PODCAST TRANSCRIPT | EPISODE 195: THE LAND OF MOTHERHOOD, PT 6
LIFE TO THE FULL w/ Nancy Campbell
EPISODE 195: THE LAND OF MOTHERHOOD, Part 6
We continue the adventure of exploring the land of motherhood today, finding out all the things that God delights in. If God delights in them, we'll want to delight in them also.
Announcer: Welcome to the podcast, Life to The Full, with Nancy Campbell, founder and publisher of Above Rubies.
Nancy Campbell: Good morning, ladies, on this rainy day here in Tennessee. I don’t really mind whatever the weather. Life is still great!
Some little updates. I know you will have been enjoying the new magazine. Perhaps you’re running out of copies. There are people you’d love to give it to. Well, don’t hesitate to email me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Don’t forget it’s “O-R-G.” I’m always happy to send you extra copies that you can share with friends.
You can take them out to places wherever you are going. I love to put Above Rubies in the little baby changing tables that are in most restaurants, and most supermarkets, because it’s so wonderful if we can get out this message of encouragement to mothers and wives and families. There’s a whole generation of mothers who don’t even know about Above Rubies.
I started it with the mothers of my generation, and then the mothers of my children’s generation. But there’s the next generation now. They need it, I think more than ever. So, please, I trust you’ll get a vision for getting these magazines out, especially to the new generation of young mothers.
Another thing to remind you about, and that is our first Above Rubies Family Retreat for the year, which will be our one in April, down in Panama City, Laguna Beach, Florida. This is a wonderful retreat. It’s just booking up so fast. If you want to come, please contact them immediately.
You can go to the webpage, aboverubies.org, and you’ll be able to look up all the camps and retreats and get the info. Or you can call Allison Hartman at 850-221-1222. Be in. You won’t want to miss out.
This is such a glorious gathering of families and young people. Come with your whole family, from oldest to youngest. I think we often have more young people at this retreat than anyone else. The young people have such a wonderful time together. They come back year after year as they make wonderful friendships.
In fact, families are making such wonderful friendships together. Families come from all over the States. We’ve had them come from everywhere, just all over. Be in.
When you get this podcast, it will be March 8th, which means this last week, we will have celebrated our 59th wedding anniversary on March 2nd. It’s hard to believe that this coming year, this coming anniversary, we will have been married 60 years. And yet, it still seems like one blink of my eye. How is it that we still feel so young? I can’t believe it!
We are continuing, dear ladies, our wonderful series of THE LAND OF MOTHERHOOD. Wow! We’ve got so much to talk about. We are still on the subject of IT IS A DELIGHTFUL LAND.
We read in the Word of God that this is how God described the land of Israel. We are, of course, taking all the descriptions about the land of Israel into our land of motherhood.
The land of Israel was a delightful land back in Bible times. For thousands of years, it lay waste, nearly two thousand years. But God is blessing it again. Its people are coming back to the land. The Word of God promises that it will blossom again, and it is doing that. It’s becoming that beautiful, delightful land again.
It's just a type of God’s kingdom. God’s kingdom is a delightful land, and there is so much to discover in this land. In His Word, the Word of God is a delightful land to discover His truths, His promises, His ways, and all of how He wants us to live. It goes into the land of motherhood, because this is the land that God has chosen for us as mothers to live.
I was talking to you about this last time. I shared with you six different Hebrew words that mean “delightful.” But, ladies, I continued studying, and guess what? I ended up finding 20 different Hebrew words, which all have the meaning of “delightful” and “pleasurable.” It’s just amazing!
I only got up to six last time. I don’t think I can keep up with giving you all of the 20 words, because I guess, maybe you’re perhaps doing the dishes, going for a walk, doing laundry as you’re listening. How can you write down Hebrew words and even know how to spell them?
In fact, I’m thinking of Darlene. Darlene, you’ll be listening as you are transcribing. Darlene Norris is our wonderful transcriber. Did you know that everyone one of the podcasts are transcribed? And Darlene does this ministry as a ministry of love to all those who want to read the transcripts.
