Delight yourself in the LORD, and He will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4.
And his delight shall be in the fear of the LORD. Isaiah 11:3.
Those who honor me I will honor, and those who despise me shall be lightly esteemed. 1 Samuel 2:30.
Today your LORD (יהוה) God says:
Delight. “Delight yourself in the LORD,” sang David, “and He will give you the desires of your heart.” Psalm 37:4. And David delighted in Me. He was so delighted that he could not keep from singing, dancing, and making a joyful noise upon stringed instruments and clashing cymbals unto Me, and he did not care who was looking or who criticized him for such behavior. And he gathered together 288 singers and musicians to do the same night and day once he was king. And he tells you that I delighted in him. 1 Chronicles 28:4. I know the kind of men I choose, and I chose David above all others at that time in Israel. Why? I look at the heart. I honor those who honor Me. I can trust them to carry out the desires of My heart, which have been to bless mankind from the start. I knew I could bless Abraham to be a blessing to all peoples of the earth. And I knew the same of David. I knew the same of Hannah and of her son, Samuel, whom she honored Me with by dedicating him to My service. And Samuel honored Me beyond the Levites. So I made him not only judge of My people, but also their High Priest, though he was not of the tribe of Levi. 1 Samuel 2:30-35.
Let Me talk to you first a little about delight and then I will give you the definition that sums it all up when it pertains to Me.
How do you take delight in someone? You enjoy being with them. You have found them someone you desire to be around and to be in close fellowship with as one. You have tasted and seen they are good. Taste and see My goodness, happy the one who takes refuge in Me.
In the Book of Proverbs, Solomon quotes wisdom as saying about My creating the world and all that is in it, “I was beside Him, a master workman (amon in Hebrew: architect, master workman, artificer), I was a daily delight (shaashuim in Hebrew), rejoicing always before Him, rejoicing in the world, His earth, and my delight with the sons of men.” Proverbs 8:30-31. Remember that Jesus is wisdom. In Him are all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge and I have made Him wisdom unto you. His delight is to be with Me and to be with you. God and man. We are united in one delightful Person, My Son, with you in Him and Him in you, and Me in Him, and Him in Me and Me in you. One delightful family.
In Song of Songs it is written that I am altogether desirable (machmad in Hebrew), that is, a precious treasure, a delight, beyond price, goodly, lovely, and pleasant, and My Word is truth, I cannot lie, and I am your beloved and your friend. Song of Song 5:16.
The first time shaashuim is used in Scripture, it is in connection with My Word being a delight. Psalm 119:24, 77, 143, 174. “Your testimonies are my delight; they are my counselors.” Psalm 119:24. And the same idea in Psalm 112, “Blessed is the one who fears the LORD, who greatly delights is in His commands.” Psalm 112:1. Nothing can take away his joy. Psalm 112:6-8.
And I delight and sing over you. “The LORD your God is in your midst, the mighty one who saves; He will rejoice over you with gladness; He will quiet you by His love; He will exult over you with joyful singing (ringing cries of rejoicing). Zephaniah 3:17. I delight in you.
My desire is that our relationship be a delightful one of rejoicing, laughing, sharing, singing, loving, caring, dancing, sweetness, and light. It should be one of answered prayer and perfect joy, that you may share My joy and your joy may be full. John 15:7-11. I will make you joyful in My house of prayer. Yes, prayer should be a delightful time for us together in our secret place, the Holy of Holies at My throne of grace. And Jesus told you, “The one who overcomes, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne.” Revelation 3:21. I have seated you in Heavenly realms in Christ. Right on My throne.
And there is fullness of joy in My presence, the delights at My right hand forever. And I give you from My delightful stream of life-giving water to drink. Come with confident assurance to My throne of grace any time of the day or night. I never slumber or sleep. Sing with David, “Send out your light and your truth; let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy mountain and to your dwelling! Then I will go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding joy, and I will praise you with the lyre, O God, my God.” Psalm 43:4. Do you see Me as your gladness and joy? As your exceeding joy? Come share My joy, I am willing to give it to you. Jesus prayed that I would. “But now I am coming to You, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves.” John 17:13.
