Matthew 3:17
King James Version
17 And lo a voice from heaven,
saying,
This is my beloved Son,
in whom I am well pleased.
Ever wondered what makes GOD happy?
What the LORD delights in?
I searched Scripture.
And here's what I found.
First, GOD delighted in His creation:
Genesis 1:4-5
King James Version
4 And God saw the light,
that it was good:
and God divided the light from the darkness.
5 And God called the light Day,
and the darkness he called Night.
And the evening and the morning
were the first day.
Genesis 1:10
King James Version
10 And God called the dry land Earth;
and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas:
and God saw that it was good.
Genesis 1:12
King James Version
12 And the earth brought forth grass,
and herb yielding seed after his kind,
and the tree yielding fruit,
whose seed was in itself, after his kind:
and God saw that it was good.
Genesis 1:16-18
King James Version
16 And God made two great lights;
the greater light to rule the day,
and the lesser light to rule the night:
he made the stars also.
17 And God set them in the firmament of the heaven
to give light upon the earth,
18 And to rule over the day and over the night,
and to divide the light from the darkness:
and God saw that it was good.
Genesis 1:21
King James Version
21 And God created great whales,
and every living creature that moveth,
which the waters brought forth abundantly,
after their kind,
and every winged fowl after his kind:
and God saw that it was good.
Genesis 1:25
King James Version
25 And God made the beast of the earth after his kind,
and cattle after their kind,
and every thing that creepeth upon the earth
after his kind:
and God saw that it was good.
Genesis 1:31
King James Version
31 And God saw every thing that he had made,
and, behold,
it was very good.
And the evening and the morning
were the sixth day.
GOD delighted in His Son, JESUS.
Isaiah 42:1-7
King James Version
42 Behold my servant,
whom I uphold;
mine elect,
in whom my soul delighteth;
I have put my spirit upon him:
he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles.
2 He shall not cry, nor lift up,
nor cause his voice to be heard in the street.
3 A bruised reed shall he not break,
and the smoking flax shall he not quench:
he shall bring forth judgment unto truth.
4 He shall not fail nor be discouraged,
till he have set judgment in the earth:
and the isles shall wait for his law.
5 Thus saith God the Lord,
he that created the heavens, and stretched them out;
he that spread forth the earth,
and that which cometh out of it;
he that giveth breath unto the people upon it,
and spirit to them that walk therein:
6 I the Lord have called thee in righteousness,
and will hold thine hand,
and will keep thee,
and give thee for a covenant of the people,
for a light of the Gentiles;
7 To open the blind eyes,
to bring out the prisoners from the prison,
and them that sit in darkness
out of the prison house.
Matthew 17:5
King James Version
5 While he yet spake,
behold,
a bright cloud overshadowed them:
and behold a voice out of the cloud,
which said,
This is my beloved Son,
in whom I am well pleased;
hear ye him.
GOD delighted in Israel.
Deuteronomy 7:6-9
King James Version
6 For thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God:
the Lord thy God hath chosen thee
to be a special people unto himself,
above all people that are upon the face of the earth.
7 The Lord did not set his love upon you,
nor choose you,
because ye were more in number than any people;
for ye were the fewest of all people:
8 But because the Lord loved you,
and because he would keep the oath
which he had sworn unto your fathers,
hath the Lord brought you out with a mighty hand,
and redeemed you out of the house of bondmen,
from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.
9 Know therefore that the Lord thy God,
he is God,
the faithful God,
which keepeth covenant and mercy
with them that love him
and keep his commandments
to a thousand generations;
Isaiah 62:4
King James Version
4 Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken;
neither shall thy land any more be termed Desolate:
but thou shalt be called Hephzibah,
and thy land Beulah:
for the Lord delighteth in thee,
and thy land shall be married.
Zephaniah 3:17-20
King James Version
17 The Lord thy God in the midst of thee
is mighty;
he will save,
he will rejoice over thee with joy;
he will rest in his love,
he will joy over thee with singing.
18 I will gather them that are sorrowful
for the solemn assembly,
who are of thee,
to whom the reproach of it was a burden.
19 Behold,
at that time I will undo all that afflict thee:
and I will save her that halteth,
and gather her that was driven out;
and I will get them praise and fame in every land
where they have been put to shame.
20 At that time will I bring you again,
even in the time that I gather you:
for I will make you a name and a praise
among all people of the earth,
when I turn back your captivity before your eyes,
saith the Lord.
Romans 2:29
King James Version
29 But he is a Jew,
which is one inwardly;
and circumcision is that of the heart,
in the spirit,
and not in the letter;
whose praise is not of men,
but of God.
GOD delighted in us.
Psalm 18:19
King James Version
19 He brought me forth also into a large place;
he delivered me,
because he delighted in me.
Psalm 44:1-3
King James Version
44 We have heard with our ears,
O God,
our fathers have told us,
what work thou didst in their days,
in the times of old.
2 How thou didst drive out the heathen
with thy hand,
and plantedst them;
how thou didst afflict the people,
and cast them out.
3 For they got not the land in possession
by their own sword,
neither did their own arm save them:
but thy right hand,
and thine arm,
and the light of thy countenance,
because thou hadst a favour unto them.
John 3:16-17
King James Version
16 For God so loved the world,
that he gave his only begotten Son,
that whosoever believeth in him should not perish,
but have everlasting life.
17 For God sent not his Son into the world
to condemn the world;
but that the world through him
might be saved.
John 15:16
King James Version
16 Ye have not chosen me,
but I have chosen you,
and ordained you,
that ye should go and bring forth fruit,
and that your fruit should remain:
that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name,
he may give it you.
Other things GOD delights in:
Psalm 37:23
King James Version
23 The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord:
and he delighteth in his way.
King James Version
31 The glory of the Lord shall endure for ever:
the Lord shall rejoice in his works.
Psalm 147:11
King James Version
11 The Lord taketh pleasure in them that fear him,
in those that hope in his mercy.
Psalm 149:4
King James Version
4 For the Lord taketh pleasure in his people:
he will beautify the meek with salvation.
Proverbs 3:11-12
King James Version
11 My son,
despise not the chastening of the Lord;
neither be weary of his correction:
12 For whom the Lord loveth he correcteth;
even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.
Jeremiah 9:24
King James Version
24 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.
Jeremiah 31:3
King James Version
3 The Lord hath appeared of old unto me,
saying,
Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love:
therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.
Micah 7:18
King James Version
18 Who is a God like unto thee,
that pardoneth iniquity,
and passeth by the transgression
of the remnant of his heritage?
he retaineth not his anger for ever,
because he delighteth in mercy.
In SUMMARY, GOD delights in the following:
in His creation
in His Son, JESUS
in Israel
in us
in the steps of a good man
in His works
in those that fear Him
in those that hope in His mercy
in meek people
in us, whom He considers sons
in His exercising lovingkindness, judgment, righteousness in the earth
in His prophets
in mercy
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Image: Steve Shreve