Thank you, Darlene. Oh, I’m just so grateful to you. You just do the most amazing job. But I think I’ll spare giving you all these Hebrew words. But what I’ll do, ladies, is when Darlene sends me the transcript, I’ll add the Hebrew words for you there. You can get them on the transcript (listed below).
So, I thought, “What will I do?” Instead of giving you all these Hebrew words (I discovered them all and looked them all up) and from them I have found 16 different things that God delights in. Then I found 22 different things that God wants us to delight in. Every one of these comes from one of these 20 Hebrew words which have the meaning of “delightful.”
We’re going to look into them, and I don’t think we’ll get through them all today. But I want you to come on this journey with me because it’s so exciting!
First of all, let me take you to Joshua 18. The children of Israel were all there at Shiloh, and Shiloh was where they came into the land. This is where they settled. The Tabernacle was there for hundreds of years. But this is where they were. They were in Shiloh. They had been taking the land and possessing the land. But there was still land that was not yet possessed.
Joshua 18:3: “And Joshua said unto the children of Israel, how long are ye slack to go to possess the land, which the LORD God of your fathers hath given you?” He told them to get on the job. So, we go down to Joshua 18:8-9: “And the men arose, and went away: and Joshua charged them that went to describe (to write about it) “to describe the land, saying, Go and walk through the land, and describe it, and come again to me, that I may here cast lots for you before the LORD in Shiloh. And the men went and passed through the land, and described it by cities into seven parts in a book, and came again to Joshua to the host at Shiloh.”
They went out to discover the land, the good land. God’s Word Translation says: “Go, survey the land. Write a description of it, and return to me. So, the men surveyed the land. They described it in a book.”
The New Living Translation says, Joshua speaking: “Go and explore the land, and write a description of it. The men did as they were told and mapped the entire territory into seven sections, listing the towns in each section. They made a written record, and then they returned to Joshua in the camp at Shiloh.”
EXPLORE THE LAND
“Go and explore the land.” Dear ladies, have you done some exploring? So often we come into the kingdom of God. We’re born again. We embrace the glorious salvation that God has provided for us. And there we stay. Wow! We’re in the land! The land of God’s wonderful redemption and salvation. Here we are!
But do we move on? Do we go and explore and see what else God has for us? Do we explore His wonderful Book that He has written for us? What about the land of motherhood? Dear ladies, I don’t think any of us have ever really explored the fullness of all that God has for us as mothers.
Oh, it is a wonderful land! We’re currently talking about how it is a delightful land. This is only one of the descriptions. But lovely ladies, will you come with me now? Will you come with me and let us explore the delightful things that are in this land? I want to take you with me. It’s going to be exciting!
I also love that Scripture in Psalm 48:12, 13: “Walk about Zion, and go round about her: tell the towers thereof. Mark ye well her bulwarks, consider her palaces; that ye may tell it to the generation following.” Ladies, we’ve got to know what is in the land! So, let’s begin our exploring, shall we?
First of all, we’ll look at all the things that God delights in. Now, all these things relate to us in our land, too. I won’t give you all the Scriptures. I’ll mention some here and there, because it would be just too many to give you!
No. 1: GOD DELIGHTS IN HIS BELOVED SON
Isaiah 42:1: “Behold my servant, whom I uphold; Mine elect, in whom My soul delighteth.” God delights in His only beloved Son which He gave for the whole world. And so, we want to delight in Him too. Everything that God delights in, we will delight in.
No. 2: GOD DELIGHTS IN THIS LAND HE GAVE TO HIS PEOPLE
We talked about that in the last session. It’s called “a beautiful land.” It’s called “a delightful land.”
Malachi 3:12: “And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the LORD of hosts.” Our land of motherhood is a delightful land.
Now, I know, many young moms in the throes of motherhood, and feeling overwhelmed, and so tired you can hardly bear it, you think, “Wow, how can this be a delightful land?” Dear mothers, can I give you a little secret? Everything comes back to our attitude. And our attitude is founded upon knowledge and truth. If we don’t know what the land of motherhood is all about, well, we’re not going to be able to enjoy it to the full.
