“…but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.” Psalm 1:2
Devotion:
The Bible discusses the law of God in both a broad and narrow sense. In a broad context, it serves as shorthand for the entire Bible, while in a more specific sense, it represents God’s just demands. The law emanates from God’s heart and, thanks to Jesus, should be received with joy and gladness.
Psalm 1:2 commends two actions regarding this law: delighting in it and meditating on it. When we delight in something, we take pleasure in it, holding it in high esteem and genuinely enjoying it. To take pleasure in God’s law means genuinely believing in its goodness. Those who delight in the law seek to obey it not begrudgingly but delightfully. Such individuals look to God’s law, fully approving of its ways, and personally desiring to submit to all its commands.
The second commendation is meditation. Unlike certain forms of meditation that promote emptying the mind, Christian meditation involves filling the mind. Those who delight in God’s law think about it, savor it, and consider its implications for life. This form of meditation immerses the mind in the Word of God, allowing it to sink in rather than merely rest on the surface.
Just as Psalm 1:1 could only be fully true of Jesus Christ, Psalm 1:2 also aligns perfectly with Him. Jesus Christ is the embodiment of the law of God in the flesh. Everything He thought, did, and said perfectly aligned with and reflected God’s law. Christian salvation necessitates the perfection of Jesus; thus, His obedience to the law is integral to our redemption. Had He failed to delight in or obey God’s law even once, salvation would be incomplete. Yet, because Jesus embodied the perfection of the law for us, our experience of God’s law is transformed. In Christ, God’s law doesn’t stand over us, accusing us; rather, we can delight in it as our friend. So to delight in Jesus is to delight in God’s law and to mediate upon Jesus is to meditate upon God’s law.
Prayer:
God, thank you for giving us your law. We know that without your law, we would have never seen our need for Christ. And without your law, we would be left to our own corrupt ways.
Thank You for sending Jesus to be our perfect righteousness before You. Without Him, the law would only terrify us. However, because of Him, we wholeheartedly embrace Your law as our friend.
Open the eyes of our hearts to the delight of Your law. Teach us to meditate on it day and night. Reveal to us the goodness of Your law as it is reflected in Your Son, so that we might mirror You as we imitate Him. In Jesus’ name, we worship and pray.
Amen.
