Our Prosperity God’s Pleasure

Let them shout for joy and be glad, who favor my righteous cause; and let them say continually, "Let the Lord be magnified, who has pleasure in the prosperity of His servant."

Psalm 35:27

Psalm 35:27 speaks of God’s pleasure in prospering those who love, serve, and magnify Him in their lives. 

While God’s pleasure captured my attention, I want to take a side step from that thought and look at the word prosperity as used in Psalm 35:27. At first glance, we understand terms in Scripture according to our current day, culture, and language understanding. However, if we look deeper and go back to the original language, we understand what the original author actually communicated. Not taking the time to do that while reading Psalm 35:27, we surely misunderstand “prosperity.” 

If I asked you what is the first thing you think about when I say the word, “prosperity,” I imagine you respond with words like: money, wealth, riches, material wealth. Rarely do we apply other meanings not linked to some sort of financial affluence to our understanding of prosperity. The problem with applying that understanding to “prosperity” in Psalm 35:27, we completely miss what the psalmist actually communicated. 

In the original Hebrew language, prosperity in Psalm 35:27 translates as shalowm. Shalowm is probably the most used Hebrew term we might still hear someone speak today when speaking of peace. Let’s take a moment to look into the original Hebrew language of shalowm, and see how we can best understand what the psalmist communicated when he said, "Let the Lord be magnified, Who has pleasure in the prosperity of His servant."

Below I listed the definitions of shalowm from the three primary study resources I use when doing a biblical word study. 

Shalowm

1. The Old Testament Hebrew lexicon from my favorite online website, biblestudytools.com defines shalown as: completeness, soundness, welfare, and peace.

2. The Complete Word Study Dictionary of the Old Testament defines shalown as, peace or tranquility. It also acknowledged this kind of peace was often pictured in the Bible as coming from God.

3. The Strong’s Concordance defines shalown as, peace, completeness, welfare; health.

So, if we combine all these definitions, our list of possible definitions is, completeness, soundness, welfare, peace, tranquility, health. Very different than our initial take on the prosperity that God took pleasure in. 

Let’s restate the sentence from Psalm 35:27 replacing the term prosperity with the original language definition.  

"Let the Lord be magnified, Who has pleasure in the completeness, soundness, welfare, peace, tranquility, health of His servant."

That dear sister is the most complete, purest and perfect understanding of true prosperity we can ever have. When we see that God takes pleasure in prospering His servant, we can consider the possibility that an aspect of that prosperity could include material wealth or financial affluence. However, the original language does not emphasize or highlight financial or material wealth in any way. 

Financial or material wealth is based on external factors. God’s prosperity is internal, removing the unbalanced scales of external factors. Without God’s prosperity rooted in our inmost inner being, the everchanging, continually shifting winds of life unstabilize our well-being. On the other hand, God, in His pleasure, prospers us by affording us a state of completeness, soundness, welfare, peace, tranquility, and health to stabilize us no matter how much external factors shift. 

Which reminds me of one of my many favorite Old Testament Bible verses. 

You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.

Isaiah 26:3

Perfect Peace

In my Bible, the subtitle heading for Isaiah 26 says, “A Song of Salvation.” The lyrics of this song point to God and His work for His people. Isaiah 26:3 points to the state of perfect peace given to the one who stays focused on God and trusts in God. God is their only eternal factor they focus on, not instability in the world. 

Interestingly, perfect peace in Isaiah 26:3 in the original Hebrew language is translated shalowm, shalowm. It might not be the most academic thought, but all I can think is, “that’s a double whammy of God prospering His people. 

I’m sorry, but I can’t help myself. I must read Isaiah 26:3 with the original language definition. 

You will keep him in completeness, soundness, welfare, peace, tranquility, health, completeness, soundness, welfare, peace, tranquility, health whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.

Isaiah 26:3

I wonder if God’s word stated it twice to insure we get it or to emphasize the value or degree of shalowm that He gives. I am not sure, but I am sure that He uniquely and intentionally emphasized it. 

 

In a world that seems dismally doomed from many perspectives, where war and pain seem sure and prominent, where corruption and deception rise to high places, where love, compassion, and kindness often seem lost. God offers prosperity that none of these have the power to rattle. God’s prosperity is supernatural and only comes to us by the power of His Holy Spirit through a relationship with Jesus Christ. 

The Effect of God’s Pleasure

Take a moment to let your foremost trial or circumstance come to mind. Maybe you are going through a difficult season in a priority relationship in your life. Or is it a physical or health issue that comes to mind? Possibly the pain of a broken heart affects your every moment. Or maybe in your career or home life you are simply overwhelmed with work and striving. While I may not have listed where you currently find yourself, surely you know your current difficulties or hardships. 

I want you to take a moment to see that trial or issue through the good news of Psalm 35:27. According to Psalm 35:27, if you favor God’s righteous cause, you have reason to shout for joy, to be glad, and to magnify the Lord. because God takes pleasure in prospering (in completeness, soundness, welfare, peace, tranquility, health) the one who does. 

Tell God, “Even in this trial I identified, I favor Your righteous cause.” Ask Him to help you shout for joy and be glad because your heart is set on magnifying Him in and through your life. Picture yourself handing your trial to God and thank Him that He is currently working through that trial to bring about completeness, soundness, welfare, peace, tranquility, and health in your life. Why do I say to do this? Because His word says,

Let them shout for joy and be glad, who favor my righteous cause; 

and let them say continually, "Let the Lord be magnified, 

Who has pleasure in the prosperity of His servant."

Psalm 35:27

Praying that everyone who reads this and takes the time to seek God in this way, experiences a double whammy of God’s shalowm! 

Much Love and Blessings!

Pat Domangue