Every word has a connotation. 

I say, "ice cream," you say, "chocolate."

You say, "car," I say, "Hyundai Sonata." Well, that's what I drive. 

Now, if I say "God's law," what comes to mind? Intimidating? Imposing? Impossible? Irritating?

Whatever came to mind, it probably wasn't "delight." In our minds, "God's law" and "delight" are rarely connotated.

Of all the Psalms, the "Most Unrealistic Award" probably goes to Psalm 119. It's an acrostic poem: over 176 verses, he takes the entire Hebrew alphabet and uses each letter to form complete stanzas of exuberant joy in God and his word. The point is, "God, every letter of the alphabet reminds me how much I love you."

Is that how you feel about the Bible? Does the letter 'e' remind you, "Ever and eternally, I enjoy you, Elohim. I enthusiastically embrace and enact your excellent edicts!"

No, you don't. At least, not without a thesaurus!

But in Psalm 1 - and Psalm 119 - and throughout the Scriptures - we see that God's people flourish when they delight in God and his word. 

We're in a study of Psalm 1. Psalm 1:1-2 reads, "Happy is the one... whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night."

How can this be possible?

First, what is God's law?

You might be delighted to remember how Jesus organized it:

Jesus replied:" 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."

Doesn't that awaken the desire of your heart? To be constantly aware that God loves you, and in response, you meditate on loving God and your neighbor? 

(This isn’t the whole picture, but it’s at the heart of it).

Even if it seems unattainable, isn't that desirable?

Second, how can we delight in God's law?

God explains, through the prophet Jeremiah, that he will write his law on our hearts. We read in Jeremiah 31, "Instead, this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days" —the LORD's declaration. "I will put my teaching within them and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people."

We see a similar idea in Ezekiel 36. God promises, "I will place my Spirit within you and cause you to follow my statutes and carefully observe my ordinances."

So if God promises to write his law on the hearts of his people, then it is a spiritual tragedy if we think God's law is unimportant. 

Let's double down on this. Jesus fulfilled these covenant promises. And the Spirit works within us to follow God's ordinances.

The implication? If we reject God's laws, we are rejecting God and God's work.

Thankfully, there's a happier approach: By faith, because of Jesus, we trust that God gave us a new heart, wrote his law on our hearts, made us his people, and placed his Spirit within us. And so we actively trust that God's Spirit enables our spirits to obey God's laws wholeheartedly. 

Third, what is the effect of God doing this work?

Consider 2 Corinthians 3. Paul writes:

You show that you are Christ's letter, delivered by us, not written with ink but with the Spirit of the living God—not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.

Let me summarize. Because of God and God's work to transform us, we are Christ's letter to the world.

Christians show Christ.

How? 

God gives us new hearts, writes his laws on our hearts, and by the Spirit, empowers us to obey his decrees. The Spirit of Jesus is working within us to make us like Jesus.

So consider Psalm 1 again. The one who delights in God's law is like a tree planted by streams of water. It reminds me of John 15. Jesus says that he is the true vine and we are the branches. If we remain in him, and he remains in us, and we obey his commands, then we will bear much fruit. 

Why did Jesus tell us this?

John 15:11, "I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete."

God's law. Delight. In the Bible, these words are connotated.

So how can they be brought together in my life and in your life?

It's through Jesus, by the work of the Holy Spirit in your spirit, for the Father's glory. 

May God bless you.

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Giving Credit:

Dr. Richard Averbeck covered the connection between Jeremiah 31, Ezekiel 36, and 2 Corinthians 3 in a class at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School.

Photo by Sven Wilhelm on Unsplash