Our Delight
We are such a greedy generation. Everything is here and now. But, I’m done with Lit Honors and I’ve written enough essays about instant gratification and whatnot, so I really don’t want to write yet another essay about society’s superficial satisfaction. I mean, sure I could relate all the things the Bible teaches about materialism to our daily lives and show that those flaws are acknowledged by even the secular world (thank goodness for all those lit books). This issue of getting what you want is lopsided though; we always talk about the evil associated with being greedy and how it drives us towards ultimate destruction, either mentally, psychologically, or even physically. Then what about the other side of the argument? What about the side that states that being greedy could, dare I say, be good? In order to make this argument, though, we must first believe that there is at least the potential of being upright and righteous people. I hesitate to use “good” because really the definition of “good” is “perfect,” and of course we have no capability to be that.
“Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.” -Psalm 37:4 NIV
“Enjoy serving the Lord, and he will give you what you want.” -Psalm 37:4 New Century Version
Most every version of the English Bible states this verse in the same way that is stated in the NIV. The NCV version is the only substantially different translation. Obviously, the second clauses of both versions are pretty much the same. While both translations of the first clause make sense, each gives a different connotation. To “delight yourself in the Lord” seems more focused upon being joyful in the Lord and what He’s done. It radiates a tone of thanksgiving and praise, of adoration and admiration. It is as if we are called to dwell in God’s presence all the time. This presence is definitely something too great and powerful to experience from anything else. It is both binding and comforting, although those two usually do not go together. It is the only thing in this world (or out of this world) that can captivate us and hold us in stillness, almost suspended in the air and we do not notice that we are being held in the palm of His hands. He holds us tightly within the grips of his love, and his voice echoes around us like a booming thunder, yet all the while being as soft as a whisper. And then, He takes us with Him as He proceeds through His kingdom, the angels exalting the riches of His majesty and wonder of His glory. All this time, we are brought with Him through the air, the breeze blowing against our faces as warmth shines from His. And at some point along this journey, He stops and looks at us with something in his other palm, saying, “These are the gifts I want to give to you.” And as we look at what He presents us, we realize that those are things we truly desire; He has dug deep within our hearts and found our deepest wants.
This seems to be one very feasible example of how the NIV version presents God’s longing to give us His gifts, my analogy figurative to some degree of course. Now, what about the second version? Instead of “delighting” we are told to “enjoy serving.” The Hebrew word is ענג, `anag, meaning “to be glad in any thing.” But I do not think that the NCV translation says anything out of the Hebrew definition. Rather, I think they go hand in hand. It seems to me that the message suggests that by serving the Lord, we find joy in it. To go even further, we not only enjoy it, but we desire to do so; we delight in it. This seems so true as we go about serving God. Although we may get irritated by our colleagues and tired of what we do or even burnt out, serving serves to be the only thing we can do in life that can always give complete joy. And, keeping both translations in mind, serving the Lord is delighting in Him, and delighting in the Lord is serving Him. Imagine the scenario of a king, and all his servants around him. Here you have some who cook for him and serve him food, others who use those palm leaves to fan him, and still others who run around for him. But I would imagine that for a king like God, there must be some who are simply praising Him, and that would be their way of serving him.
As for the second clause, it’s pretty simple to think about. As you get closer to another person, you start to love the person more and more. You appreciate them more, you learn from them more. And eventually, chance are you’ll probably start thinking like them more. This is precisely what happens with our relationship with God. The fact is, everything we do for God, praise him, serve him, preach for him, it’s actually all for us. God doesn’t need our praise. Who are we to claim that what we have to offer is worth anything? We do all those things so that we can draw closer to him, so that we can know him more. And through knowing him better, his thoughts become our thoughts, and soon our desires coincide with His. And as we all know, when God wants something, He gets it. After all, He is God. So why do we focus so much about the most practical way to get what we want? Yes, God can work in practical ways, and many routes we take in life can very much have God’s blessing and support. But let’s not worry so much about whether this choice or that choice is what God wants. Rather, just dwell upon him, get to know Him more, dive deep within His presence and search for Him. In the end, all the forks in the road we encounter will have the foundation of God beneath them, and we need not worry about the safety of those paths. We can have faith in their consistency with God’s desires.
“Like oil for Your feet,
like wine for You to drink
like water from my heart
I pour my love on You
If praise if like perfume
I’ll lavish mine on you
till every drop is gone
I pour my love on You”
-Pour My Love On You, Phillips Craig and Dean