In Psalm 34, David describes our relationship and draws you in too, “I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul makes its boast in the LORD, let the humble hear and be glad. Oh, magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt His name together! I sought the LORD, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed. This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him and saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear Him, and delivers them. Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him! Oh, fear the LORD, you his saints, for those who fear Him have no lack! The young lions suffer want and hunger; but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.” Psalm 34:1-10. And his conclusion? I deliver you who seek Me out of all your troubles and that I redeem your life, no one who takes refuge in Me will be condemned. Psalm 34:19-22.
“Delight yourself in the LORD and He will give you the desires of your heart.” “And his delight shall be the fear of the LORD.” What is the “fear of the LORD” that you delight in when My Spirit is upon you? Isaiah 11:2-3. I will sum it up in one word: HONOR. Worship is a continuous flow of oneness where each honors the other. If you delight in someone you honor them, you do not trash them, you do not speak disrespectfully to them or of them.
If you recall Jesus translates the “fear of the LORD” as “worship.” He told Satan, “it is written you shall worship the LORD alone,” but in the Hebrew that word is “fear the LORD alone.” Worship is the oneness of purpose, mind, will and power. It is honor at its most exulted. When you worship Me it is your fastest path to joy because it puts you into My presence and in My presence is fullness of joy—joy unspeakable filled with glory.
People seek joy but do you know what joy is? The joy no one can take from you. My Son told His disciples that they would grieve for a time but their grief would be turned into joy—a joy no one could take from them. And how did He tell them that would happen? They would see Him again and their hearts would rejoice. My presence, His presence, gives joy. And He is with you always and so am I. We are one. And whatever you ask in His Name I will give you that your joy may be made full. John 16:24. If you remain in My Word and My Word remains in you, you may ask what you will and it will be done for you that your joy may be complete. John 15:7-11. These Words I have spoken to you in the Scriptures and in your heart so that M joy may be in you and your joy may be complete. John 15:11.
Joy comes in honoring Me and My honoring you. I reward you with crowns and the throne. But how do you honor Me? Compare Samuel with Hophni and Phinehas and you will see. Samuel honored My Word, did My Word, spoke My Word, and did mighty deeds. He honored Me in the sacrifices and burnt offerings. 1 Samuel 7:10. Hophni and Phinehas, the sons of Eli, the High Priest, dishonored Me by taking the parts of the sacrificial offerings that by ordinance belonged to Me and giving in to their lustful desires of sexual immorality before My eyes in the very temple they served. 1 Samuel 2:12-17.They had no care for My honor but despised Me in disrespect and unbelief, looking after only their own fleshly lusts. They had no regard for the high office I bestowed on them by their birthright as sons of the High Priest and being of the tribe of Levi. They cared little about that or Me. But Samuel loved My Word and was obedient to My Word for he found it made him strong and a source of blessing to the people. He brought an entire nation back to Me and convinced them to forsake their idols. 1 Samuel 7:3-17.
If you love Me you will keep My Words. If you delight in Me you will honor Me by keeping My Words. If you truly enter into worship, you will honor Me by lifting Me up above everything else in your life. And I will in turn exalt you.
Jesus prayed, “I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.” John 17:4-5. But He did not stop there, “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me. Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. O righteous Father, even though the world does not know you, I know you, and these know that you have sent me. I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.” John 17:20-26.
The glory and the honor. In Heaven they can’t help but cry, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!” Revelation 5:12. And, “To Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!” Revelation 5:13. And I share that glory and honor with you, for as He is so are you before Me. I honor those who honor Me by receiving and loving My Son. I so honored you I gave you My Son to be your life.
I love you. In My Son are all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. What a delightful gift I have given you. Delight in Him and delight in Me. I delight in you.
“And if you faithfully obey the voice of the Lord your God, being careful to do all his commandments that I command you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the voice of the Lord your God.” Deuteronomy 28:1-2.