The land of motherhood is a delightful land. So, we’ve just got to get it into our spirit, and into our mind, and into our knowledge, this is what it is! God planned it to be delightful to us. God does not give us something that is not delightful, because He delights in us. He delights in His people. He delights in motherhood! It’s His plan, His design! It’s delightful!
And we’ve got to get this word into our beings! Do you use that word very much? Get it into your vocab. Get it into your motherhood vocab. Begin to speak it. Wake up in the morning, confessing: “Thank You Lord, that I’m going to live in my delightful land of motherhood today! Thank You that You’ve brought me into this delightful land! Thank You for these children You have given me that delight our hearts!”
Well, sometimes they drive you crazy, but really, they are the delight of your heart! You would die for them. You would never give them away. Everything in your house could be taken but you would hang onto your children. They are your delight. So, we delight in the land of motherhood, as God delights in His land.
No. 3: GOD DELIGHTS IN HIS HOUSE
That’s talking about the Temple which was the house of God. “My house,” God called it. “My house shall be called a house of prayer.” He called it “My house.”
Haggai 1:8: “Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house; and I will take pleasure (I will take delight) in it, and I will be glorified, saith the LORD.”
In Isaiah 44:28, it’s a prophetic word about Cyrus. Now, I’m sure you know who Cyrus was. Cyrus was one of the greatest generals and kings in the earth. He was known as the “king of the four corners of the earth.” This is the prophetic word about this king. He was a secular king. He wasn’t an Israelite king.
Yet, God names him, yes, literally speaks his name in the Bible 100 years before he was even born! Listen to it (this is God speaking): “That saith of Cyrus, He is My shepherd, and shall perform all My pleasure (all My delight) even saying to Jerusalem, thou shalt be built; and to the temple, thy foundation shall be laid.”
Isn’t that amazing, ladies? That’s a prophetic promise given 100 years before it happened, before Cyrus ever came into the world. But God raised up Cyrus, this wonderful king. He was a wonderful king. He was such a generous man. I loved reading the story of Cyrus. You can read it in the book called Cyropaedia by Xenophon.
It’s an amazing story of how this man had this incredible, generous spirit, even from a child. He just loved to give and to bless people. As he grew up to be a great general, and then later king of the four corners of the earth, he was so generous to his soldiers. As he gathered them together, if anyone had done anything that was good, he would tell it to everybody. He would encourage them, and he would give gifts to them. As he took over nations, the nations wanted him to take them over because he was so good to them.
But God raised him up for a specific purpose. He took over Babylon. He conquered Babylon, became king of Babylon. When he became king, what did he do with the people of Judah who were captives in Babylon? Did he put down more captivity upon them?
No! No, he was such an incredible king that he said, “Oh, my, you’ve got a Temple back there in your land. It’s in ruins! I’m going to give you money to go back and rebuild your Temple. Here are all the things that King Nebuchadnezzar took from your Temple. Look, take them back with you, and I release you to go.”
That was miraculous! But it was fulfilling the prophecy that God said His people would be in Babylon for 70 years. Then they would return. And they would rebuild the Temple. What does God say here? Cyrus would perform His delight, and His pleasure to rebuild the Temple again.
Because it was delightful to God, because it was where He came and presenced Himself in the midst of His people. Even today, God delights in His house. He delights in the gathering of His people together. So, that’s something we should delight in too, the gathering of God’s people, coming together to pray, and to worship, and to sit in His presence. God delights in that.
That’s something we delight in. Even in the land of motherhood it becomes part of our mothering, that we, as mothers, make this a very important thing in our families, that we are committed to the gathering of God’s people. We take our children. We take our family to the regular gathering of God’s people.
We are not those who, any excuse, we stay at home. We are not those, who even when persecution comes, we give up. No, we’re not like those who, when all these mandates came, and masks came, and social distancing . . . Many churches didn’t even meet! I beg your pardon? Help! No. We don’t gather just when everything’s great. We gather because this is what God loves!
