Of Lions, Desserts, and You & Me

Do you have a friend or loved one who makes noises when they eat? I know a dear one who makes happy “mmm” and relaxed sighs when eating something delicious. It makes me grin. And I can’t blame them because I do that too sometimes.

Photo: Unsplash Media, LookStudio

Yesterday morning, I stepped into a bakery. Shiny glass boxes encased luscious pastries and desserts. Six mini croissants stacked high in a white carton and I lingered at that, drawn to the deal. Pain au chocolate lined up nearby, and glistening strawberry raspberry tarts waited demurely in a row.

Twelve glassed windows offered their decadent desserts and I circled the options twice, pausing and deliberating, before finally choosing a chewy riceball puff with sweet red bean paste inside. Sugar and cinnamon coated the tennis-ball-sized dessert.

Photo: Unsplash Media, Georgy Trofimov

After chatting with the checkout clerk, I sat down beside a gleaming white marble table, and gently tore the pastry in half. Crystal sugar and dark brown bean paste fell onto my parchment paper. Savoring each bite, I chewed happily, occasionally uttering murmurs of delight.

And that’s the way God wants us to delight in his word, I’m learning. The Hebrew word for “meditate” in Psalm 1:2 “…whose delight is in the law of the LORD, and who meditates on his law day and night” is hagah, and it means to chew on, while growling, murmuring, uttering sounds of delight. It’s the same hagah verb used in Isaiah 31:4, talking about a lion who happily growls and roars over its prey: “…as a lion growls, a great lion roars over its prey…” 

I picture my dear one spooning up food they love and happily sighing and bouncing in their chair. And I see myself biting into that sweet red bean bun, saying, Mmmmmmm.

That’s the word God uses when he tells us to meditate on his words, hagah, meaning to chew on, mull over, to delightedly murmur and moan over as we eat and study God’s word.

Join me in a new season of Cover to Cover Bible Study! It’s a community Bible study for women and men that meets Monday nights from 6:45 – 8:45 pm in Blaine, MN, starting Aug. 31st (off for Labor Day). Read through the Bible in a year and see how it all fits together. Study the Old Testament for 16 weeks this fall, seeing how history, archaeology, and culture add new depth. Learn the big picture of the Bible and see how it points to Jesus all along the way. All are welcome, and you can pre-register here. Seats fill up fast.

Credit: Jonathan Conklin Photography

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Jennifer speaks often at conferences, churches, retreats, MOMCo/MOPS/MomsNext groups,  camps, home school co-ops and more. She loves getting to know people and making new friends.