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Hello from Sabbatical! God gave me a verse and some thoughts this morning that I just couldn’t keep to myself.

Yesterday, my church held a women’s retreat. The topic was lament—how do we bring our grief and pain to God? It was a great day, and I won’t go into all the details, but one thought that I took away from the day is that God is a safe space to bring all of our grief and our sorrows and our pain and our hurts.

One example the speaker used yesterday was a trash can. So often, we stuff all of our feelings down like trash in a trash can, shoving in more and more and compacting it down so we can put the lid back on it again. What we don’t realize is that over time, that trash that we keep pushing down starts to stink.

The same is true of our feelings of grief and sadness and pain. If we keep stuffing them down, eventually the “smell” starts to become evident in our lives—we keep it all together until we just can’t anymore, and we blow up at the smallest irritant. We start to become unhappy people living unhappy lives, and those around us can see it.

But what if we practice lament? What if we allow ourselves to, instead of packing all those feelings into the deep spaces of our heart and locking them away, bring those hurts to God? He is a safe space that brings light and life into our hearts.

After hearing those words yesterday, this morning I pulled a verse from my Transforming Verse of the Day jar:

1 Samuel 2:6: “The Lord brings death and makes alive;
he brings down to the grave and raises up.”

As I read this verse, the thought struck me, why is death listed first before being alive? Isn’t that backwards? We always think of life, then death. Life, then death. That’s the order.

But what if, in God’s kingdom, death has to come before life? Romans 6:11 says:

In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

In order to be alive in Christ, we have to be dead to sin. The death has to come first.

What naturally comes with the experience of death?

Grief.

When we put to death sin in our life, it’s OK to grieve. That sin gave you something that you wanted, and now, in order to follow Christ, you are putting that to death and losing whatever that benefit was. Yes, that benefit is often not a healthy benefit, but it’s a benefit nonetheless.

What can we do with that grief that we feel? Bring it to God in lament. Hold space for your feelings. Say out loud what you are grieving over. Maybe write it down.

Here are some ideas of things we may need to grieve:

• A sin that we want to confess and repent of in order to walk with Christ.

• A bad habit that we want to replace with a good habit.

• A false belief that we want to replace with the truth.

• A personal trauma that we want to let go of and embrace forgiveness.

• A burden or stress or worry or fear that we want to give to God.

• A story of someone else’s trauma that we have offered to help them carry.

• The chaos and discord that we see in society today.

I’ll give you a personal example. I’m currently going through a program to help me deal with my binge eating (if anyone is dealing with this, I’d love to share the name of the program if you ask). One practice we’ve talked about in our group sessions is the idea of holding space for our feelings. We often binge eat to comfort ourselves, to cover up our feelings or to help us through something painful.

The thought that I had this morning, in light of lament and putting old habits to death that are not serving me anymore, is: What do I need to put to death in order to heal my relationship with food and binge eating? What do I need to put to death to truly be able to feel alive and joyful and connected when I think about food?

For some people who struggle with food, it might be putting to death diet or food rules. Maybe it requires putting to death an old belief that was drilled into you as a child. For others, it might require letting go of society’s image of the perfect body. For me, I need to let go of fear that I will never be able to trust myself around food.

As we let go of those things, as we put them to death in our minds, it’s OK to grieve. We can bring those feelings of grief and loss to God. To move into a place where you can heal and be more alive, you have to leave behind habits and beliefs that no longer serve you. You have to leave behind hurts and regrets. In order to do that fully, you have to give yourself the space to grieve, because you are losing a part of yourself that you’ve clung to for so long.

What do you have in your life today that you need to grieve? What lament do you need to bring to God? What do you need to put to death so that you can live fully Alive in Christ? I encourage you to carve out some time in your schedule this week to properly grieve so that you can move forward in the light and life that you find in Christ.

Witness Wednesday Index

Every couple weeks, we take time to think about what God is doing in the world around us.

We start with a video highlighting a nation around the world and how we can pray for the people in that nation. Then, we ask you to discuss how you see God working in your life and community.

This week’s country to pray for is Mongolia.

You can see the full information about Mongolia from Prayercast’s website.

These are the prayer points listed in the video:

If you feel led, consider writing out a short prayer for Mongolia in the comment section.

Leave a comment

And now we ask you:

How have you seen God working in the world around you in the past few weeks?

This could be something that happened to you, something you witnessed someone else do, or a story you saw that spoke to your heart. Examples include:

• You saw a news story of Christ at work in the world.

• You saw someone do something extraordinarily kind for someone else.

• Someone came to help you in your time of need in an unexpected way.

• You witnessed someone accept Christ as their Savior or be baptized.

Sometimes we can get so wrapped up in our own little world that we fail to look for signs of Christ working in the world around us. This often leads us to believe that Christ isn’t working. I’m hoping that by consistently posing this question, it will remind us to be looking for evidence that Christ is still at work through his people. Some weeks, we may not get any stories. Some weeks, we may get a lot of stories. But I want the opportunity to always be there for you to share stories of how Christ is at work as a way to encourage Christians to stay strong in the faith.

John 13:34-35: [Jesus said] “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

I hope you will join me in sharing your stories! If you have a story and don’t want to wait for the next post, feel free to go back and find the previous post and share your story there!

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Last week, we learned that God delights in his people who follow and obey him. He delights in their worthy sacrifices, and he is delighted when his people reflect his character. He also is delighted when his people go out and do his work on the earth.

When God delights in people, he doesn’t just revel in his delight. He responds. He acts on behalf of those who delight him. This week, we’ll learn how exactly God responds and what he does for those who bring him delight.

Salvation/Eternal Life

One of the greatest gifts that God gives when he delights in his people is salvation.

Isaiah 61:10: 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.

Psalm 145:19: He fulfills the desires of those who fear him;
he hears their cry and saves them.

1 Corinthians 1:21: For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe.

When we receive salvation, that leads to eternal life.

1 John 2:17: The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.

John 5:21: For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it.

His Presence/Knowledge of Him

Another great blessing that we receive when we please God is that we grow in our knowledge of him and we encounter his presence in our lives.

Jeremiah 9:23-24: ²³ This is what the Lord says:

“Let not the wise boast of their wisdom
or the strong boast of their strength
or the rich boast of their riches,
²⁴ but let the one who boasts boast about this:
that they have the understanding to know me,
that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness,
justice and righteousness on earth,
for in these I delight,”
declares the Lord.

In the Old Testament, God was pleased when they built the temple for him, and he filled it with his presence.

Haggai 1:8: “Go up into the mountains and bring down timber and build my house, so that I may take pleasure in it and be honored,” says the Lord.

Haggai 2:7: ‘I will shake all nations, and what is desired by all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory,’ says the Lord Almighty.

In the New Testament, God gave his presence through the Holy Spirit and through Jesus Christ.

Matthew 12:18: “Here is my servant whom I have chosen,
the one I love, in whom I delight;
I will put my Spirit on him,
and he will proclaim justice to the nations.”

Ephesians 1:7-10: ⁷ In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace ⁸ that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, ⁹ he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, ¹⁰ to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.

In the end, those who please God will inherit his kingdom, which is filled with his presence.

Luke 12:32: “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.”

Favor

When God is pleased with his people, he not only provides spiritual benefits, he provides material benefits. He protects and provides for his people and grants them success.

Psalm 35:27: May those who delight in my vindication
shout for joy and gladness;
may they always say, “The Lord be exalted,
who delights in the well-being of his servant.”

Psalm 37:4: Take delight in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Victory Over Enemies

Especially in the Old Testament, one way that God showed his favor to his people was by giving them victory over their enemies.

Isaiah 58:13-14: ¹³ “If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath
and from doing as you please on my holy day,
if you call the Sabbath a delight
and the Lord’s holy day honorable,
and if you honor it by not going your own way
and not doing as you please or speaking idle words,
¹⁴ then you will find your joy in the Lord,
and I will cause you to ride in triumph on the heights of the land
and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob.”
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.

Psalm 149:4: For the Lord takes delight in his people;
he crowns the humble with victory.

Psalm 41:11: I know that you are pleased with me,
for my enemy does not triumph over me.

2 Samuel 22:20: He brought me out into a spacious place;
he rescued me because he delighted in me.

Proverbs 16:7: When the Lord takes pleasure in anyone’s way,
he causes their enemies to make peace with them.

Provision and Abundance

Another way that God shows his favor is by providing for his people. When his people him, he makes them prosperous and gives them an abundance.

Deuteronomy 30:9-10: ⁹ 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, ¹⁰ 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.