No. 4: GOD DELIGHTS IN HIS PEOPLE
Yes, and so we should delight in God’s people too. Here’s a few Scriptures of many.
Numbers 14:7, 8: “The land, which we passed through to search it, is an exceeding good land. If the LORD delight in us, then he will bring us into this land, and give it us; a land which floweth with milk and honey.” God brings us into the land because He delights in us.
Deuteronomy 10:15: “The LORD had a delight in thy fathers to love them, and he chose their seed after them, even you above all people, as it is this day.”
David said in Psalm 18:19: “He brought me forth also into a large place; He delivered me, because He delighted in me.”
Psalm 149:4: “For the LORD taketh pleasure [delight] in his people.” That’s one of the Hebrew words, ratsah. Actually, that word ratsah in the Hebrew is used 57 times in the Bible. It’s only one of the 20 words.
Yes, specifically of David, 1 Chronicles 28:4 says: “Among the sons of my father, God liked me.” That means “delighted.” It’s the word ratsah again, meaning “delighted in me.” “To make me king over all Israel.”
Then talking about Solomon in 2 Chronicles 9:8: “Blessed be the LORD thy God, which delighted in thee to set thee on His throne, to be king for the LORD thy God.”
Let’s go to Song of Songs 7:6: “How fair and how pleasant art thou, O love, for delights!” There are two different words for “delightful” there. “How fair and how pleasant (na-em). art thou, O love, for delights.”
Here are some other translations of that word. This is from the Song of Solomon. We can read the Song of Solomon in different ways. It’s a picture of Christ and His Bride. Christ is looking at His Bride, delighting in her: “How fair and how pleasant art thou, O love, for delights.” God delights in His people. Yes.
Let’s see some other translations. “How beautiful you are, my love. How charming, how delightful.”
And, of course, we can also read the Song of Solomon as a description of the relationship of a husband and his wife. I wonder if our husbands can say these words to us?
Here’s another translation: “How delicious is your fair beauty. It cannot be described as I count the delights you bring to me.” Wow! Can your husband say that about you? Do you bring him delights? Are you delightful to him? Do you make yourself delightful to him?
The New Living Translation says: “Oh, how beautiful you are! How pleasing, my love! How full of delights!” What a beautiful description of a wife! To be full of delights! Oh, wow, that’s all part of your land of motherhood, dear one.
No. .5: GOD DELIGHTS IN THE UPRIGHT
1 Chronicles 29:17: “I know also, my God, that thou triest the heart, and hast pleasure in uprightness. As for me, in the uprightness of mine heart I have willingly offered all these things: and now have I seen with joy thy people, which are present here, to offer willingly unto thee.”
Proverbs 11:20: “Such as are upright in their way are his delight.”
No. 6: GOD DELIGHTS IN TRUTH
Proverbs 12:22: “Lying lips are abomination to the Lord, but they that deal truly are His delight.”
No. 7: GOD DELIGHTS IN PRAYER
Proverbs 15:8: “The prayer of the upright is His delight.” And, of course, dear ladies, all these things that God delights in, we also will want to delight in. If He dwells in us, we’ll delight in the things that He delights in.
No. 8: GOD DELIGHTS IN MARRIAGE
Proverbs 18:22: “Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favor [or obtaineth the delight] of the Lord.” God delights in marriage because He designed it! And He designed it to be delightful. Yes.
No. 9: GOD DELIGHTS IN THOSE WHO FEAR HIM
Psalm 147:11: “The LORD taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy.”
No. 10: GOD DELIGHTS IN MERCY
Hosea 6:6: “For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice.”
Micah 7:18: “He retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy.”
No. 11: GOD DELGHTS IN OUR KNOWING HIM
Hosea 6: 6: “For I desired . . . the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.”
Proverbs 22:17, 18: “Bow down thine ear, and hear the words of the wise, and apply thine heart unto my knowledge. For it is a pleasant (sweet and delightful) thig if thou keep them within thee; they shall withal be fitted in thy lips.”
