{"id":1525,"date":"2006-11-08T02:10:26","date_gmt":"2006-11-08T02:10:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/jesuscreed\/2006\/11\/word-pleasure.html"},"modified":"2006-11-08T02:10:26","modified_gmt":"2006-11-08T02:10:26","slug":"word-pleasure","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/jesuscreed\/2006\/11\/word-pleasure.html","title":{"rendered":"Word pleasure"},"content":{"rendered":"

The pleasure<\/em> the psalmist speaks of in Psalm 119:14-15 is not simply the mental exhilaration of study and discovery — the sort of thing many experience when they chance upon something previously unseen in the Bible, which I think is grossly overrated for Bible study. No, the pleasure of the psalmist is otherwise.
\nWe sell ourselves short if we equate the “statutes” and “precepts” and “decrees” of these verses with the words on the page of the Bible. The psalmist finds these words to be communication from God, discovering these words as establishing relationship with God, and therefore the words as interpersonal communication.
\nIn knowing them as communionn with God the psalmist exhilarates.
\nNotice the words of pleasure:<\/p>\n

I rejoice<\/em> in following your statutes
\nas one rejoices<\/em> in great riches.
\nI meditate on your precepts
\nand consider your ways.
\nI delight<\/em> in your decrees;
\nI will not neglect your word.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The psalmist rejoices (shis<\/em>) and delights (sha’ashu’im<\/em>) — as one does in great riches. Exhilaration.<\/p>\n

This exhilaration transcends knowing as cognition; it is the absorption in Torah and being absorbed by Torah, it is delight in knowing and being known, it is delight in both knowing and doing.
\nI like how it begins in v. 14: “in” the way (derek<\/em>) of your statutes — not just knowing but the knowing-doing in relationship with God; in the way of communing in in knowing-observing.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The pleasure the psalmist speaks of in Psalm 119:14-15 is not simply the mental exhilaration of study and discovery — the sort of thing many experience when they chance upon something previously unseen in the Bible, which I think is grossly overrated for Bible study. No, the pleasure of the psalmist is otherwise.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":298,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1525","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-psalm-119"],"yoast_head":"\nWord pleasure - Jesus Creed<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/jesuscreed\/2006\/11\/word-pleasure.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Word pleasure - Jesus Creed\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The pleasure the psalmist speaks of in Psalm 119:14-15 is not simply the mental exhilaration of study and discovery — the sort of thing many experience when they chance upon something previously unseen in the Bible, which I think is grossly overrated for Bible study. 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