Does God delight partly in the Son and partly in the creation? Ecclesiastes 2:26 NIV: To the person who pleases him, God gives wisdom Two people can desire the same thing for such different reasons that one is honorable and the other is perverse. Verse Concepts. Young's Literal Translation So our first statement is that God the Father loves the Son, not with any self-denying, sacrificial mercy, but with the love of delight and pleasure. I will sing to the Lord as long as I live; 5. Why People Follow Jesus, Part III (For the Joy of It) This brings us to the focus of todays message The Pleasure of God in All That He Does and todays text: Psalm 135. In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. As long as there has been God, there has been the Word of God, the Son of God, who took on a human nature in Jesus Christ. And the glory that they have together is that overflowing mutual joy in each others perfections. Herein lies the greatest obstacle to our salvation: for how shall such a righteous God ever set his affection on sinners like us? This too is vanity and chasing after the wind. The angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. Let me just mention one text. The psalm begins by calling us to praise the Lord: Praise the Lord. From these and other texts, we are assured that God does what pleases Him. What? Kindly join in and be blessed. I have commended a solution to you before and I will commend it again: namely, that the death and misery of the unrepentant is in and of itself no delight to God. All who find Jesus know, with the shepherds of the nativity, the joy He brings. What happens if I overpay at a gas station? Verse Concepts. Why is this pleasure that God has in creation not a dishonor to the Son of God? So maybe I can kill two birds with one stone. (John 1:3). In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. So it is with God. 1 Know that you are God's child. I once . Let me say it again: Joy is a deep, settled (I almost wanted to say restful, and that would be okay), emotionally contented and emotionally restful and emotionally satisfying yes just a deep yes from the heart to the supreme worth of God above all things in any circumstance. Now why would that be? Or if you just take a part of it like the human body what an amazing work of knowledge and wisdom. Full many a gem of purest ray serene, Most people in the world have no experience of lasting joy in their lives. And the very same Hebrew verb is used in Psalm 135:6 (he pleases) and Ezekiel 18:32 (he has pleasure). 2 Timothy 2:15 tells us to do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. By spending time in Gods Word, we gain a deeper understanding of His will and purpose for our lives. This too is vanity and chasing after the wind. Lesson 8: God's Joy | Bible.org Amen. So the answer to the first question is Yes! He needs no education. This is the scope of what God does when he does whatever he pleases. Most people in the world have no experience of lasting joy in their lives. However, this effort to please God is never to earn favor or to be accepted by Him, since those who place faith in Christ are already pleasing to Him. Thats the second statement about why God rejoices in his works. Confessions of a People Pleaser | Open the Bible God is pleased when we share the gospel with others and bring them into His kingdom. God is not mocked. who smote many nations and slew mighty kings. He says this on one other occasion: at Jesuss baptism, as the Holy Spirit comes down and anoints Jesus for his ministry, signifying the Fathers love and support This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased., And in the gospel of John, Jesus speaks several times about the Fathers love for him: for example, John 3:35, The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into his hand. John 5:20: The Father loves the Son, and shows him all that he himself is doing. (See also Matthew 12:18 where Matthew quotes Isaiah 42:1 in reference to Jesus: Behold, my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved with whom my soul is well pleased. The Hebrew word behind well pleased is ratsah, and means delights in.). The more you give, the more you will experience joy, and the more you experience joy, the more joy you will want to give. In Matthew 25:40, Jesus said, Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me. When we show compassion and kindness to others, we are demonstrating our love for God and fulfilling His command to love our neighbors as ourselves. You and I know from experience that the root conflict in the human soul is between two glories the glory of the world and all the brief pleasures it can offer, versus the glory of God and all the eternal pleasures it can offer. in heaven and on earth, Or am I trying to please man? Because we were created for something infinitely better and nobler and greater and deeper than self-contemplation. In verse 4 Paul says it is the glory of Christ, who is the likeness of God. As I asked myself that question on the retreat two weeks ago, a new answer came to my mind. The Pleasure of God in All That He Does | Desiring God Isnt the