Psalm 36:8: They feast on the abundance of your house;
you give them drink from your river of delights.

Psalm 145:16: You open your hand
and satisfy the desires of every living thing.

God provided for the Israelites by giving them a land to call their own and a holy city in Jerusalem.

Malachi 3:12: “Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land,” says the Lord Almighty.

Psalm 51:18: May it please you to prosper Zion,
to build up the walls of Jerusalem.

Notice, though, that God’s provision requires that we turn to God with all our heart and soul. God can see through any false motives we have, and those motives will not please him. We must truly seek God first.

Success

When we bring God delight, he will grant us success in the work we are doing for him. We see this in the characters of the Old Testament.

God granted success to David and Solomon when they were king over Israel.

1 Chronicles 28:4: “Yet the Lord, the God of Israel, chose me [David] from my whole family to be king over Israel forever. He chose Judah as leader, and from the tribe of Judah he chose my family, and from my father’s sons he was pleased to make me king over all Israel.”

1 Kings 10:9: “Praise be to the Lord your God, who has delighted in you [Solomon] and placed you on the throne of Israel. Because of the Lord’s eternal love for Israel, he has made you king to maintain justice and righteousness.”

God also granted success to Nehemiah when he requested to rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem.

Nehemiah 1:11: “Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of this your servant and to the prayer of your servants who delight in revering your name. Give your servant success today by granting him favor in the presence of this man.”

I was cupbearer to the king.

More generally, God grants success to those he delights in by upholding them and making their steps firm.

Psalm 37:23-24: ²³ The Lord makes firm the steps
of the one who delights in him;
²⁴ though he may stumble, he will not fall,
for the Lord upholds him with his hand.

Compassion/Mercy

Even from early in the Bible, God was quick to show compassion or mercy on his people when they pleased him.

After the flood, after God destroyed the whole earth because of the overwhelming sin in the world, God found Noah’s sacrifice to be pleasing and responded by promising to never destroy the earth again.

Genesis 8:21: The Lord smelled the pleasing aroma and said in his heart: “Never again will I curse the ground because of humans, even though every inclination of the human heart is evil from childhood. And never again will I destroy all living creatures, as I have done.”

Even after we have sinned, God yearns to have a relationship with us. He is ready to show mercy and to turn his rebuke into rejoicing.

Jeremiah 31:20: Is not Ephraim my dear son,
the child in whom I delight?
Though I often speak against him,
I still remember him.
Therefore my heart yearns for him;
I have great compassion for him,”
declares the Lord.

Micah 7:18: Who is a God like you,
who pardons sin and forgives the transgression
of the remnant of his inheritance?
You do not stay angry forever
but delight to show mercy.

Isaiah 65:19: I will rejoice over Jerusalem
and take delight in my people;
the sound of weeping and of crying
will be heard in it no more.

Zephaniah 3:17: “The Lord your God is with you,
the Mighty Warrior who saves.
He will take great delight in you;
in his love he will no longer rebuke you,
but will rejoice over you with singing.”

Discipline

When we sin, God delights to show us mercy, but we may also have to live with the consequences of our decisions. This is one way God disciplines those he loves.

Proverbs 3:11-12: ¹¹ My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline,
and do not resent his rebuke,
¹² because the Lord disciplines those he loves,
as a father the son he delights in.

Wisdom

As we walk the path of learning to please God, sometimes requiring discipline and mercy, God uses those situations to grow us in wisdom. He uses them to bring us back to him and to help us be satisfied in him.

Ecclesiastes 2:26: 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. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.

Uses Us for His Work

When we continue to follow God and allow him to increase our wisdom and knowledge of him, he uses us to do his work in this world to bring the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 1:21: For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe.

Hebrews 13:20-21: ²⁰ Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, ²¹ equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

Romans 14:17-18: ¹⁷ For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, ¹⁸ because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and receives human approval.

Conclusion

If you are following God with all your heart and soul, if you are obedient to him not for the rewards but because of your delight in him and his word, you should be able to look at your life and identify where God has blessed you. You can be sure of your salvation and of his presence in your life through the Holy Spirit. You may be able to see times when God has saved you from a struggle with sin or he’s gotten you through a difficult season. Maybe you see God’s provision and abundance in your life. Perhaps you have a time in your life when you know God was disciplining you so that you would return to him. In this Christmas season, take some time to reflect on the favor God has showed you because of your faithfulness to him.

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Do you ever struggle with figuring out what to buy as a gift for the person who has everything? They have all the latest toys and gadgets, the nice house and cars, the steady job. When they want something, they buy it. And when you want to buy them a gift, it seems there’s nothing left on the list that would bring them delight.

In the same way, what do you bring as a gift for the God who has everything? He created the world. He owns everything in it. He has the ultimate power to do anything he desires. As a lowly human, finite and faulty, what do we have that would bring God delight? Our lesson this week will give us that answer.

God Delights When His People Follow Him

God delights in the people he has chosen to be his. This often refers to Israel, but it can also refer to anyone who chooses to follow him.

Psalm 16:3: I say of the holy people who are in the land,
“They are the noble ones in whom is all my delight.”

Zephaniah 3:17: The Lord your God is with you,
the Mighty Warrior who saves.
He will take great delight in you;
in his love he will no longer rebuke you,
but will rejoice over you with singing.”

God especially delights in those who fear him and put their hope in him.

Psalm 147:10-11: ¹⁰ His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse,
nor his delight in the legs of the warrior;
¹¹ the Lord delights in those who fear him,
who put their hope in his unfailing love.

In order to follow God wholeheartedly, we must turn from our sin. This repentance brings God great delight.

Ezekiel 33:11: Say to them, ‘As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die, people of Israel?’

Once we decide to follow God, part of our act of following is worshiping him. Our worship brings him delight.

Psalm 19:14: May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart
be pleasing in your sight,
Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.

Psalm 69:30-31: ³⁰ I will praise God’s name in song
and glorify him with thanksgiving.
³¹ This will please the Lord more than an ox,
more than a bull with its horns and hooves.

If we want to please God, we must turn from our sins, fear him and put our hope in him, and worship him.

God Delights in His People’s Worthy Sacrifices

One way that people can worship God is to bring him sacrifices. These sacrifices have looked different at different times in history.

In the Old Testament, especially in the books of the Law (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy), sacrifices that pleased God were typically animal sacrifices of some kind. Over and over in these books, you will read “a pleasing aroma” in reference to sacrifices offered by his people, the Israelites.

Genesis 8:21: The Lord smelled the pleasing aroma and said in his heart: “Never again will I curse the ground because of humans, even though every inclination of the human heart is evil from childhood. And never again will I destroy all living creatures, as I have done.”

Exodus 29:18: Then burn the entire ram on the altar. It is a burnt offering to the Lord, a pleasing aroma, a food offering presented to the Lord.

Leviticus 2:1-2: 2 “‘When anyone brings a grain offering to the Lord, their offering is to be of the finest flour. They are to pour olive oil on it, put incense on it ² and take it to Aaron’s sons the priests. The priest shall take a handful of the flour and oil, together with all the incense, and burn this as a memorial portion on the altar, a food offering, an aroma pleasing to the Lord.”

Psalm 51:19: Then you will delight in the sacrifices of the righteous,
in burnt offerings offered whole;
then bulls will be offered on your altar.

Later in the Old Testament, the people who followed God with their whole heart learned that just the act of sacrificing an offering isn’t what God really wants. Instead, he is more pleased with obedience, mercy, and the prayers of the upright.

1 Samuel 15:22: 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.

Hosea 6:6: For I desire mercy, not sacrifice,
and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings.

Proverbs 15:8: The Lord detests the sacrifice of the wicked,
but the prayer of the upright pleases him.

In the New Testament, we find that we should view ourselves as living sacrifices that are pleasing to God.

Romans 12:1: Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.

Part of this sacrifice can include providing support to people who are doing God’s work.

Philippians 4:18: I have received full payment and have more than enough. I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God.

If you truly want to bring God delight, you will offer yourself as a living sacrifice—you will be someone who obeys God, who gives mercy to others to reflect God’s mercy to you, who spends time taking to God through prayer, and who gives gifts to support God’s work in the world.

God Delights When His People Reflect His Character

As we are obedient to God, offering ourselves as a living sacrifice to him, we will begin to live lives that reflect God’s character. This brings God delight.

We can reflect God’s integrity.

1 Chronicles 29:17: I know, my God, that you test the heart and are pleased with integrity. All these things I have given willingly and with honest intent. And now I have seen with joy how willingly your people who are here have given to you.

Proverbs 11:1: The Lord detests dishonest scales,
but accurate weights find favor with him.

