His Delight

“They that are of a froward heart [are] abomination to the LORD: but [such as are] upright in [their] way [are] his delight.” (Pr 11:20 AV)

To be forward means to be just the opposite of being upright.  The word means crooked or perverse.  It is acting in a manner of sound biblical righteousness.  The forward think their values are correct only because it opposes what is right.  What the Spirit wishes for us to consider is the motive for being upright.  Those who seek to conform to the word of God; willing to accept the perfection of it; are the delight of God.  We may not always succeed.  Sin happens.  But if the child of God seeks to strive against sin acknowledging the holiness of the word of God and one’s duty to conform to it, then he or she is a delight.  Inserting the pronoun ‘his’ before the word ‘delight’ rather than the phrase ‘to him’ after the word ‘delight’ suggests the LORD seeks out those who are upright so that He can be delighted.  This suggests more than a mere reaction.  It suggests intent.  This also suggests an intent on the part of the upright.  The intent is to be a delight.

Every child has the innate desire to please his or her father.  All they want to hear from their dad is, “I am so proud of you”.  When I was a child, it was excelling in things that interested my father.  It was scouting or music.  Whether it was earning merit badges or learning how to play the guitar, we were after one thing.  We wanted our father to be proud of us.  With my own children, it was things like memorizing verses or impressing adult leaders in their lives.  We worked together caddying at a private club, and I was always impressed with their strength of testimony.  Now they are grown and have families of their own.  They love the LORD and serve Him faithfully.  They are leading their families in the values I taught them, and I could not be more blessed.

I think this motive is sadly missing among most professing Christians.  If the desire to delight our Father was our highest motive, we wouldn’t struggle so much with sin and faithlessness.  If pleasing God were our highest priority, then pleasing self wouldn’t be a thing.  I know.  It is hard to have the pleasure of God in the forefront of our minds because we cannot see Him.  By faith we reside with Him.  We pray and He speaks.  But we cannot see Him.  We do not audibly hear Him.  There isn’t a constant presence that overshadows our every living moment.  We hear the still, small voice.  The business of our lives often shuts it out.  These are only explanations; not excuses.  God is real.  He sent His Son to be our sacrifice.  We are children of God by the blood of Jesus Christ.  He is our Creator and Redeemer.  We owe Him everything.  He has done so much for us that delighting Him should be our natural response.  If we live to delight the LORD, then our struggle toward the opposite will diminish.  If we are upright, we delight the LORD.  That is the point of our existence.  No longer to please self.  Rather, to be a pleasure to the God who made us.