Tuesday, 1 August 2017

God gives us delight in His presence

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Psalm 36:9(8) "They drink their fill from the abundance of Your House. You give them drink from the river of Your delights." (TLV)

The first two Hebrew words are captivating. The first word is rooted in Rabah. This is typically translated as "abundance", but here is translated "drink (their) fill" which is not wrong. (The word itself is the root for the name Rivka (Rebecca) and for the title Rabbi.) This abundance is connected to having our thirst satisfied. Yeshua spoke of this in John 4:14 (where Yeshua actually quotes this verse) and in John 6:35. He alone is the one who provides lasting satisfaction.

The second word Mi'Deshen is a contraction. The Mi as a prefix means "from"; Deshen means ashes. Let's understand this. "From ashes" does not mean that ashes will satisfy, but rather that we are satisfied as we are delivered (or brought out) FROM ashes. How refreshing!

The second thought I wish to pass along from this verse is tied to the second to last Hebrew word of the verse. Adanekha is a contraction also. The ekha suffix means "yours" (in this case speaking of what belongs to God. The Adan at the first of the word is from the Hebrew for Eden which goes back to the Garden of Eden, which might be translated as "garden of pleasure" or "garden of delights".

The previous verse starts with the phrase "How precious is Your love!" God wants His people to understand that His house and His love are connected to pleasure and delight. Let's delight in the goodness of our God today.