No. 12: GOD DELIGHTS IN LOVINGKINDNESS, JUSTICE, AND RIGHTEOUSNESS
“For in these things do I delight, saith the Lord” in Jeremiah 9:24.
No. 13: GOD DELIGHTS IN CORRECTION
Proverbs 3:12: “For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.”
Well, sometimes we don’t like that Scripture, do we? We don’t want to be corrected. We don’t want the correction of the Lord. We don’t even like correction from anybody else.
But correction is something of love. And the Scripture here says that a father who delights in his children, corrects them. It’s the same with us as mothers. Why do we correct our children? Because we delight in them, and we want the best for them. So, we have to correct them.
Of course, this is how correction should be operated. We don’t correct our children out of frustration because they’re getting on our nerves, because we’re not training them properly. They ask us for something, and we say, “No, no.” But they keep asking, and they just keep asking, and they just keep asking, so we just give in.
Or we tell them to do something, and they don’t do it. We just keep telling them, and we keep telling them, and when we’ve told them for the 17th time, we’re screaming at them. That’s not training children. No! That’s not correction. Correction is where we deal with them when we face the situation. Immediately. And we deal with them.
Maybe we have to sit down and talk with them. Maybe sometimes we have to use the rod of correction. But we do it according to the situation, according to the child, and it’s because we delight in them. But when we delight in our children, we have a standard for them. Oh, it’s just not the normal standard of the world. No!
Our longing is the same longing that Christ has, that God has for us. That Christ may be made known in us. He wants to see Christ formed in us (Romans 8:29. And we long for that too. We long for Christ to be formed in our children’s lives. We want them to come into the character of Christ. We are not happy when they are not living that way. And so, we will bring correction because we delight in them. That’s what God does.
He doesn’t leave us where we are, thank goodness! And He’s still working on us, no matter what our age. God is still working on me. Wow, I’ve nowhere near arrived! Oh, there’s still so much to do in me! Goodness me! Therefore, I must love correction. I must be open to it. I must have that attitude. “Yes, God, deal with me. Oh, God, yes, I receive that. I want to change.” So, we will grow more into the likeness of Christ.
No. 14: GOD DELIGHTS IN OBEDIENCE
We love that in our children, too, don’t we? In 1 Samuel 15:22, Samuel said to Saul (because Saul had just defeated the Amalekites). God had told him to destroy everything, not only the people, but all the animals, everything. But Saul did not listen. Saul saved a lot of the best of the animals.
And God came to Saul through the prophet Samuel and said: “Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices? (Because Saul used the excuse that he was going to use them for sacrifice. But . . .) “in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.”
God is saying here, what he delights in most of all is obedience to what He says. Sometimes we think what God says is, “Well, hmm, I don’t really think that’s the best thing. I think I’ve got a better idea. I know better than God.” Isn’t it amazing how often we think we know better than God? Sometimes what God says seems, wow, it just seems so far out! But God’s way is always best. And He delights in our obedience.
NO. 15: GOD DELIGHTS IN A BROKEN AND CONTRITE SPIRIT
Psalm 51:17.
No. 16: GOD DELIGHTS IN ACCURATE WEIGHTS
HE HATES CHEATING!
Proverbs 11:1: “A false balance is an abomination to the Lord, but a just weight is His delight.”
Well, ladies, that’s just 16 things that God delights in. Of course, we will also delight in them, too. But now, we are going on to the things that God specifically tells us that He wants us to delight in. These things relate to us in our Christian walk, in this kingdom walk in which we are living, and also in our land of motherhood.
Well, let’s see, I think I’ll have to stop, actually, because here we are, we’ve been going for 35 minutes, and I’d better not start this now or I'll be going for another 35 minutes! So, ladies, we’ll begin this next week.
Next week, I want you to come with me again and we’re going to explore the land again. We’re going to explore God’s Word. We’re going to go through it. We’re going to walk through the land. We’re going to walk through the Scriptures. We’re going to find out all that God has for us and the things He wants us to delight in.