essence of righteousness to be moved by perfect delight in what is perfectly glorious? My quest is over. (See also Proverbs 1:2426; Revelation 18:20; Ezekiel 5:13.). There go the ships, and Leviathan which thou didst form to sport in it. The psalm describes the struggle King David faced every day, with wicked people trying to harm him. Pleasing God | Reformed Theological Seminary Give the sacrifice God wants. Ecclesiastes 2:26 in all English translations. But this effort to limit Gods freedom to the sphere of nature will not work for two reasons. And therefore he cant be bribed with something he craves or blackmailed with some secret weakness or coerced by some superior power. This too is pointless and feeding on wind. In 1 Thessalonians 5:17, we are encouraged to pray without ceasing. When we spend time in prayer, it shows that we are seeking His direction and guidance, and it deepens our relationship with Him. What this suggests to me is that the joy that God has in his works is owing to the fact that they are the expression of his glory. Ecclesiastes 2:26 - RSVA - For to the man who pleases him God gives The Bible teaches us to Rejoice in the Lord always and again I say rejoice. (Philippians 4:4). At the one point in the history of the universe where God looked trapped, he was totally in charge doing precisely what he pleased dying to justify the ungodly like you and me. Spending time in prayer, worship, and reading the Bible, focussing on His promises and living a life of gratitude can help us cultivate a deeper joy that can only come from a relationship with God. So I would say that this kind of joy in God is the essence, but not the totality, of what it means to love God. The Lord is the everlasting God, David strongly believed that singing joyfully to God in times of trouble is a powerful way to acknowledge Gods sovereignty and to invite Him into our circumstances. To such a man God gives wisdom, and knowledge, and joy; wisdom to acquire knowledge, to keep, use, and improve it; and joy, to be cheerful . Or to say it another way: joy in God is a deep, abiding, soul disposition to treasure God over all things or cherish him more, esteem him, or prize him above all things. We repent and turn from our presumption and gladly stand in awe of your eternal, self-sufficient happiness in the fellowship of the Trinity. Another way to put it would be to say that the measure of Gods dignity is determined by what he delights in. He is author of. The night before Herod was about to dispose of him an angel of the Lord woke Peter and led him out of the prison unharmed. In Matthew 28:19-20, Jesus commands us to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything He has commanded us. And when the time came for creation, the Bible says that both the Father and the Son were active in the work of creation (1 Corinthians 8:6; Colossians 1:16). The result is a plan to preach thirteen messages entitled the pleasures of God. That is the way we are. What is the joy of the Lord? | GotQuestions.org Are We Called to Please God? - Christianity So for these two reasons at least lets try to answer the question why God takes pleasure in his creation. As God's love is manifested in us, and revealed through us touching others, we share His Joy. When we live a life of good works, the world will see and glorify our Father in heaven. It seems to me that creation praises God by simply being what it was created to be in all its incredible variety. The key verse for our purpose is verse 31: This is not a prayer for something that might not happen. All of our resources exist to guide you toward everlasting joy in Jesus Christ. 26 For to the one who pleases him God has given wisdom and knowledge and joy, but to the sinner he has given the business of gathering and collecting, only to give to one who pleases God. Praise him, you highest heavens, Moreover, when we show gratitude for what God has given us, it shows that we appreciate His blessings and acknowledge His goodness. And it is okay, I think, to talk about obedience as a part of the love of God, provided you see the distinction in the if-then relationship. Why would there be a unique preposition with from the heart, and another preposition with soul, strength and body a preposition that means by, like agency with in the sense that this is the instrument or the tool. But the text doesnt leave us to draw out silent inferences like that. You see this in verse 14. This also is vanity and vexation of spirit." King James Version (KJV) < Previous Verse Next Verse > View Chapter " The joy of the Lord makes you strong." ( Nehemiah 8:10 NIRV) 1. and because he is strong in power These statements about why God delights in his creation are not really separate reasons because they overlap so much. The psalmist is not praying that an uncertainty might come to pass. We praise you that your plan and counsel is governed not by our will but by your good pleasure. And some people say, "There, you see it: obedience is the same as . Our days are spent to please God, bring him joy, and reflect the One who created us for his ultimate glory! I will sing praise to my God while I