Proverbs 12:22: The Lord detests lying lips,
but he delights in people who are trustworthy.

We can reflect God’s faithfulness.

Psalm 51:6: Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb;
you taught me wisdom in that secret place.

And we can become blameless before God.

Proverbs 11:20: The Lord detests those whose hearts are perverse,
but he delights in those whose ways are blameless.

The more we reflect God’s character, the more we bring him delight.

God Delights When His People Do His Work

Last week, we saw that God finds delight in the work that he does on this earth. That work is often accomplished through people. When people on this earth choose to participate in God’s work, this brings him delight.

In the Old Testament, kings and others in authority were often the ones instructed to do God’s work. God used them as tools to accomplish his purposes, such as building or rebuilding the temple.

Deuteronomy 33:11: Bless all his skills, Lord,
and be pleased with the work of his hands.
Strike down those who rise against him,
his foes till they rise no more.”

Isaiah 44:28: who says of Cyrus, ‘He is my shepherd
and will accomplish all that I please;
he will say of Jerusalem, “Let it be rebuilt,”
and of the temple, “Let its foundations be laid.”’

Proverbs 21:1: In the Lord’s hand the king’s heart is a stream of water
that he channels toward all who please him.

Haggai 1:8: Go up into the mountains and bring down timber and build my house, so that I may take pleasure in it and be honored,” says the Lord.

In the New Testament, and in our world today, those who believe in Christ are instructed to do God’s work. The primary work he has given us is to preach the good news of Jesus so that people who believe this message can be saved.

1 Corinthians 1:21: For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe.

Romans 14:17-18: ¹⁷ For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, ¹⁸ because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and receives human approval.

Whether we are building a place of worship or preaching the gospel or serving Christ in some other way, if we participate in God’s work here on earth, we bring him delight.

Conclusion

If you want to bring delight to the God who has everything, consider bringing yourself as a living sacrifice. Choose to follow and obey him, to reflect his character, and to participate in his work on this earth. He gave his one and only Son to be a sacrifice for you and me, and it brings him great delight to see his chosen people serving and worshiping him.

Go to Lesson 6

Witness Wednesday Index

Every couple weeks, we take time to think about what God is doing in the world around us.

We start with a video highlighting a nation around the world and how we can pray for the people in that nation. Then, we ask you to discuss how you see God working in your life and community.

This week’s country to pray for is Liechtenstein.

You can see the full information about Liechtenstein from Prayercast’s website.

These are the prayer points listed in the video:

If you feel led, consider writing out a short prayer for Liechteinstein in the comment section.

Leave a comment

And now we ask you:

How have you seen God working in the world around you in the past few weeks?

This could be something that happened to you, something you witnessed someone else do, or a story you saw that spoke to your heart. Examples include:

• You saw a news story of Christ at work in the world.

• You saw someone do something extraordinarily kind for someone else.

• Someone came to help you in your time of need in an unexpected way.

• You witnessed someone accept Christ as their Savior or be baptized.

Sometimes we can get so wrapped up in our own little world that we fail to look for signs of Christ working in the world around us. This often leads us to believe that Christ isn’t working. I’m hoping that by consistently posing this question, it will remind us to be looking for evidence that Christ is still at work through his people. Some weeks, we may not get any stories. Some weeks, we may get a lot of stories. But I want the opportunity to always be there for you to share stories of how Christ is at work as a way to encourage Christians to stay strong in the faith.

John 13:34-35: [Jesus said] “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

I hope you will join me in sharing your stories! If you have a story and don’t want to wait for the next post, feel free to go back and find the previous post and share your story there!

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Have you ever stopped to consider what brings delight to the God of the universe, the one who controls everything? The things that bring us delight might seem mundane to the God who resides in heaven in the greatest of beauty. But God finds so many things to delight in that I actually ended up splitting this lesson into two weeks because the Bible contains so many verses about what brings God delight. Let’s take a look.

God Delights in Himself

As the most supreme being that exists, God finds delight in the one thing that is perfect—himself. He delights in his Son, in his law, in his words, and in his works.

God Delights in His Son

When the Old Testament prophecies about the coming of the Messiah, it says that even though there’s nothing about his appearance that we as humans should desire him, God delights in him because he is the chosen one who has his Spirit.

Isaiah 53:2: He grew up before him like a tender shoot,
and like a root out of dry ground.
He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,
nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.

Isaiah 42:1: “Here is my servant, whom I uphold,
my chosen one in whom I delight;
I will put my Spirit on him,
and he will bring justice to the nations.”

Once Jesus was on earth, God made it clear that he was pleased with his Son. We see this both at Jesus’ baptism and his transfiguration.

Luke 3:21-22: ²¹ When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened ²² and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”

Matthew 17:5: While he was still speaking, a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!”

Why was God pleased with Jesus? Because all of God’s fullness dwells in him, and it is through Jesus that all things, including all humanity, will be reconciled again to God.

Colossians 1:19-20: ¹⁹ For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him [Jesus], ²⁰ and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.

God Delights in His Law and in His Word

To connect with people and to show us how he wants us to live, he gave us his law and his word through the Bible.

Isaiah 42:21: It pleased the Lord
for the sake of his righteousness
to make his law great and glorious.

God is righteous, so he found pleasure in making his law great and glorious to reflect his character. And when his word goes out into the world, it accomplishes God’s purpose.

Isaiah 55:10-11: ¹⁰ As the rain and the snow
come down from heaven,
and do not return to it
without watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish,
so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,
¹¹ so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

God Delights in His Works

God is the ruler of the universe, so he can do whatever he wants. The Bible phrases this as God “does whatever pleases him.”

Isaiah 46:10: I make known the end from the beginning,
from ancient times, what is still to come.
I say, ‘My purpose will stand,
and I will do all that I please.’

Psalm 135:6: The Lord does whatever pleases him,
in the heavens and on the earth,
in the seas and all their depths.

When humans do whatever pleases them, we often get into trouble. We are selfish and tend to stray into wickedness and sin when we do whatever we want. But with God, we can trust him fully when he does what pleases him. Why? Because God’s works are aligned with his character. These verses tell us what pleases God:

Jeremiah 9:23-24: ²³ This is what the Lord says:
“Let not the wise boast of their wisdom
or the strong boast of their strength
or the rich boast of their riches,
²⁴ but let the one who boasts boast about this:
that they have the understanding to know me,
that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness,
justice and righteousness on earth,
for in these I delight,”
declares the Lord.

Micah 7:18: Who is a God like you,
who pardons sin and forgives the transgression
of the remnant of his inheritance?
You do not stay angry forever
but delight to show mercy.

God’s works reflect kindness, justice, righteousness, and mercy because these are what bring him delight.

God uses his works to accomplish his will in us and in the world. What does the Bible say is in God’s will?

1. God’s will is to adopt us as sons through Jesus by redeeming us and forgiving our sins.

   Ephesians 1:4-10: ⁴ For he [God] chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love ⁵ he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— ⁶ to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. ⁷ In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace ⁸ that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, ⁹ he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, ¹⁰ to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.

2. God’s will is to give people life.

   John 5:21: For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it.

3. God’s will is to reveal his plan to those who will listen.

   Matthew 11:25-26: ²⁵ At that time Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. ²⁶ Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do.”

   Also see Ephesians 1:9 above.

4. God’s will is to equip his people to do his work.

   Hebrews 13:20-21: ²⁰ Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, ²¹ equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

5. God’s will is to give his kingdom to those who follow him.

   Luke 12:32: “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.”

When the Bible tells us to not be afraid, this is why. God is in control, and the thing that delights him most is to redeem us and bring us into his kingdom that reflects his character of kindness, justice, righteousness, and mercy.

God Delights in His Creation

One of God’s greatest works is the creation of the world. When God saw his creation in Genesis 1, he said that it was good. God in his wisdom delights in his greatest creation—mankind.

Proverbs 8:30-31: ³⁰ Then I [wisdom] was constantly at his [the LORD’s] side.
I was filled with delight day after day,
rejoicing always in his presence,
³¹ rejoicing in his whole world
and delighting in mankind.

God Delights in Israel

Although God delights in all mankind, he holds a special place in his heart for the nation of Israel.

Deuteronomy 30:9-10: ⁹ Then the Lord your God will make you [the Israelites] 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, ¹⁰ 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.

Even though the Israelites often disappointed God by following after other gods, God still yearned for a relationship with them and was delighted when they turned to him.

Isaiah 5:7: The vineyard of the Lord Almighty
is the nation of Israel,
and the people of Judah
are the vines he delighted in.
And he looked for justice, but saw bloodshed;
for righteousness, but heard cries of distress.