Now, ladies, mothers, wives, are you getting the picture? Are you seeing “delight” is a word that comes over and over again in God’s precious Word? I’m just looking at the Old Testament at the moment and we found 20 different Hebrew words, remember.
We’ve looked at 16 different things God delights in. Next week, we’re going to start 22 different things God want us to delight in. Each one has many, many Scriptures with this wonderful word, “delight,” or “delightful,” or “pleasure.” I want you to get it, ladies. I want you to start using this word in your vocab. Even use it toward your children.
Tell them . . . “Children, you are the delight of my heart!”
“Oh, what a delightful boy you are! Thank you so much for obeying Mommy straight away!”
“Oh, I’m so delighted in you!”
Use the word “delight.”
Thank the Lord that He has brought you into this delightful career of motherhood. It’s His plan, it’s His design, and He’s designed it to be delightful. OK? Are you getting the picture? Let’s pray.
“Dear Father, Lord, we are so sorry that we don’t really speak the language of Your Word. Help us to speak Bible language.
“Lord God, we are seeing that the word “delightful” is so much part of Your Word, and Your vocabulary, and Your heart. Help us, Lord, to make it part of our vocabulary, and to come more
“Lord God, to see each new day as a delight, even when things go wrong, even when things are tough. Lord, help us to see our delight in You, and all the things You want us to delight in. Not looking at the difficulties, but looking at You, looking at the good things. We ask that You will help us. In the precious Name of Jesus. Amen.”
Blessings from Nancy Campbell * www.aboverubies.org
Transcribed by Darlene Norris * This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
If you have a moment, it would be lovely if you could email a little thank you letter to Darlene. She sacrifices much of her time to transcribe these podcasts for you and I know it would encourage her to know that you are blessed by her hard work. Thanks so much.
TWENTY HEBREW WORDS MEANING DELIGHTFUL!
I will not give all the Scriptures for each Hebrew word, but just a few to give you an understanding. This gives you a glimpse of how often the word “DELIGHTFUL” is used in God’s Word. It is part of His vocabulary. God loves to delight us and wants us to be filled with delight.
1. Chemdah (used 25 times in the Bible)
Strong’s Concordance 2532, (kem-dah) – delightful, BELOVED, precious, pleasant, beautiful, DESIRABLE.
Psalm 106:24-25 tells us that even though God gave this delightful land to His people, they didn’t believe in its goodness. In fact, “they despised the pleasant land, they believed not His word. But murmured in their tents, and harkened not unto the voice of the Lord.”
There are many women who despise motherhood, often because they have been indoctrinated by society to despise it. They are told that it is demeaning, and they can do a lot better with their lives. They despise God’s way for marriage. They are taught they must keep their independence and live their own life. They groan and complain about motherhood in their home. They criticize and whine about their husbands. Consequently, they don’t enjoy their marriage, or motherhood. It’s not a good land to them! All because of their attitude. All because they have been indoctrinated with deceitful lies from the enemy. If only they would open their eyes to behold God’s plan they would see all the good things. Motherhood would become pleasant to them. Their marriage relationship would become delightful.
Jeremiah 12:10: “They have made my pleasant portion a desolate wilderness . . . no man layeth it to heart.”
Jeremiah 12:10 (NET): “Many foreign rulers will ruin the land where I planted my people. They will trample all over my chosen land. They will turn my beautiful land into a desolate wasteland. They will lay it waste. It will lie parched and empty before me. The whole land will be laid waste. But no one living in it will pay any heed.”
Jeremiah 3:19 (NLT): “I WANTED NOTHING MORE THAN TO GIVE YOU THIS BEAUTIFUL LAND—THE FINEST POSSESSION IN THE WORLD.”
This is what happened to Israel. It has also happened to motherhood.
Malachi 3:12: “All the nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the LORD of hosts.”
2. Chemed
Strong’s Concordance 2531- delight, desirable, pleasant.
Isaiah 32:12, 13 (AMP): “They shall beat upon their breasts for the pleasant fields, for the fruitful vine . . . for all the houses of joy in the joyous city.”