have being. There are many ways to please God, including faith, obedience, prayer, studying the Bible and living a life of love and service. Sorrowful, yet always rejoicing (2 Corinthians 6:10). The Bible places a high value on cultivating a joyful heart. The Bible has a lot to say about having a joyful heart and the importance of cultivating joy in our lives. Daily expressing gratitude to God for His blessings can help us to find joy in our everyday lives. In this context, I want us to think of joy not as a kind of emotional manifestation, because what I mean by joy can be manifest in weeping or leaping. The psalmist goes on in verses 811 to say that Gods sovereign freedom was shown most vividly in the Exodus out of Egypt: He it was who smote the first-born of Egypt, both of man and of beast . Praise the Lord! On the basis of these texts and many others, we should bow before God and praise his sovereign freedom that in some sense at least he always acts in freedom, according to his own good pleasure, following the dictates of his own delights. 2 days of "and the lord heard me - i have my answers" || nsppd || 6th july 2023 There has never been a time that Jesus was not God's Son, so this delight precedes his earthly Incarnation and has been going on from eternity. Ecclesiastes 2:26 ESV - For to the one who pleases him God has - Bible One of my favorite poems is Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard by Thomas Gray in 1751. All of a sudden God gives Jesus an appearance of glory. In Matthew 25:40, Jesus says, Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me. When we serve others, we are serving God as well. So the praise of the deeps is not merely what they can testify to man. King James Bible For God giveth to a man that is good in his sight wisdom, and knowledge, and joy: but to the sinner he giveth travail, to gather and to heap up, that he may give to him that is good before God. But I am going to say it, and you can test it out whatever way you can. This also is vanity and a chasing after wind. In Philippians 4:4, Paul writes, Rejoice in the Lord always. Should he not be totally satisfied in the beauty of his own perfections reflected back to him in the person of his Son? If not, how are they different?. You cant bribe a mountain spring with bucketfuls of water from the valley. . I will try to unfold this truth in five affirmations. "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. Making the Lord your joy requires daily commitment and effort. And therefore God the Son is co-eternal with God the Father and equal in essence and glory. I always thought of the joy referred to here as the joy which God gives, and so it is. In conclusion, there are several ways to please God and bring Him joy. In the book of Psalms, it says that in Gods presence there is fullness of joy and at His right hand are pleasures forevermore. God gives the strength we need; he must work within us. And so the righteousness of God is the infinite zeal and joy and pleasure that he has in his own worth and glory. God Answers Prayer. by the greatness of his might, Should the Son be jealous of the creation? Whatever the Lord pleases he does, At first, this sounds like vanity and has the feel of conceitedness and smugness and selfishness about it, because that is what it would mean if any of us found our first and deepest joy by looking at ourselves in the mirror. Flowing out from that essence like streams from a spring or growing up like shoots out of a root are other emotions that are part of love to God, like thankfulness, desire, yieldedness and compliance to his ways and his will, expressions of adoration, and a comprehensive yes not only to his value but to his plan the prospering of his plan for the universe. God is pleased when we serve others, especially those in need. Parents and teachers tell us to do things that we dont like to do because we need to do them to overcome some deficiency in ourselves to increase our knowledge or strengthen our bodies or refine our manners. In Luke 10:27, when it says, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, the preposition for with there translates the Greek ex, from, and when it says and with all your soul, with all your strength, with all your mind, all three of those prepositions are en. In verse 4 the light is called the light of the gospel, and in verse 6 the light is called the light of knowledge. In verse 4 the gospel is the gospel of the glory of Christ, and in verse 6 the knowledge is the knowledge of the glory of God. The pleasing of man was secondary, but it came after he sought to please God. Five times, you recall, God stands back, as it were, and takes stock of his creation. Let us stand in awe of this great God! 26 For to the one who pleases him God has given wisdom and knowledge . For 33 years, he served as pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church, Minneapolis, Minnesota. While there are many verses that speak to the importance of joy in the Christian life, Psalm 32:11, Philippians 4:4, and John 15:11 all offer powerful reminders of the source of our joy and the importance of abiding in