sources of pleasure

“Blessed is the man...

“Blessed is the man...whose pleasure lies in Yhwh’s teaching:
he talks about his teaching day and night.
He becomes like a tree
planted by water channels,
which produces its fruit in season,
and it foliage does not wither—
he makes everything he does thrive.” (Ps1:1,2-3; J. Goldingay translation)

It’s a common feature of the genus human that we talk about what we love, what we are passionate about, what captures our hearts and imaginations. As we take part in such loves, we are filled up and satisfied in the joy of them. And, as C.S. Lewis insightfully remarked, our joy is incomplete until shared. Think of a time when you’ve experienced this.

Let’s say you are passionate about football. Let’s say you are a Vikings fan. You were there, on the edge of your seat, January 14, 2018, when Kirk Cousins threw that pass to Stephon Diggs. The impossible catch. Diggs running into end zone to give the Vikings the win over the Saints. The scream of the announcer! The roar of the crowd! A historic moment in football, and there you were, as a football lover, a Vikings fanatic, drinking it all in. The joy!

Now imagine not telling anyone about it. Imagine talking to no one.
Ridiculous, right?

That’s not what you did. If you weren’t with your closest buddy while you were watching it, you called them didn’t you? And the next day at work, you all gathered around screens and pulled up YouTube, and watched that play again, didn’t you? You pulled other people in, you shared the joy together, because as you did, the joy actually increased, didn’t it? And if for some crazy reason they hadn’t seen it, you pulled them into that experience. You gave them a taste. Your pleasure very likely increased theirs, which increased yours.

This is what the Psalmist is on about in Psalm 1. What he wants you to see, especially if you are a follower of Jesus and one of Yhwh’s children, is that you will be happy ("blessed") if you find your pleasure in Yhwh’s teaching. And when he says "teaching," that's just another way to talk about God’s Word, the Bible. And if you would do this--if you would find your pleasure there, if you would be passionate about the Bible and let it capture your heart and your imagination and love the Bible--well then....well, he gives us a picture.

He wants you to imagine a desert landscape. Everything dry, brown, and barren. Now imagine this little water channel flowing through it. Do you have that in your mind? Ok, now, as the camera of your mind pans further down this water channel, you see a tree. And it's not a leafless tree--brown, pitiful, and dying. No. It’s a vibrant green, exploding with life, its branches heavy with fruit, its presence casting long, cool shadows in a dry, hot, and dusty land.

And the psalmist gives us this picture because he wants us to see this is what someone who takes pleasure in God’s word is like.

He is like that tree. It doesn’t matter what season of life they are in, they produce fruit, and don’t wither under the pressure, and everything they do thrives. They are satisfied, fulfilled, and joyful. They are vibrant with abundant life.

And they are something else.
People who take pleasure in God's word are talkers, and sharers. They are like our Vikings fan on January 15, 2018--going on and on about what they've seen.

It’s there in the second line:

“...he talks about his teaching day and night.”

In other words, they share the pleasure! They share the joy!

There are at least two reasons this is so important in the life of God’s people, and for the cause of the Good News of the kingdom of God.

First, because sharing joy increases and completes the joy. Just like that amazing play by Diggs, we should want to share the far more valuable treasures that are bound up in God’s word. It will increase our own understanding, and it will increase our joy. This is something I love about getting to be a preacher: every Sunday morning displaying what God has revealed in his Word. It's a sobering honor, yes, but it's also a blast!

Second, sharing joy multiplies the effect of God’s Word and revelation. For, not only have you become stronger, more fruitful, and able to thrive (like that tree by the water channel), but you have now invited someone else into that. You are sharing the joy, and you are sharing the growth that produced that joy. And you are doing so in a way that makes it attractive, because it is pleasurable.

And it all starts with opening your Bible.

Every time you open God’s word is an invitation to joy, and to pleasure. Because Jesus is there. All the words are pointing to him (Luke 24:27), and in him are pleasures forevermore (Psalm 16:11).

So go to him in his word.
Be fruitful and thrive.
And then share what you’ve seen and experienced, multiplying joy.