Jeremiah 31:20: “Is not Ephraim my dear son,
the child in whom I delight?
Though I often speak against him,
I still remember him.
Therefore my heart yearns for him;
I have great compassion for him,”
declares the Lord.

Isaiah 56:4: ⁴ For this is what the Lord says:
“To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths,
who choose what pleases me
and hold fast to my covenant—
⁵ to them I will give within my temple and its walls
a memorial and a name
better than sons and daughters;
I will give them an everlasting name
that will endure forever.”

God Delights in Jerusalem

Throughout the Bible, Jerusalem is the Holy City and God’s most favored place on earth. Jerusalem was where the temple was located where God’s people gathered to worship him. Jerusalem was the center of Jesus’ ministry while he was on earth. God takes delight in Jerusalem and desires to build it up.

Psalm 51:18: May it please you to prosper Zion,
to build up the walls of Jerusalem.

Isaiah 65:18-19: ¹⁸ But be glad and rejoice forever
in what I will create,
for I will create Jerusalem to be a delight
and its people a joy.
¹⁹ I will rejoice over Jerusalem
and take delight in my people;
the sound of weeping and of crying
will be heard in it no more.

When God sees the combination of Jerusalem and his people together, he finds great delight in them.

Conclusion

God delights in his works on this earth, especially his act to send his Son to redeem his people. He takes great delight in his people and in his holy city. But what we saw this week in his delight for his people is just scratching the surface. Come back next week as we dive into more detail about what exactly brings him delight when he looks at mankind.

Go to Lesson 5b

Witness Wednesday Index

Every couple weeks, we take time to think about what God is doing in the world around us.

We start with a video highlighting a nation around the world and how we can pray for the people in that nation. Then, we ask you to discuss how you see God working in your life and community.

This week’s country to pray for is Kiribati.

You can see the full information about Kiribati from Prayercast’s website.

These are the prayer points listed in the video:

If you feel led, consider writing out a short prayer for Kiribati in the comment section.

Leave a comment

And now we ask you:

How have you seen God working in the world around you in the past few weeks?

This could be something that happened to you, something you witnessed someone else do, or a story you saw that spoke to your heart. Examples include:

• You saw a news story of Christ at work in the world.

• You saw someone do something extraordinarily kind for someone else.

• Someone came to help you in your time of need in an unexpected way.

• You witnessed someone accept Christ as their Savior or be baptized.

Sometimes we can get so wrapped up in our own little world that we fail to look for signs of Christ working in the world around us. This often leads us to believe that Christ isn’t working. I’m hoping that by consistently posing this question, it will remind us to be looking for evidence that Christ is still at work through his people. Some weeks, we may not get any stories. Some weeks, we may get a lot of stories. But I want the opportunity to always be there for you to share stories of how Christ is at work as a way to encourage Christians to stay strong in the faith.

John 13:34-35: [Jesus said] “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

I hope you will join me in sharing your stories! If you have a story and don’t want to wait for the next post, feel free to go back and find the previous post and share your story there!

Leave a comment

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What are you thankful for?

It’s the Sunday before Thanksgiving, and this is the question that everyone will ask this week (at least in the U.S.). We often say things like family, a good job, friends, a house to live in. Maybe a special talent or skill or activity that we enjoy.

But do you ever find delight in seeing a fellow believer share their faith in Christ? Or a new believer joining God’s family? Are you thankful for wisdom and rest? What about hardship and struggles?

In this week’s lesson, we find that people who follow Christ delight in all these things.

Delighting in Other Believers

In the New Testament, a frequent delight of Christians was seeing other believers live out their faith and desire to share their faith with others.

Christians delight in sharing their lives with other Christians.

1 Thessalonians 2:8: so we cared for you. Because we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well.

2 Corinthians 7:13: By all this we are encouraged. In addition to our own encouragement, we were especially delighted to see how happy Titus was, because his spirit has been refreshed by all of you.

Christians delight in seeing people be strong in their faith and share their faith with others.

Colossians 2:5: 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.

Romans 10:1: Brothers and sisters, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved.

Christians delight in seeing people share their possessions cheerfully.

Romans 15:26: For Macedonia and Achaia were pleased to make a contribution for the poor among the Lord’s people in Jerusalem.

2 Corinthians 8:10-11: ¹⁰ And here is my judgment about what is best for you in this matter. Last year you were the first not only to give but also to have the desire to do so. ¹¹ Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it, according to your means.

As Christians, when we see others live out their faith well, it brings us joy.

Delighting in Worship and Service

Christians also delight in worship and service, two acts of faith that we often associate with the church.

Isaiah prophesied about Jesus, saying that he would delight in the fear of the Lord. Fearing the Lord is not about being afraid of him. It’s about revering who God is and worshiping him with our lives.

Isaiah 11:1-3a: 11 A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;
from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.
² The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—
the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and of might,
the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord—
³ and he will delight in the fear of the Lord.

Isaiah also called us to delight in the Sabbath, the day we set aside for rest and to worship God. Delighting in the Sabbath brings us joy and triumph in the Lord.

Isaiah 58:13: ¹³ “If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath
and from doing as you please on my holy day,
if you call the Sabbath a delight
and the Lord’s holy day honorable,
and if you honor it by not going your own way
and not doing as you please or speaking idle words,
¹⁴ then you will find your joy in the Lord,
and I will cause you to ride in triumph on the heights of the land
and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob.”
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.

In addition, Christians delight in seeing people serve the Lord faithfully.

Nehemiah 12:44: At that time men were appointed to be in charge of the storerooms for the contributions, firstfruits and tithes. From the fields around the towns they were to bring into the storerooms the portions required by the Law for the priests and the Levites, for Judah was pleased with the ministering priests and Levites.

1 Timothy 3:1: Here is a trustworthy saying: Whoever aspires to be an overseer desires a noble task.

Worship and service are two primary acts that help us live out our faith, and if we do them with the right heart, they will bring us delight.

Delighting in God’s Gifts

As we will see in more depth next week, God delights in giving his people good gifts. Two key gifts that he gives all believers are wisdom and truth, which bring us delight.

Proverbs 10:23: A fool finds pleasure in wicked schemes,
but a person of understanding delights in wisdom.

Proverbs 8:10-11: ¹⁰ Choose my instruction instead of silver,
knowledge rather than choice gold,
¹¹ for wisdom is more precious than rubies,
and nothing you desire can compare with her.

1 Corinthians 13:6: Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.

Family is another good gift that brings us delight.

Proverbs 23:24: The father of a righteous child has great joy;
a man who fathers a wise son rejoices in him.

Proverbs 29:17: Discipline your children, and they will give you peace;
they will bring you the delights you desire.

The eternal inheritance we receive from God is another reason to find delight.

Psalm 16:5-6: ⁵ Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup;
you make my lot secure.
⁶ The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
surely I have a delightful inheritance.

Delighting in Hardships

It’s easy to find delight in Christians living out their faith, worship and service to God, and God’s good gifts. It’s not so easy to find delight in the hard places in life—weaknesses and hardships. But that’s exactly what Paul calls us to do.

2 Corinthians 12:9-10: ⁹ But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. ¹⁰ That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

We should also see God’s discipline as favorable because it shows his love toward us.

Proverbs 3:11-12: ¹¹ My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline,
and do not resent his rebuke,
¹² because the Lord disciplines those he loves,
as a father the son he delights in.

One hardship that we will often face is fighting against the desires of the flesh. This is one desire that we are told not to pursue. Instead, we focus on Christ and doing God’s will.

Galatians 5:24: Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

Romans 13:14: Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.

1 Peter 4:2: As a result, they do not live the rest of their earthly lives for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God.

2 Peter 1:3-4: ³ His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. ⁴ Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

The Bible tells us that if we pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace instead of our evil desires, we will live such good lives that others will see that we are different and give glory to God.

2 Timothy 2:22: Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.

1 Peter 2:11-12: ¹¹ Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul. ¹² Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.

Conclusion

Of these delights we listed, which one brings you the most delight? Which one are you most thankful for? For the hardships in your life, do you delight in those too, knowing that God can use those things to grow your faith? Consider doing some “out of the box” thinking this week to find the things you are thankful for that you might not otherwise notice.

Go to Lesson 5a

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Last week, we looked at what we desire before we come to Christ—what we desire when we are focused on the “old self” or the “flesh” or the “world.” It’s not really a pretty picture. We delight in wickedness, evil, and sin. We reject God, taking no pleasure in him at all. We even go so far as to ridicule those who follow God.