3. Chamad
Strong’s Concordance 2530 - to desire, to long for, to feel delight, desirable,
costly, precious. This word describes the pleasant trees in Eden (Genesis 2:9).
Psalm 19:10: “More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.”
Proverbs 21:20: “There is treasure to be desired and oil in the dwelling of the wise.”
Song of Songs 2:32: “I sat down under his shadow with great delight, and his fruit 3was sweet to my taste.”
4. Machmad
Strong’s Concordance 4261 - from chamad - delightful, a delight, object of affection or desire, beloved, desire, lovely, pleasant.
Hosea 9:16: “The beloved fruit of their womb.”
5. Chephets
Strong’s Concordance 2656 (key-fets) - pleasure or delight. It occurs 37 times in the Old Testament.
God gave marriage and motherhood for our pleasure. Of course we all experience many challenges and heartaches along the way, but as we embrace them as our Promised Land, our attitude changes and we begin to experience pleasures and delights galore.
Specific places were chephets is used:
- Delight in the land
- Delight in God’s Word
Psalm 1:2: “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, not sitteth in the seat of the scornful. Bu his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.”
Delight in God’s people
Psalm 16:3: “My goodness extendeth not to thee; But to the saints that are in the earth, and to the excellent, in whom is all my delight.”
Delight in wisdom
Proverbs 8:11: “Wisdom is better than rubies; and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it.”
- Delight in the works of the Lord (Psalm 111:2).
- Delight in homemaking tasks
Proverbs 31:13: “She worketh willingly (the Hebrew word is delightfully) with her hands.”
6. Chaphets
Strong’s Concordance 2654 (khaw-fates) – to be pleased with, desire, delight, desire, have pleasure.
Numbers 14:8: “If the LORD delight in us, then he will bring us into this land, and give it us; a land which floweth with milk and honey. Only rebel not ye against the LORD.”
2 Samuel 22:20: “He brought me forth also into a large place: he delivered me, because he delighted in me.”
Psalm 22:8: “He trusted on the lord that he would delver him: let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him.”
Psalm 40:8: “I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.”
7. Chashaq
Strong’s Concordance 2836 – (khaw-shak) - to join, to love, to delight in, desire, set in love.
GOD DESIRES AND LOVES HIS PEOPLE
Deuteronomy 10:15: “Only the LORD had a delight in thy fathers to love them, and he chose their seed after them, even you above all people as it is this day.”
Isaiah 38:17: “Thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption: for thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back.”
8. Eden
Strong’s Concordance, 5731, (ay-den), the Garden of Eden, pleasure, delight
Genesis 2:8: “And the LORD god planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed.”
9. And Eden
Strong’s Concordance 5730 - delicate, pleasure, delight, to live voluptuously (only one reference)
Genesis 18:12: “After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old
also.”
10. Adan
Strong’s Concordance 5727 - to be soft, pleasant, delight.
Nehemiah 9:25: “And they took strong cities, and a fat land, and possessed houses full of all goods, wells digged, vineyards, and oliveyards, and fruit trees in abundance: so they did eat, and were filled, and became fat, and delighted themselves in thy great goodness.”
11. Anag
Strong’s Concordance 6026 – to be soft and pliable, delicate, delight. Deuteronomy 28:56 speaks of the tender and delicate woman.
Psalm 37:11: “But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.”
Isaiah 55:2: “Eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness.”
Isaiah 58:14: “Then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord . . .”
12. Oneg
Strong’s Concordance 6027 - from anag, delight in, pleasant.
Isaiah 58:13: “If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight (oneg), the holy of the LORD, honorable, and shalt honor him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: Then shalt thou delight (anag) thyself in the LORD . . .”
13. Ta-anuwg
Strong’s Concordance 8588 - from anag, (tah-an-oog) - delight, pleasant.
Song of Solomon 7:6: “How fair and how pleasant art thou, O love, for delights!”
Micah 2:9: “The women of my people have ye cast out from their pleasant houses (delightful homes); and from their children have ye taken away my glory for ever.” God wants us to make delightful homes.
