God Takes Pleasure in His People

But let him who glories glory in this, That he understands and knows Me, That I am the LORD, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight,” says the LORD. For the LORD takes pleasure in His people; He will beautify the humble with salvation.

(Genesis 1:1 NKJV) In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

(Genesis 1:10 NKJV) And God called the dry land Earth, and the gathering together of the waters He called Seas. And God saw that it was good.

(Exodus 34:5-7 NKJV) Now the LORD descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD. {6} And the LORD passed before him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, {7} “keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children’s children to the third and the fourth generation.”

(1 Samuel 12:21-22 NKJV) “And do not turn aside; for then you would go after empty things which cannot profit or deliver, for they are nothing. {22} “For the LORD will not forsake His people, for His great name’s sake, because it has pleased the LORD to make you His people.

(Psalms 5:3-4 NKJV) My voice You shall hear in the morning, O LORD; In the morning I will direct it to You, And I will look up. {4} For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness, Nor shall evil dwell with You.

(Psalms 32:8-10 NKJV) I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye. {9} Do not be like the horse or like the mule, Which have no understanding, Which must be harnessed with bit and bridle, Else they will not come near you. {10} Many sorrows shall be to the wicked; But he who trusts in the LORD, mercy shall surround him.

(Psalms 35:27 NKJV) Let them shout for joy and be glad, Who favor my righteous cause; And let them say continually, “Let the LORD be magnified, Who has pleasure in the prosperity of His servant.”

(Psalms 40:12-13 NKJV) For innumerable evils have surrounded me; My iniquities have overtaken me, so that I am not able to look up; They are more than the hairs of my head; Therefore my heart fails me. {13} Be pleased, O LORD, to deliver me; O LORD, make haste to help me!

(Psalms 100:5 NKJV) For the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures to all generations.

(Psalms 103:21-22 NKJV) Bless the LORD, all you His hosts, You ministers of His, who do His pleasure. {22} Bless the LORD, all His works, In all places of His dominion. Bless the LORD, O my soul!

(Psalms 135:5-6 NKJV) For I know that the LORD is great, And our Lord is above all gods. {6} Whatever the LORD pleases He does, In heaven and in earth, In the seas and in all deep places.

(Psalms 147:11 NKJV) The LORD takes pleasure in those who fear Him, In those who hope in His mercy.

(Psalms 149:4 NKJV) For the LORD takes pleasure in His people; He will beautify the humble with salvation.

(Isaiah 58:6-14 NKJV) “Is this not the fast that I have chosen: To loose the bonds of wickedness, To undo the heavy burdens, To let the oppressed go free, And that you break every yoke? {7} Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, And that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out; When you see the naked, that you cover him, And not hide yourself from your own flesh? {8} Then your light shall break forth like the morning, Your healing shall spring forth speedily, And your righteousness shall go before you; The glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard. {9} Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer; You shall cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’ “If you take away the yoke from your midst, The pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness, {10} If you extend your soul to the hungry And satisfy the afflicted soul, Then your light shall dawn in the darkness, And your darkness shall be as the noonday. {11} The LORD will guide you continually, And satisfy your soul in drought, And strengthen your bones; You shall be like a watered garden, And like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail. {12} Those from among you Shall build the old waste places; You shall raise up the foundations of many generations; And you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach, The Restorer of Streets to Dwell In. {13} “If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, From doing your pleasure on My holy day, And call the Sabbath a delight, The holy day of the LORD honorable, And shall honor Him, not doing your own ways, Nor finding your own pleasure, Nor speaking your own words, {14} Then you shall delight yourself in the LORD; And I will cause you to ride on the high hills of the earth, And feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father. The mouth of the LORD has spoken.”

(Jeremiah 9:23-24 NKJV) Thus says the LORD: “Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, Let not the mighty man glory in his might, Nor let the rich man glory in his riches; {24} But let him who glories glory in this, That he understands and knows Me, That I am the LORD, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight,” says the LORD.

(Jeremiah 32:38-41 NKJV) ‘They shall be My people, and I will be their God; {39} ‘then I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear Me forever, for the good of them and their children after them. {40} ‘And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from doing them good; but I will put My fear in their hearts so that they will not depart from Me. {41} ‘Yes, I will rejoice over them to do them good, and I will assuredly plant them in this land, with all My heart and with all My soul.’

(Ezekiel 18:23 NKJV) “Do I have any pleasure at all that the wicked should die?” says the Lord GOD, “and not that he should turn from his ways and live?

(Ezekiel 18:31-32 NKJV) “Cast away from you all the transgressions which you have committed, and get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. For why should you die, O house of Israel? {32} “For I have no pleasure in the death of one who dies,” says the Lord GOD. “Therefore turn and live!”

(Ezekiel 33:11 NKJV) “Say to them: ‘As I live,’ says the Lord GOD, ‘I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why should you die, O house of Israel?’

(Hosea 6:6 NKJV) For I desire mercy and not sacrifice, And the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.

(Micah 6:8 NKJV) He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God?

(Matthew 9:13 NKJV) “But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’ For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”

(Luke 10:21 NKJV) In that hour Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit and said, “I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight.

(John 3:16-17 NKJV) “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. {17} “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

(1 Corinthians 1:20-21 NKJV) Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? {21} For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.

(1 Corinthians 12:18 NKJV) But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased.

(Galatians 1:15 NKJV) But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace,

(Philippians 2:12-13 NKJV) Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; {13} for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.

(2 Thessalonians 1:11-12 NKJV) Therefore we also pray always for you that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness and the work of faith with power, {12} that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

(Hebrews 10:38-39 NKJV) Now the just shall live by faith; But if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him.” {39} But we are not of those who draw back to perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul.

(Hebrews 11:5-6 NKJV) By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, “and was not found, because God had taken him”; for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God. {6} But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

(Hebrews 13:15-16 NKJV) Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name. {16} But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.

(James 2:23 NKJV) And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” And he was called the friend of God.

(Revelation 4:11 NKJV) “You are worthy, O Lord, To receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things, And by Your will they exist and were created.”