But something miraculous happens when we encounter Christ and begin to follow him with our lives. These verses sum it up perfectly:

Galatians 5:16-17: ¹⁶ So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. ¹⁷ For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want.

2 Corinthians 5:17: Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!

When we choose to follow Christ, our lives and attitudes and desires are transformed. We are a new creation, in tune with the desires of the Spirit and rejecting the desires of the flesh. We find a whole new set of things that bring us delight.

This week, we are going to focus on the most fundamental delight of those who follow Christ: God himself. We delight in God, in his name, in his word, and in his works. Let’s look at each of these briefly.

We Delight in God Himself and in His Name

When we follow Christ, our greatest delight is in God himself. When we delight in someone, we think about them constantly and want to spend time with them. The same happens when we delight in God. Our desire to spend time with him increases. Our delight results in rejoicing and praise for the one in whom we delight.

Isaiah 61:10: 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.

Psalm 43:4: Then I will go to the altar of God,
to God, my joy and my delight.
I will praise you with the lyre,
O God, my God.

When we delight in God, we find that he gives us strength to endure and he gives us the desires of our heart—not because he just gives us whatever we want, but because our desires start to align with his.

Psalm 73:25-26: ²⁵ Whom have I in heaven but you?
And earth has nothing I desire besides you.
²⁶ My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart
and my portion forever.

Psalm 37:4: Take delight in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Not only do we delight in God, but we delight in God’s name. This is a characteristic of God that I plan to explore in depth someday. As we delight in God’s name, we also delight when we see others revering God’s name.

Nehemiah 1:11: “Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of this your servant and to the prayer of your servants who delight in revering your name. Give your servant success today by granting him favor in the presence of this man.”

We Delight in God’s Word

Not only do we delight in God himself, but we delight in God’s word. The Bible might refer to this as God’s law, commands, decrees, statutes, or a variety of other words. But they all refer to the same thing: the instructions that God has given us to help guide us in how to live our lives in a way that honors him.

Jeremiah was so delighted with God’s word that he ate them!

Jeremiah 15:16: When your words came, I ate them;
they were my joy and my heart’s delight,
for I bear your name,
Lord God Almighty.

Are you ever so delighted that you just want to consume God’s word as much as possible? I know I still have a lot to learn about delighting in God’s word this much.

We Delight in His Law

When we delight specifically in God’s law, or his commands, we spend time meditating on his words. We don’t neglect to spend time with God’s word.

Psalm 1:1-2: ¹ Blessed is the one
who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
or sit in the company of mockers,
² but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
and who meditates on his law day and night.

Psalm 119:16: I delight in your decrees;
I will not neglect your word.

Psalm 112:1: Praise the Lord.

Blessed are those who fear the Lord,
who find great delight in his commands.

Romans 7:22: For in my inner being I delight in God’s law;

When we delight in God’s law, it directs us down the path that leads to life.

Psalm 119:35: Direct me in the path of your commands,
for there I find delight.

Psalm 119:77: Let your compassion come to me that I may live,
for your law is my delight.

If you ever want to read more about delighting in God’s law, read through Psalm 119, noticing each time the author refers to God’s law, commands, and decrees. It’s in almost every verse!

We Delight in His Teaching

Although we may not have the pleasure of being physically with Jesus on this earth, the crowds who followed Jesus delighted in his teaching, often marveling at his wisdom and knowledge of the Scriptures.

Mark 12:35-37: ³⁵ While Jesus was teaching in the temple courts, he asked, “Why do the teachers of the law say that the Messiah is the son of David? ³⁶ David himself, speaking by the Holy Spirit, declared:

“‘The Lord said to my Lord:
“Sit at my right hand
until I put your enemies
under your feet.”’

³⁷ David himself calls him ‘Lord.’ How then can he be his son?”

The large crowd listened to him with delight.

We are fortunate enough that most of us have multiple copies of Christ’s teaching in our homes that we can delight in any time we want.

We Delight in God’s Works

God isn’t just a God who sits up in heaven and gives us commands to follow. He works in our lives to bring us salvation and deliverance. Those who follow God can recognize God’s work in their lives and rejoice in those works.

Psalm 111:2: Great are the works of the Lord;
they are pondered by all who delight in them.

When Jesus walked this earth, the people delighted in his works—the miracles and signs he performed.

Luke 13:17: When he said this, all his opponents were humiliated, but the people were delighted with all the wonderful things he was doing.

We Delight in Salvation

The greatest work of God is that he brought us salvation through Jesus’ death on the cross.

Psalm 35:9: Then my soul will rejoice in the Lord
and delight in his salvation.

David might not have known exactly how everything would play out for the salvation God would provide, but he knew that God would bring the salvation he promised.

We Delight in Deliverance

We see throughout the Bible that God acts to deliver his people. He delivered the Israelites from slavery to the Egyptians.

Exodus 18:9: Jethro was delighted to hear about all the good things the Lord had done for Israel in rescuing them from the hand of the Egyptians.

He delivered Hannah from a barren womb and blessed her with a child.

1 Samuel 2:1: Then Hannah prayed and said:

“My heart rejoices in the Lord;
in the Lord my horn is lifted high.
My mouth boasts over my enemies,
for I delight in your deliverance.”

God even delivers us from our sins, as we see in the next section. Do you delight in this work of God in your life?

We Delight in Vindication

What is vindication? Vindication is the act of clearing someone’s name of guilt. We are all guilty of sin. But when we make Jesus our Lord and Master, he exchanges our sin for his righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21). Our name is cleared. We can stand before God forgiven and clean. This is one of his greatest works, and one that is great cause for delight.

Psalm 35:27: May those who delight in my vindication
shout for joy and gladness;
may they always say, “The Lord be exalted,
who delights in the well-being of his servant.”

Conclusion

When you think about God, what do you find delight in? Does this affect the way you live your life, or how you spend your time? Do you find your delight draws you to God’s word and away from your worldly desires?

Feel free to leave a comment on your greatest delight in God, whether that’s God himself, God’s word, or God’s work in your life. I’d love to hear from you!

God himself, his word, and his works aren’t the only reasons that Christians find to be delighted. Come back next week to learn more about what we delight in.

Go to Lesson 4

Witness Wednesday Index

Every couple weeks, we take time to think about what God is doing in the world around us.

We start with a video highlighting a nation around the world and how we can pray for the people in that nation. Then, we ask you to discuss how you see God working in your life and community.

This week’s country to pray for is Iraq.

You can see the full information about Iraq from Prayercast’s website.

These are the prayer points listed in the video:

If you feel led, consider writing out a short prayer for Iraq in the comment section.

Leave a comment

And now we ask you:

How have you seen God working in the world around you in the past few weeks?

This could be something that happened to you, something you witnessed someone else do, or a story you saw that spoke to your heart. Examples include:

• You saw a news story of Christ at work in the world.

• You saw someone do something extraordinarily kind for someone else.

• Someone came to help you in your time of need in an unexpected way.

• You witnessed someone accept Christ as their Savior or be baptized.

Sometimes we can get so wrapped up in our own little world that we fail to look for signs of Christ working in the world around us. This often leads us to believe that Christ isn’t working. I’m hoping that by consistently posing this question, it will remind us to be looking for evidence that Christ is still at work through his people. Some weeks, we may not get any stories. Some weeks, we may get a lot of stories. But I want the opportunity to always be there for you to share stories of how Christ is at work as a way to encourage Christians to stay strong in the faith.

John 13:34-35: [Jesus said] “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

I hope you will join me in sharing your stories! If you have a story and don’t want to wait for the next post, feel free to go back and find the previous post and share your story there!

Leave a comment

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Return to Study Overview

The criminal. The addict. The power-hungry. The liar. The cheater. The adulterer. The selfish person.

Maybe you identify with one of these—the person you were before you met Jesus. All these and more describe who people can become without Christ.

The Bible gives a stark contrast between the “old self”—who we are before we know Christ—and the “new self”—who we are once we place our faith in Christ.

In our search for what the Bible says about delight, we see some major differences in what people delight in when they are focused on the world or the flesh and what they delight in when they are focused on God.

This week, we’ll look at what the “old self” delights in—the things of the flesh or the things of this world. We see three common themes: delighting in wickedness, delighting in pleasure, and delighting in self. Throughout, we will also see that the things that the old self delights in are mirrored by what God does not delight in.

Delighting in Wickedness

Wickedness, Evil, and Sin

The person who is still entrenched in the old self delights in wickedness, evil, and sin.

Hosea 7:1-3: ¹ Whenever I would heal Israel,
the sins of Ephraim are exposed
and the crimes of Samaria revealed.
They practice deceit,
thieves break into houses,
bandits rob in the streets;
² but they do not realize
that I remember all their evil deeds.
Their sins engulf them;
they are always before me.

