The delight of the Lord

Proverbs 11:1 reads:

The LORD abhors dishonest scales,
but accurate weights are his delight.

The delight of the LORD. You don’t hear much about that. Or at least I don’t. There’s the fear of the LORD, the wrath of the LORD, the justice and righteousness of the LORD. There are things that are an abomination to the LORD. On the other side, the LORD is loving, kind, compassionate, and faithful. But delighted? What sorts of things delight the LORD? Are there other things, besides accurate weights, that bring joy and pleasure to the heart of God?

Psalm 147:10 tells us what does not delight God:

His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse,
nor his delight in the legs of a man;

The next verse tells us what does delight Him:

the LORD delights in those who fear him,
who put their hope in his unfailing love.

Do we delight the LORD God Almighty? Can we delight Him?

It certainly seems that it is possible. All we have to do is revere and trust Him.


So do we? Is God delighted with many of us? Does He rejoice when we turn our faces toward Him and come into His presence?

One of my favorite verses is Psalm 25:14:

The LORD confides in those who fear him;
he makes his covenant known to them.

I can see the picture – mighty king and lowly servant walking down the road together. The king draws up close to the servant and, lowering his voice, shares what he is thinking with him. O to be that servant, to find such a bond with my King, to be the one of whom it is said:

He will take great delight in you,
he will quiet you with his love,
he will rejoice over you with singing." (Zephaniah 3:17)

A song has been stuck in my head today. One line says, "... keep me so close to you that I feel the throb of the great heart of God..." That requires a close proximity, a delight in being together.

We’re often reminded by those who exhort us to draw closer to God of how far we fall short of his glory. I wish I could find a George MacDonald quote I vaguely remember about how God is never satisfied but easily pleased. Here’s the closest I can come with an internet search:

That no obedience but a perfect one will satisfy God, I hold with all my heart and strength; but that there is none else that He cares for, is one of the lies of the enemy. What father is not pleased with the first tottering attempt of his little one to walk? What father would be satisfied with anything but the manly step of the full-grown son?

Yes, I often stumble and fall. I am a child. But as I get back up and try again, as I trust my Father and hold Him in full reverence, as I seek integrity in my business dealings, I rejoice in these verses that hold out the possibility of being a delight to the LORD, even before I reach full maturity.