Take Pleasure

I’ve been considering a possible difference in meaning between “take pleasure in” and “take pleasure from”.  Life might not exactly hang in the balance but I think there could be some problems if we don’t live out the difference appropriately!  So, walk with me through some definitions to see if we can make some sense of this:

Take - lay hold of, obtain, gain or acquire, remove;

Pleasure - a state of gratification, a source of delight or joy;

In - it is often used as a function word to indicate inclusion, incorporation or purpose;

From - it is often used as a function word to indicate a source, a starting point, a focal point or an act of removal.

From what I can gather, in many ways, “in” and “from” are often used interchangeably.  But, there can be some differences depending on use and context.  For example:

"He took pleasure in dancing in the rain." - the pleasure is in the action/event.

"He took pleasure from dancing in the rain." - the pleasure is extracted from the action/event.

Actions or events are not the only way we find pleasure.  So, to broaden this to include relationships:

“He took pleasure in his relationship with…” – the pleasure is in the relationship.

“He took pleasure from his relationship with…” – the pleasure is extracted from the relationship.

Again, it appears that “in” and “from” can be used interchangeably.  But, there can be a difference and it is likely based on our perspective on relationships or our approach to them.

Since the use of “from” can indicate an act of removal or extraction, it seems then that taking pleasure from a relationship could include a selfish element to it.  That is, when pleasure is obtained by removing or extracting from another, then it is quite possible that it was done at the expense of another and thus was likely selfish.

As I’ve pondered the “in” and the “from” in terms of how God describes His relationship with us, I’m thinking that God goes with the “in”:

“But the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love.” (Ps 147:11)

“For the Lord takes pleasure in his people; he adorns the humble with salvation.”  (Ps 149:4)

Of course, both verses use “in” and that could certainly prove that my premise is true but the context seems to indicate that God is not selfishly extracting something from us at our expense.  It appears that He simply enjoys having a relationship with us!