³ “They delight the king with their wickedness,
the princes with their lies.”

Proverbs 10:23: A fool finds pleasure in wicked schemes,
but a person of understanding delights in wisdom.

2 Thessalonians 2:9-12: ⁹ The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how Satan works. He will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders that serve the lie, ¹⁰ and all the ways that wickedness deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. ¹¹ For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie ¹² and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness.

People who delight in wickedness are contrasted with God, who is not pleased with wickedness.

Psalm 5:4-6: ⁴ For you are not a God who is pleased with wickedness;
with you, evil people are not welcome.
⁵ The arrogant cannot stand
in your presence.
You hate all who do wrong;
⁶ you destroy those who tell lies.
The bloodthirsty and deceitful
you, Lord, detest.

Proverbs 11:20: The Lord detests those whose hearts are perverse,
but he delights in those whose ways are blameless.

For further study: Proverbs 2:12-15, Proverbs 12:12, 2 Timothy 3:1-7, Proverbs 20:23, Proverbs 11:1, Proverbs 12:22

Rejecting God

People who live with the old self delight in worshiping other gods, or they worship God in a way that is not pleasing to him. In fact, they often take no pleasure in God at all.

Jeremiah 6:10: To whom can I speak and give warning?
Who will listen to me?
Their ears are closed
so they cannot hear.
The word of the Lord is offensive to them;
they find no pleasure in it.

Isaiah 1:29: “You will be ashamed because of the sacred oaks
in which you have delighted;
you will be disgraced because of the gardens
that you have chosen.”

Job 21:14: Yet they say to God, ‘Leave us alone!
We have no desire to know your ways.

Isaiah 66:3-4: ³ But whoever sacrifices a bull
is like one who kills a person,
and whoever offers a lamb
is like one who breaks a dog’s neck;
whoever makes a grain offering
is like one who presents pig’s blood,
and whoever burns memorial incense
is like one who worships an idol.
They have chosen their own ways,
and they delight in their abominations;
⁴ so I also will choose harsh treatment for them
and will bring on them what they dread.
For when I called, no one answered,
when I spoke, no one listened.
They did evil in my sight
and chose what displeases me.”

The Bible frequently tells us that God does not delight in sacrifices, especially sacrifices that are done with wrong motives.

Isaiah 1:11-14: ¹¹ “The multitude of your sacrifices—
what are they to me?” says the Lord.
“I have more than enough of burnt offerings,
of rams and the fat of fattened animals;
I have no pleasure
in the blood of bulls and lambs and goats.
¹² When you come to appear before me,
who has asked this of you,
this trampling of my courts?
¹³ Stop bringing meaningless offerings!
Your incense is detestable to me.
New Moons, Sabbaths and convocations—
I cannot bear your worthless assemblies.
¹⁴ Your New Moon feasts and your appointed festivals
I hate with all my being.
They have become a burden to me;
I am weary of bearing them.”

For further study: 1 Samuel 15:22-23, Hosea 8:13, Malachi 1:6-8, Hebrews 10:5-8, Romans 1:21-25

Ridiculing Those Who Follow God

People who still follow their own ways will continually make fun of those who follow God.

2 Peter 3:3: Above all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires.

Proverbs 1:22: “How long will you who are simple love your simple ways?
How long will mockers delight in mockery
and fools hate knowledge?”

Delighting in Pleasure

People who are focused on themselves rather than God delight in things that bring pleasure in this world—money, power, sex, food, wine. They don’t think about the consequences of taking pleasure in these things.

Ecclesiastes 2:8-11: ⁸ I amassed silver and gold for myself, and the treasure of kings and provinces. I acquired male and female singers, and a harem as well—the delights of a man’s heart. ⁹ I became greater by far than anyone in Jerusalem before me. In all this my wisdom stayed with me.

¹⁰ 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.
¹¹ Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done
and what I had toiled to achieve,
everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind;
nothing was gained under the sun.

Ecclesiastes 7:4: The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning,
but the heart of fools is in the house of pleasure.

Proverbs 21:17: Whoever loves pleasure will become poor;
whoever loves wine and olive oil will never be rich.

1 Timothy 6:9-10: ⁹ Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. ¹⁰ For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

Ephesians 2:3: All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath.

For further study: 1 Kings 10:13, 2 Peter 2:13-19, James 4:1-3, Mark 4:18-19, Titus 3:3

Delighting in Self

Those who don’t delight in God instead delight in self, often trying to exalt themselves above God. They are filled with pride and do whatever pleases them.

Daniel 11:36: “The king will do as he pleases. He will exalt and magnify himself above every god and will say unheard-of things against the God of gods. He will be successful until the time of wrath is completed, for what has been determined must take place.”

Proverbs 18:2: Fools find no pleasure in understanding
but delight in airing their own opinions.

2 Timothy 4:3: For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.

Jude 1:16: These people are grumblers and faultfinders; they follow their own evil desires; they boast about themselves and flatter others for their own advantage.

For further study: Colossians 2:18, Nehemiah 9:37, Isaiah 58:3-4

Conclusion

For the people who delight in wickedness, pleasure, and self, the Bible tells us they are deserving of God’s wrath. The good news is that God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked. Instead, he calls us to repent.

Ezekiel 18:30-32: ³⁰ “Therefore, you Israelites, I will judge each of you according to your own ways, declares the Sovereign Lord. Repent! Turn away from all your offenses; then sin will not be your downfall. ³¹ Rid yourselves of all the offenses you have committed, and get a new heart and a new spirit. Why will you die, people of Israel? ³² For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign Lord. Repent and live!”

When we do repent, we are transformed from the old self to the new self, and our desires and delights change. Come back next week to see how they change.

Go to Lesson 3

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A baby’s belly laugh. A bunch of monarch butterflies in a tree. A favorite meal. Visiting with a life-long friend. Sunrises and sunsets. The sound of waves crashing on the beach. The first flowers of spring. The first snowfall.

What do all these things have in common? They are things that bring delight.

So often in life, we focus on the hard things or the things that frustrate us. How often do we intentionally notice the things that delight us? Probably not as often as we should, at least for me.

While reading my devotions, I came across this verse:

Psalm 36:8: They feast on the abundance of your house;
you give them drink from your river of delights.

The idea of drinking from God’s river of delights intrigued me. What types of delight might we find in this river? That’s what sparked the idea for doing this word study on “delight.”

This study will be divided into 6 lessons:

1. Overview and Hebrew/Greek Background

2. The Old Self: Delighting in the Flesh

3. The New Self: Delighting in God

4. The New Self: Delighting in God’s Gifts

5. What God Delights In: Part 1 / Part 2

6. What God Does for Those He Delights In

This study will be spread out in November and December, with weeks off for the holidays.

Hebrew/Greek Words for Delight

To start our word study on delight, I wanted to look briefly at the Hebrew and Greek words that are translated into “delight” in English. There are way more than I expected! The exhaustive concordance that I use listed 28 different Hebrew words translated into delight in English and 6 more in Greek.

I then cross-referenced the Hebrew and Greek words translated as “delight” and looked up those same words under “pleasure” and “desire” (and their various forms) to get a more comprehensive view of how these words are used in the Bible. I did add a couple additional words that seemed to fit the “delight” theme, but I was selective if the verses used words that were not translated into delight elsewhere.

I’m neither a Hebrew nor Greek scholar, but I’ll do my best to at least give a brief overview of the words. I’m sure I could have taken this a lot further, but I feel like this gives us a good overview of how the Bible talks about delight.

Hebrew

Positive and Negative Uses

Many of the Hebrew words for delight can be used for both “positive” delight (aligned with the new self or God) and “negative” delight (aligned with the old self or the flesh), or to specify things that the person (or God) does not delight in.

The most common word translated “delight” in the Old Testament is hapes(1). Similar words are hapes(3) and hepes. Some representative verses include:

Jeremiah 9:23-24: ²³ This is what the Lord says:

“Let not the wise boast of their wisdom
or the strong boast of their strength
or the rich boast of their riches,
²⁴ but let the one who boasts boast about this:
that they have the understanding to know me,
that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness,
justice and righteousness on earth,
for in these I delight,”
declares the Lord.

Psalm 119:35: Direct me in the path of your commands,
for there I find delight.

Psalm 18:19: He brought me out into a spacious place;
he rescued me because he delighted in me.

Ezekiel 33:11: Say to them, ‘As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die, people of Israel?’

Proverbs 18:2: Fools find no pleasure in understanding
but delight in airing their own opinions.