Christ. If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ. Answer When talking about His Father in heaven, Jesus said, "I always do what pleases him" ( John 8:29 ). The teeming ocean declares the glory of God, and praises him a hundred miles from any human eye. For 33 years, he served as pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church, Minneapolis, Minnesota. It says, If you love me, then as a consequence of that essence you will do other things, like keep the commandments. That is a branch. What does the Bible say about a joyful heart? A good Bible verse for joy is one that reminds us to find our joy in the Lord. This proverb also reminds us that we should surround ourselves with positive influences in our lives and avoid negative energy. This also is vanity and vexation of spirit. He has never been lonely. He acknowledges that life is a difficult journey characterized by danger and threats, but he firmly believes that those who place their trust in God will never be disappointed. How glorious and happy have been the Father and the Son and the Spirit of love flowing between them from all eternity! In him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily. The Son of God is not merely a chosen man. Here he seems to be cornered. Were on a mission to change that. Jesus himself said, If you love me, keep my commandments (John 14:15). Studying the Bible is another way to please God. How to Live for God's Glory - Grace to You Ecclesiastes 2:26 - NIV - To the person who pleases him - Christianity There are many promises in the Bible that remind us of Gods love and care for us. In John 14:21, Jesus said, Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. Ill try to sum it up in five statements based on this psalm and some other parts of Scripture. The contemplation and enjoyment of God! Our God is in the heavens; Love, obedience, worship, thankfulness, serving others, and sharing the gospel are some of the most significant ways to do so. . Is Joy in God the Same as Love for God? | Desiring God I will say it again: Rejoice! This verse is a call to constant joy in the Lord, even in the midst of difficult circumstances. When he looked at it, it gave him pleasure. April 1, 2022 The Joy of God in Us Why the Spirit Produces Happiness Article by Jon Bloom Staff writer, desiringGod.org Subscribe Apple Spotify As we read through the New Testament, we encounter a unique connection between the Holy Spirit and joy. I believe this text teaches us that one of the ways we are changed progressively into the likeness of Christ is by looking at his glory. So we are brought back to the inescapable fact that in some sense God does not delight in the death of the wicked (that is the message of Ezekiel 18), and in some sense he does (that is the message of Psalm 135:611 and Deuteronomy 28:63). American Standard Version And since most of the creation is beyond the awareness of mankind (in the reaches of space, and in the heights of mountains and at the bottom of the sea), it wasnt created merely to serve purposes that have to do with us. Luke 1:30. The psalmist does not mean: O, I hope God will rejoice in his works, but I am not sure he will. If that were the meaning, then the first line of the verse would have to have the same sense: O, I hope Gods glory will endure forever, but I am not sure it will.. Ranger Rick arrives in our house. Fear God. and the firmament proclaims his handiwork. This also is vanity and vexation of spirit. 68 Bible Verses about Pleasing God - Online Bible 2. In the end, it will not be the seas or the mountains or the canyons or the clouds or the great galaxies that fill our hearts to breaking with wonder and fill our mouths with eternal praise. Unlike happiness, which is often based on external circumstances, joy is a deep sense of contentment and peace that comes from knowing and trusting in God. Not to love him and delight in him is a great insult to his worth. God gives us joy because He is joyful. Though he was in the form of God, he did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant. How we would marvel at the wisdom of God. So obedience to what God says is a branch that grows from the root of love, but I doubt that it would be wrong to say obedience is part of what it means to love God in the big, general sense. Ecclesiastes 2:26 AMP - For to the person who pleases Him God - Bible He has been overflowing with satisfaction as he looks out over the endless panorama of his own perfections reflected in the radiance of his Sons face. