Proverbs 11:20; Psalm 147:11; Jeremiah 9:24
They that are of a froward heart are abomination to the LORD: but such as are upright in their way are his delight.
The LORD taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy.
But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD.
MATTHEW POOLE (1624-1679): “In these things I delight”―both in Himself and others.
MATTHEW HENRY (1662-1714): It concerns us to know what God hates and what He loves, that we may govern ourselves accordingly, may avoid His displeasure and recommend ourselves to His favour. Now here we are told that nothing is more offensive to God than hypocrisy and double-dealing, for these are signified by the word which we translate “frowardness.” And that nothing is more pleasing to God than sincerity and plain-dealing: “such as are upright in their way,” such as aim and act with integrity.
JOHN CALVIN (1509-1564): Integrity and uprightness, indeed, give God delight.
HENRY HAMMOND (1605-1660): “Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts,” Psalm 51:6. The Hebrew word אמת, [translated] truth, ordinarily signifies sincerity, uprightness, and integrity; and so “truth in the inward parts” is equivalent to a hearty sincere obedience, not only of the actions, but of the very thoughts and affections to God―this God is said to will, or “desire,” or delight in, and so to command and require of us.
JOHN CALVIN: In all things God delights in truth, but especially in the worship due to His majesty―God delights in the pure and sincere worship of the faithful.
C. H. SPURGEON (1834-1892): God delights in the prayers and praises of Christian families and individuals, but He has a special eye to the assemblies of the faithful, and He has a special delight in their devotions in their church capacity. The great festivals, when the crowds surrounded the temple gates, were fair in the Lord’s eyes, and even such is the general assembly and church of the first-born, whose names are written in heaven…Know you not that Christ’s delights are with the sons of men and that the holiness, the patience, the devotion, the zeal, the love and the faith of His people are precious to Him? The whole creation affords no fairer sight to the Most High than an assembly of His sanctified people in whom He sees the beauty of His own Character reflected.
JOHN CALVIN: The Lord takes the highest delight in the true observation of the Sabbath―Nothing can be more pleasing or acceptable to God, than the observation of the Sabbath, and sincere worship.
C. H. SPURGEON: Spiritual qualities are His delight. He cares most for those emotions which centre in Himself, the fear which He approves is fear of Him, and the hope which He accepts is hope in His mercy…And especially if there is one thing in a saint which delights God more than another, it is the choice grace of faith.
THOMAS GOODWIN (1600-1679): He delights more in our knowing Him to be merciful and to be gracious, which indeed is seen in our believing on Him, than in all our obedience which we perform to Him.
MATTHEW HENRY: A humble confidence in the goodness of God’s nature is very pleasing to Him, as that which turns to the glory of that attribute in which He most glories―the reasons why God pardons sin, and keeps not His anger for ever, are all taken from within Himself; it is because “He delights in mercy,” Micah 7:18…God delights to show kindness.
JOHN CALVIN: God then is said to take delight in doing good because He is, in His nature, inclined to goodness and mercy.
ADAM CLARKE (1760-1832): Nothing can please Him better than having the opportunity, from the return and repentance of the sinner, to show him that mercy without which he must perish everlastingly.
JOHN GILL (1697-1771): Mercy is natural to Him, abundant with Him, and exercised according to His sovereign will and pleasure, very delightful to Him; He takes pleasure in showing mercy to miserable creatures, and in those that hope in it; this is the spring of pardon, which streams through the blood of Christ…it is what God delights in, and therefore He pardons freely; it is large and abundant, and hence He pardons fully.
C. H. SPURGEON: He is at home in this blessed work! With God, it is His nature to forgive—He is Love—and mercy is a drop from the honeycomb of love. God must be just, but to punish is His left-handed labour, while to forgive is His right-handed work. He is happy at it! He finds pleasure in man’s turning to Him and finding life.
ADAM CLARKE: God delights in mercy―God delights not in the rod; judgment is “His strange work,” Isaiah 28:21.
JOHN CALVIN: God delights in judgment as well as in mercy―for as His judgment is right, He delights in it.
WILLIAM KELLY (1821-1906): God delights to manifest Himself in all His fulness.
MATTHEW HENRY: “The LORD loveth judgment,” Psalm 37:28. He delights in doing justice Himself and He delights in those that do justice…Those that are elevated God delights to abase, and commonly does it in the course of His providence: The proud, that magnify themselves, bid defiance to the God above them and trample on all about them, are such as God resists and will destroy—see how God delights not only to bring down proud men, but to bring them down in such a way as is most mortifying, and pours most contempt upon them. Herod is not only destroyed, but destroyed by worms, that the pride of his glory may be effectually stained, Acts 12:23.
JOHN TRAPP (1601-1699): God delights to cross such vain boasters, and to confute their confidences, that speak and live as if their lives were riveted upon eternity.
THOMAS COKE (1747-1814): They who abuse their power, and walk in pride, God delights to abase.
JOHN TRAPP: God delights to retaliate to bloody and deceitful men especially; as were easy to instance in the Egyptians, Adonibezek, Agag―Thus God delights to retaliate and proportion jealousy to jealousy, provocation to provocation; so frowardness to frowardness, contrariety to contrariety. God delights to give men their own, as good as they brought, to pay them home in their own coin, or, with the merciful to show Himself merciful, and with the froward to wrestle, Psalm 18:25,26.
JOHN CALVIN: If we framed our life in obedience to God, we should be His delight, and, on the other hand, He would be our delight.
WILLIAM KELLY: The spirit of a Christian servant is not doing merely what is commanded, but the doing whatsoever delights God: the desire of the servant should be to please the Master.
CHARLES SIMEON (1759-1836): In particular, consult the sacred records, and see what those things are in which your God delights. Does He delight to honour His only dear Son? Let your whole soul engage in this blessed work, looking to Him for all that you want, “receiving every thing out of His fulness,” and devoting yourselves in body, soul, and spirit, to His service. Does God delight in holiness? Seek it in its utmost heights, that ye may “be holy as he is holy, and perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.”
C H. SPURGEON: Beloved, nothing so delights God, next to the Person of His own dear Son, as the sight of one of those whom He has made like unto the Lord Jesus!