Another word used in both positive and negative ways is hamad. Some representative verses are:

Genesis 2:9: The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Proverbs 1:22: “How long will you who are simple love your simple ways?
How long will mockers delight in mockery
and fools hate knowledge?”

Isaiah 1:29: “You will be ashamed because of the sacred oaks
in which you have delighted;
you will be disgraced because of the gardens
that you have chosen.”

The last word we’ll look at that has both positive and negative uses is samah. Representative verses include:

1 Samuel 2:1: Then Hannah prayed and said:

“My heart rejoices in the Lord;
in the Lord my horn is lifted high.
My mouth boasts over my enemies,
for I delight in your deliverance.”

Isaiah 9:17: Therefore the Lord will take no pleasure in the young men,
nor will he pity the fatherless and widows,
for everyone is ungodly and wicked,
every mouth speaks folly.

Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away,
his hand is still upraised.

God’s Pleasure or Delight

Some Hebrew words are primarily used when referring to God’s pleasure or delight. One example is rasa(1):

1 Chronicles 29:17: I know, my God, that you test the heart and are pleased with integrity. All these things I have given willingly and with honest intent. And now I have seen with joy how willingly your people who are here have given to you.

Haggai 1:8: Go up into the mountains and bring down timber and build my house, so that I may take pleasure in it and be honored,” says the Lord.

Psalm 147:10-11: ¹⁰ His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse,
nor his delight in the legs of the warrior;
¹¹ the Lord delights in those who fear him,
who put their hope in his unfailing love.

Sus is often used for either God delighting in people or people delighting in God.

Deuteronomy 30:9-10: ⁹ 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, ¹⁰ 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.

Isaiah 61:10: 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.

Nihoah is used repeatedly in the Torah (the first five books of the Bible) to refer to sacrifices being a pleasing aroma to the Lord.

Exodus 29:18: Then burn the entire ram on the altar. It is a burnt offering to the Lord, a pleasing aroma, a food offering presented to the Lord.

Leviticus 2:1-2: “‘When anyone brings a grain offering to the Lord, their offering is to be of the finest flour. They are to pour olive oil on it, put incense on it ² and take it to Aaron’s sons the priests. The priest shall take a handful of the flour and oil, together with all the incense, and burn this as a memorial portion on the altar, a food offering, an aroma pleasing to the Lord.”

People’s Pleasure or Delight

When it comes to people’s delight, we can delight in the things of God or the things of this world. For example, sasuim is most frequently used in Psalm 119 to speak about delighting in God’s law:

Psalm 119:174: I long for your salvation, Lord,
and your law gives me delight.

In contrast, simha most often refers to taking pleasure in worldly things.

Ecclesiastes 2:10: 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.

Proverbs 21:17: Whoever loves pleasure will become poor;
whoever loves wine and olive oil will never be rich.

Rason is similar in use to rasa(1), which we talked about above, but is also is used to refer to people doing as they please.

Daniel 11:3: Then a mighty king will arise, who will rule with great power and do as he pleases.

Nehemiah 9:37: Because of our sins, its abundant harvest goes to the kings you have placed over us. They rule over our bodies and our cattle as they please. We are in great distress.

Sometimes, words are used to speak of one person pleasing another, such as tob(1), which is often in the phrase “if it pleases the king.”

Esther 5:4: “If it pleases the king,” replied Esther, “let the king, together with Haman, come today to a banquet I have prepared for him.”

Nehemiah 2:4-5: ⁴ The king said to me, “What is it you want?”

Then I prayed to the God of heaven, ⁵ and I answered the king, “If it pleases the king and if your servant has found favor in his sight, let him send me to the city in Judah where my ancestors are buried so that I can rebuild it.”

Tob(2) is used similarly to tob(1) but also to refer to a person pleasing God. Both words have the connotation of a person with lower status pleasing a person with higher authority.

Ecclesiastes 2:26: 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. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.

As you can see, the word delight or pleasure has a wide variety of uses. Some words are fairly generic and can be used in many ways, whereas others have a more specific use. This also holds true for Greek words related to delight or pleasure.

Greek

The New Testament talks about pleasure or delight much less frequently than the Old Testament, with less than half the total number of references. However, the themes are much the same.

God’s Pleasure or Delight

The word eudokeo (ευδοκεω) is frequently used to refer to things that God is pleased or not pleased with, most commonly being used to refer to God being pleased with Jesus.

Matthew 3:16-17: ¹⁶ As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. ¹⁷ And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”

2 Corinthians 12:10: That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Interestingly, one thing that God does not desire is sacrifice, as is emphasized by the word thelo (θέλω).

Hebrews 10:5-8: ⁵ Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said:

“Sacrifice and offering you did not desire,
but a body you prepared for me;
⁶ with burnt offerings and sin offerings
you were not pleased.
⁷ Then I said, ‘Here I am—it is written about me in the scroll—
I have come to do your will, my God.’”

⁸ First he said, “Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them”—though they were offered in accordance with the law.

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

We also learn that God’s actions are based on what pleases or delights him, as we see with the word eudokia (ευδοκία).

Luke 10:21: At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do.”

Ephesians 1:5-10: In love ⁵ he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— ⁶ to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. ⁷ In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace ⁸ that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, ⁹ he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, ¹⁰ to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.

People’s Desire for the World

Reading through the New Testament verses, I was struck by how often it refers to the pleasures or desires of the world. This is related to our flesh, or our old self. For example, epithymia (επιθυμία) is almost exclusively used to refer to desires of the flesh.

Colossians 3:5: Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.

1 Peter 1:14: As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance.

Similarly, hedone (ηδονή) is also often used to refer to the pleasures of the world.

Luke 8:14: The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature.

Titus 3:3: At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another.

A related term is chairo (χαίρω), which often—but not always—refers to a selfish type of delight.

Mark 14:10-11: ¹⁰ Then Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Jesus to them. ¹¹ They were delighted to hear this and promised to give him money. So he watched for an opportunity to hand him over.

Luke 23:8: When Herod saw Jesus, he was greatly pleased, because for a long time he had been wanting to see him. From what he had heard about him, he hoped to see him perform a sign of some sort.

People’s Desire to Please God

Another way we see the delight or pleasure terms used is to encourage Christians to do what is pleasing to God, as we see with euarestos (ευάρεστος).

Romans 12:1-2: Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. ² Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Conclusion

We’ll work through all of these themes and more as we explore what the Bible has to say about delight in the coming weeks. I hope you’ll join me!

Go to Lesson 2

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Witness Wednesday Index

Every couple weeks, we take time to think about what God is doing in the world around us.

We start with a video highlighting a nation around the world and how we can pray for the people in that nation. Then, we ask you to discuss how you see God working in your life and community.

This week’s country to pray for is Hong Kong.

You can see the full information about Hong Kong from Prayercast’s website.

These are the prayer points listed in the video:

If you feel led, consider writing out a short prayer for Hong Kong in the comment section.

Leave a comment

And now we ask you:

How have you seen God working in the world around you in the past few weeks?

This could be something that happened to you, something you witnessed someone else do, or a story you saw that spoke to your heart. Examples include:

• You saw a news story of Christ at work in the world.

• You saw someone do something extraordinarily kind for someone else.

• Someone came to help you in your time of need in an unexpected way.

• You witnessed someone accept Christ as their Savior or be baptized.

Sometimes we can get so wrapped up in our own little world that we fail to look for signs of Christ working in the world around us. This often leads us to believe that Christ isn’t working. I’m hoping that by consistently posing this question, it will remind us to be looking for evidence that Christ is still at work through his people. Some weeks, we may not get any stories. Some weeks, we may get a lot of stories. But I want the opportunity to always be there for you to share stories of how Christ is at work as a way to encourage Christians to stay strong in the faith.

John 13:34-35: [Jesus said] “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

I hope you will join me in sharing your stories! If you have a story and don’t want to wait for the next post, feel free to go back and find the previous post and share your story there!

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Remain in Christ Word Study

The Remain in Christ word study started because of what I was learning in the books of John and 1 John, especially John 15. Over and over, I saw the phrase “remain in me” or “abide in me.”

This study fundamentally changed how I view what it means to live as a Christian. It’s not about “accepting Jesus into your heart” or “fire insurance.” It’s not about saying, “I’m a good person, and I believe in God.” It’s not about going to church every Sunday.

Being a Christian means staying connected to Jesus, day in and day out, no matter what the circumstance. It’s about being obedient to him. It’s about staying faithful to him to the end of your life.