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be . In this verse, King David encourages all those who rely on God to take refuge in Him. When we turn our thoughts and actions from pleasing others to pleasing Christ, only then will we find contentment, peace, and . Joy can be present very strongly in moments of greatest loss. He has always rejoiced with overflowing satisfaction in the glory of his Son. living things both small and great. We are on the brink of the ineffable here, but perhaps we may dare to say this much: as long as God has been God, he has been conscious of himself, and the image that he has of himself is so perfect and so complete and full as to be the living, personal reproduction (or begetting) of himself. But why? But the same is true for God. What I mean by joy heres my effort at a definition is a deep, settled, emotionally satisfying yes, from the heart, to the supreme worth of God in all things. You need to look at your relationship with God in the same way that God does. That means that as a preacher I am constantly confronted with the question: How can I best portray the glory of God so that the greatest number of people will see it and be changed by it? He is not trapped or cornered or coerced. To the person who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God. How to Do Good So That God Gets the Glory | Desiring God Jesus said, If you love me, you will keep my commandments (John 14:15). No one can offer anything to him that doesnt already come from him. Ecclesiastes 2:26English Standard Version. The Joy of God in Us: Why the Spirit Produces Happiness And some people say, There, you see it: obedience is the same as loving God. No, no, no. Until now you have asked for nothing in My name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be made full. That is surely not what he means. We will not always please people. And what a God he must be! Well we might say that sun and moon and stars praise God by testifying to us about God. Another way to please God is by obeying His commands. If Scougal is right that the worth and excellency of a soul is measured by the object (and I would add, intensity) of its love then . Moses says that when they are judged, they will unwittingly give an opportunity for God to rejoice in the demonstration of his justice and his power and the infinite worth of his glory. He loves the Son and delights in the Son and takes pleasure in the Son because the Son is God himself. Is God really free to do all everything according to his good pleasure? He has the fullness of deity in him. In Matthew 17 Jesus takes Peter, James, and John up on a high mountain. He is free, and he takes pleasure in all that he does. Proverbs 17:22 teaches us the importance of focusing on the positive aspects of life and emphasizes the healing power of joy and positivity. These two glories compete for the allegiance, admiration, and delight of our hearts. [1] Your relationship with God should be based on love and not on the blind obedience of rules. For 33 years, he served as pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church, Minneapolis, Minnesota. 27 Bible Verses about God Answers Prayer - Online Bible And so no one can bribe him or coerce him in any way. What brings God joy? | Gen215.org Isaiah uses the same Hebrew word (as a noun) in Isaiah 46:10 where the Lord says. All of our resources exist to guide you toward everlasting joy in Jesus Christ. Secondly, praise and worship play a pivotal role in finding joy in the Lord. Pleasing God Dr. Howard Griffith | September 22, 2015 | Colossians 1:9-20 00:00 00:00 Download | 11 Listens I want to read from the Word of God, Colossians 1, beginning of verse 9. It is also the joy which God possesses and experiences. . 26 For to the man who is good from [God's] viewpoint he gives wisdom, knowledge and joy; but to the sinner he gives the task of collecting and accumulating things to leave to him who is good from God's viewpoint. Genesis 1 describes for us not only the fact of an ordered creation by God, but also God's response to his creation. In the Bible, it says in Psalm 16:11, You make known to me the path of life; in your presence, there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore. This verse serves as a reminder that being in the presence of God is where we can find the fullness of joy that we all long for. When we praise and worship God, we open our hearts to His presence and allow Him to work in us and through us. For 33 years, he served as pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church, Minneapolis, Minnesota. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commands and remain in his love. And so our text draws to a close like this (Psalm 104:3134): May the glory of the Lord endure forever, We can focus on the good in our lives instead of the negative. God is the most glorious of all beings. That is my quest. The Bible teaches that this eternal God has always had. He has the fullness of deity in him. And we naturally tend to imitate the people we admire most. This also is vanity and a striving after wind. In wisdom thou hast made them all! In other words the Lord delights in the expressions of his wisdom. 25 If we delight in God, then we delight in what gives Him pleasure. But this time it says something strikingly different from Ezekiel 18:32, And as the Lord took delight in doing you good and multiplying you, so the Lord will take delight in bringing ruin upon you and destroying you. Psalm 5 is one of the prayers of King David, which he addressed to God. Do God's will. you sea monsters and all deeps. It reads: Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart! This verse encourages believers to find their joy in the Lord, recognizing that true joy can only be found in Him.