cause me to run to the people in my office and share what I’ve just learned. They try to be enthusiastic with me, but I know their delight is mixed with a little bit of head shaking over their weird co-worker. That’s okay too because I can honestly say that my delight is genuine.

The unfolding of your words give light; it imparts understanding to the simple. That’s just a breathtaking way to describe God’s Word! It describes the actions of a loving God who doesn’t want us to be ignorant of that love. Instead, He speaks to us in a way that allows us to know Him and experience His great love for us. How can we feel anything but delight?!

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