14. Ratsah (used 57 times in the Bible).
Strong’s Concordance 7521 - To be pleased with, accept, affection, delight, take pleasure.
1 Chronicles 29:3: DAVID confesses: “Moreover, because I have set my affection to the house of my God, I have of mine own proper good, of gold and silver, which I have given to the house of my God, over and above all that I have prepared for the holy house . . . “
Proverbs 16:7: “When a man’s ways please the LORD, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.”
Psalm 102:13, 14: “Thou shalt arise, and have mercy upon Zion: for the time to favor her, yea, the set time, is come. For thy servants take pleasure in her stones, and the favor the dust thereof.”
Proverbs 3:12: “For whom the lord loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.”
Messianic prophecy of Christ in Isaiah 42:1: “Behold my servant whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth . . .”
Psalm 149:4: “For the LORD taketh pleasure in His people.”
Haggai 1:8: “Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house; and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, saith the LORD.”
15. Sha’a
Strong’s Concordance 8173 (shaw-ah) – to fondle, please, delight in.
Psalm 119:16: “I will delight myself in thy statues: I will not forget thy word.”
Psalm 119:47: “I will delight myself in thy commandants, which I have loved; and I will meditate in thy statues.” Verse 70.
16. Sha-shua
Strong’s Concordance 8191 (shah-shoo’ah) – enjoyment, delight, pleasure.
Psalm 119:24: “Thy testimonies also are my delight and my counsellors.” Are they your enjoyment?
Psalm 119:77, 92, 143, 174 “Thy law is my delight.” God’s word is my sha-shua.
Who are your counsellors? Are they the world, the media, the humanists, and the feminists? Even other women? If they are not grounded in the truth, you will be getting wrong counsel.
Proverbs 8:31: “My delights were with the sons of men.”
17. Ratsown (Used 56 times in the Bible)
Strong’s Concordance (RA-TSONE) delight, acceptable, pleasure, desire.
Proverbs 11:1: “A false balance is abomination to the LORD: but a just weight is his delight.”
Psalm 19:14: “Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable (delightful, pleasing) in thy sight, O LORD, my strength and my redeemer.”
In this land of marriage and motherhood, God wants our words to be delightful and pleasing to one another.
Proverbs 10:32: “The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable.”
Proverbs 11:20: “They that are of a froward heart are abomination to the LORD: but such as are upright in their way are his delight.”
Proverbs 12:22: “Lying lips are abomination to the LORD: but they that deal truly (those who practice truth, deal faithfully), are his delight.”
Proverbs 15:8: “The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD: but the prayer of the upright is his delight.”
Proverbs 18:22: “Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favor (delight) of the LORD.”
Proverbs 11:1: “A false balance is abomination to the LORD: but a just weight is his delight.”
18. No’ am
Strong’s Concordance 5278 - delight, suitableness, agreeableness, splendor or grace, pleasantness, beauty.
Proverbs 3:17: “Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace.”
19. Na’iym
Strong’s Concordance 5273 - (na-eem) - delightful, pleasant, sweet, pleasure.
Psalm 135:3: “Sing praises unto His name for it is pleasant.”
Proverbs 24:3, 4: “Through wisdom is a house builded; and by understanding it is established: And by knowledge shall the chambers be filled with all precious sand pleasant riches.”
Psalm 133:1: “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!”
20. Na-em
Strong’s Concordance 5276 - to be agreeable, delight, pleasant, sweet.
Genesis 49:15: “And he saw that rest was good, and the land that it was pleasant . . .”
Proverbs 2:10: “When wisdom entereth into thine heart, and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul.”
Proverbs 24: 24, 25 NRSV: “Whoever says to the wicked, ‘You are innocent,’ will be cursed by peoples, abhorred by nations; but those who rebuke the wicked will have delight, and a good blessing will come upon them.”
Song of Solomon 7:6: “How fair and how pleasant (ne-em) art thou, O love, for delights!”
Blessings from Nancy Campbell