Delight

God as the source of delight

Delight in the person of God

Isaiah 61:10 NIV

I delight greatly in the Lord; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

See also Ne 1:11; Job 22:26; Ps 22:8; Ps 37:4; Ps 43:3–4; Is 58:13–14

Delight in the word of God

Ps 119:16; Ro 7:22

See also Ps 1:2; Ps 19:7–14; Ps 119:24; Ps 119:47; Je 15:16

Delight in the works of God

1 Sa 2:1; Ps 35:4–10; Ac 11:23

God expresses delight

Over his world

Psalm 104:31 NIV

May the glory of the Lord endure forever; may the Lord rejoice in his works—

See also Ge 1:31; Pr 8:30–31

Over his people

Deuteronomy 30:9–10 NIV

Then the Lord your God will make you most prosperous in all the work of your hands and in the fruit of your womb, the young of your livestock and the crops of your land. The Lord will again delight in you and make you prosperous, just as he delighted in your ancestors, if you obey the Lord your God and keep his commands and decrees that are written in this Book of the Law and turn to the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.

See also 2 Sa 22:20; Ps 147:10–11; Ps 149:4; Is 62:4; Is 65:18–19; Je 31:20; Je 32:41; Mic 7:18

Over justice

Proverbs 11:1 NIV

The Lord detests dishonest scales, but accurate weights find favor with him.

See also Pr 11:20; Pr 12:22; Je 9:24

Over his Messiah

Matthew 3:17 NIV

And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”

See also Is 42:1; Mt 12:18–21; Mt 17:5; 2 Pe 1:17

God’s delight is absent when something is viewed unfavourably

1 Samuel 15:22 NIV

But Samuel replied: “Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.

See also Le 26:31; Ps 51:16; Ps 147:10

Natural delight in parenthood

Proverbs 3:12 NIV

because the Lord disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in.

See also Pr 23:24; Pr 29:17; Mic 1:16

Sexual delight

Song of Solomon 1:4 NIV

Take me away with you—let us hurry! Let the king bring me into his chambers. We rejoice and delight in you; we will praise your love more than wine. How right they are to adore you!

See also Ge 34:19; Pr 5:18; So 2:3; So 4:1; So 7:10

Delight in the created order

In God’s gifts

Deuteronomy 26:11 NIV

Then you and the Levites and the foreigners residing among you shall rejoice in all the good things the Lord your God has given to you and your household.

See also Is 55:2; Je 31:12; Joe 2:23

In one’s work

Ecclesiastes 2:10 NIV

I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure. My heart took delight in all my labor, and this was the reward for all my toil.

See also Dt 12:7; Ec 3:22; Ec 5:19; Ec 8:15

In the achievements of others

Colossians 2:5 NIV

For though I am absent from you in body, I am present with you in spirit and delight to see how disciplined you are and how firm your faith in Christ is.

See also Ex 18:9; Es 6:9; Pr 14:35; 1 Th 2:13–14

The delight of believers in their relationship with God

Psalm 9:2 NIV

I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing the praises of your name, O Most High.

See also 1 Sa 2:1; Ne 1:11; Job 22:26; Ps 9:14; Ps 13:5; Ps 31:7; Ps 35:9; Ps 37:4; Ps 89:16; Ps 149:2; Lk 1:46–47

Delight in wrongdoing

Ps 62:4; 1 Co 13:6

See also Ps 68:30; Pr 2:12–15; Pr 18:2; Is 66:3; Col 2:18; 2 Th 2:12