Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth

in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is

in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. 

Psalm 1:1-2

The Blessed Man

Even though David refers to the blessed man, the first thing I noticed about Psalm 1:1 when studying the verse as a teen was the progression of the “unblessed” man who forgot the law of the Lord. He went from walking to standing to sitting.

Paul was right when he said to run.

Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. 1 Corinthians 9:24

If we are running, and by that, I mean filling our minds with the Word and fulfilling our purpose, we don’t have time to slow down to a walk, stand, or sit because we have delighted, meditated, and made our plans according to His Word.

It’s when our minds and spirits are empty we get into trouble. Let’s look at David’s advice.

The Thinking Man

Delight: a high degree of gratification or pleasure, something that gives great pleasure

Meditate: to engage in contemplation or reflection, to engage in mental exercise, to focus one’s thoughts on, reflect on or ponder over, to plan or project in the mind

Many things can bring delight. Some examples are chocolate, books, music, fishing, and hiking. If we delight in something, we find time to think about it and do it as often as possible.

King David delighted and meditated on the law of the Lord.

I have always been a word girl. Words fascinate me. I bought a Webster’s Dictionary when I began studying the Bible and writing stories. I loved it because it included the etymology of the word. One word that stuck with me was the word worry. Every time I think of it, I think of being strangled.

Worry: to harass or treat roughly with or as with continual biting or tearing with the teeth (a dog worrying a bone)

Middle English worien, from Old English wyrgan; akin to Old High German wurgen to strangle, Lithuanian veržti to constrict ~ Merriam Webster’s Online Dictionary

A picture is worth a thousand words. Yes? Have you ever felt like a matter was strangling you? What did you do about it? How did you overcome it?

I learned to apply scripture. I looked up scriptures and then looked up the definition of every word in that scripture. Hard? Yes. Time-consuming? Yes. Rewarding? Definitely!

So why did I look up every single word? Because the more we know about scripture, the better we understand it. We do not learn by reading alone. We must meditate on it and commit it to our memories to win this race.

The Successful Man

The Comforter also reminds us of what we have read and applies it to our situation as needed.

But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. John 14:26

The Comforter reminded the disciples of what Jesus had said. We can’t be reminded of something that isn’t written in our memories.

In our changing times, we must study the Word because we need to know the truth. Only then can we run a successful race. I’m sure Joshua would agree.

After the death of Moses, Joshua was appointed to lead Israel into the promised land. But first, God gave him a commandment.

This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. Joshua 1:8 italics mine

The Hebrew word translated meditate in Joshua 1 is the same word David uses in Psalms 1. In their devotional Discovering Hope in the Psalms, Pam Farrel, Jean E. Jones, and Karla Dornacher said this:

“The Hebrew word translated meditates has a broader meaning than our English word. Meditation includes pondering God’s instructions, devising ways to follow them, and saying the commands aloud quietly. The word is often translated utter or mutter. Isaiah used it to describe doves cooing (Isaiah 38:14) and a lion growling over its prey (Isaiah 31:4). This last reference provides an apt image: As a lion growls over the prey he devours, refusing to abandon it to the shepherds who attempt to scare him off, so we should utter God’s words as we devour them, refusing to abandon them to mockers.”

Six Ways to Delight in the Word

Read the Word. Choose one book of the Bible to read or read through the Bible in a Year.

Meditate on the Word as you go about your day. Ask questions. How does this apply to me? What can I learn from this to become a better witness for Christ?

Sing the Word. Make up your own tune or listen to Hosanna Integrity Music. All their songs are based on scripture. You can also sing hymns.

Pray the Word. The Psalms are an excellent way to pray. Pray it out loud or write your own prayer based upon scripture.

Write the Word. Our senses work together. If we read, listen, speak, and write the Word, we are more likely to remember it.

Share the Word. Sharing the Word brings it into the light, helping it to grow in us.

Add your ideas of delighting and meditating on the Word in the comments.