Grounded in the Bible

Remain in Christ Word Study

Over the first part of this year, our church worked through a sermon series on the book of John, and in my personal devotionals, I’ve been working through the book of 1 John in my verse mapping. Both books, written by Jesus’ disciple John, talk a lot about the concept of remaining or abiding in Christ, and I’ve been struck that remaining in Christ is th…

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2 years ago · 2 likes · 1 comment · Karen Hoffman

The Remain in Christ word study has 7 lessons:

Lesson 1: What is the Greek background of the word “remain”?

Lesson 2: What does it mean to remain in Christ?

Lesson 3: How do we remain in Christ?

Lesson 4: Why should we remain in Christ?

Lesson 5: What are the rewards of remaining in Christ?

Lesson 6: What does it mean to bear fruit? (3.54k views)

Lesson 7: What are the consequences if we don’t remain in Christ?

I hope this study is as meaningful to you as it has been to me.

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Bible Essentials: Stories in Genesis

In the Bible Essentials studies, I follow a prescribed pattern to understand Scripture passages:

1. What is the context of the passage?

2. What does the passage say about God?

3. What does the passage say about people?

4. What does the passage say about God’s plan?

5. How does the passage fit into the overarching story of the Bible?

Looking at each passage in this way helps us understand who God is and who we are in light of his Word.

The Stories in Genesis series looked at some of the key characters and stories in Genesis, from Adam and Noah to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph.

Part 1: Establishment of the Human Race

Lesson 1: Genesis 1:1-2:3 – Creation

Lesson 2: Genesis 2:4-25 – Adam and Eve

Lesson 3: Genesis 3:1-24 – The Fall

Lesson 4: Genesis 4:1-16 – Cain and Abel

Part 2: Noah and the Flood

Lesson 5: Genesis 6:5-22 – Noah Builds the Ark

Lesson 6: Genesis 7:1-8:14 – The Flood

Lesson 7: Genesis 8:15-9:17 – God’s Promise to Noah (5.61k views)

Lesson 8: Genesis 11:1-9 – Tower of Babel

Part 3: Abraham

Lesson 9: Genesis 12:1-9 – God’s Promise to Abram (2.44k views)

Lesson 10: Genesis 13:1-18 – Abram and Lot

Lesson 11: Genesis 15:1-20 – God Promises Abram a Son (4.29k views)

Lesson 12: Genesis 16:1-16 – Hagar and Ishmael

Lesson 13: Genesis 17:1-17 – God’s Covenant

Lesson 14: Genesis 18:20-19:29 – Sodom and Gomorrah (9.85k views)

Lesson 15: Genesis 21:1-21 – Isaac and Ishmael (9.27k views)

Lesson 16: Genesis 22:1-19 – God Tests Abraham (1.30k views)

Part 4: Isaac and Jacob

Lesson 17: Genesis 24:32-51 – Isaac and Rebekah (1.63k views)

Lesson 18: Genesis 25:19-34 – Jacob and Esau

Lesson 19: Genesis 27:1-40 – Jacob Receives Blessing

Lesson 20: Genesis 29:14-30 – Jacob and His Wives

Lesson 21: Genesis 29:31-30:24 – Jacob’s Children

Lesson 22: Genesis 30:25-43 – Jacob Grows Rich

Lesson 23: Genesis 35:1-20 – God’s Covenant Renewed (1.05k views)

Part 5: Joseph

Lesson 24: Genesis 37:1-11 – Joseph’s Dreams (3.08k views)

Lesson 25: Genesis 37:12-36 – Joseph Sold into Slavery (1.78k views)

Lesson 26: Genesis 39:1-23 – Joseph and Potiphar’s Wife (1.53k views)

Lesson 27: Genesis 40:1-23 – Joseph in Prison (1.05k views)

Lesson 28: Genesis 41:1-43 – Joseph and Pharaoh

Lesson 29: Genesis 42:1-38 – Famine in Egypt

Lesson 30: Genesis 45:1-24 – Joseph and His Brothers

Lesson 31: Genesis 45:25-46:7 – Jacob Reunited With Joseph

Lesson 32: Genesis 50:15-21 – Joseph Forgives His Brothers (1.92k views)

The Bible Essentials series also has premium resources to support the study. Each lesson has journal sheets so you can write down your own thoughts and answers to the questions rather than relying on my thoughts. Each lesson also has a PowerPoint presentation you can use if you want to go through the study as a group. These resources are free to use.

The Bible Essentials series has two other sets of lessons within it that you can find here:

Bible Essentials Set 1: The Story of the Bible

Bible Essentials Set 2: Sin, Sacrifice, and Salvation

You can find the entire index, including the premium resources, here:

Grounded in the Bible

Bible Essentials

This index specifically covers the Bible studies in the Bible Essential series. These studies are intended to grow your foundational knowledge of Biblical concepts and classic Bible stories. They are great for both beginners and those who are more advanced in their Biblical knowledge…

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5 years ago · Karen Hoffman

As the series title indicates, this series highlights some of the essential information in the Bible. It’s great for beginners, but it also helps more mature Christians dig into Scripture in a systematic way that focuses on the relationship between God and humans. It’s also a great way to teach Christians of any age a simple strategy to study the Bible.

Witness Wednesday Index

Every couple weeks, we take time to think about what God is doing in the world around us.

We start with a video highlighting a nation around the world and how we can pray for the people in that nation. Then, we ask you to discuss how you see God working in your life and community.

This week’s country to pray for is Greenland.

You can see the full information about Greenland from Prayercast’s website.

These are the prayer points listed in the video:

If you feel led, consider writing out a short prayer for Greenland in the comment section.

Leave a comment

And now we ask you:

How have you seen God working in the world around you in the past few weeks?

This could be something that happened to you, something you witnessed someone else do, or a story you saw that spoke to your heart. Examples include:

• You saw a news story of Christ at work in the world.

• You saw someone do something extraordinarily kind for someone else.

• Someone came to help you in your time of need in an unexpected way.

• You witnessed someone accept Christ as their Savior or be baptized.

Sometimes we can get so wrapped up in our own little world that we fail to look for signs of Christ working in the world around us. This often leads us to believe that Christ isn’t working. I’m hoping that by consistently posing this question, it will remind us to be looking for evidence that Christ is still at work through his people. Some weeks, we may not get any stories. Some weeks, we may get a lot of stories. But I want the opportunity to always be there for you to share stories of how Christ is at work as a way to encourage Christians to stay strong in the faith.

John 13:34-35: [Jesus said] “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

I hope you will join me in sharing your stories! If you have a story and don’t want to wait for the next post, feel free to go back and find the previous post and share your story there!

Leave a comment

Subscribe now

Characteristics of God

The Characteristics of God series has been the most impactful for me personally, and it is also my most-viewed study by far. As I researched the characteristics of God, I split the characteristics into 6 categories and wrote an overview post on each category. I’m also working through each characteristic individually over time—still a long way to go on those! Someday, maybe I’ll turn them into a book.

This series has changed the way I view God and how I read the Bible. As I read the Bible, I’m constantly seeing God’s character on display. I know I will never fully understand everything that God is, but this study has significantly expanded my understanding.

This series has also changed the way I pray. Being able to more easily see God’s character in Scripture brings me a greater awareness of who He is, and I have found that my prayers are often more focused on praise and worship for who He is than a litany of requests that I want God to answer for me. I encourage you to read through this study and have your eyes opened to more fully understand God.

Grounded in the Bible

Characteristics of God

This index specifically covers the Bible studies in the Characteristics of God series. The study starts with an overview of six categories of characteristics, and individual studies on each characteristic will be added over time. This series also contains a video post and lessons on seeing the characteristics of God in the Psalms…

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5 years ago · Karen Hoffman

Here are the overview posts:

Characteristics of God Overview

9 Ways that God is Sovereign

14 Characteristics Related to God as Judge (22.4k views)

11 Characteristics of God to Imitate (3.60k views)

13 Characteristics of God as a Warrior (10.2k views)

10 Characteristics of God as a Provider (2.76k views)

12 Reasons God is Worthy of Worship (25.9k views)

The study on God as Judge was my most-viewed post for a long time and was the first to hit over 20k views. Recently, Reasons why God is Worthy overtook it, and it has already reached 25k views! My prayer is that these studies will help people connect with God in a new way.

The other aspect of the Characteristics of God study that I love is the resources that go along with it. Each overview post includes a Bible Bingo card with 25 passages of Scripture that explore that category more completely. These verses are the bulk of the verses I am exploring in my Transforming Verse of the Day plan for this year.

You can find these Bible Bingo cards here:

Grounded in the Bible

Characteristics of God

Premium resources are bonus materials that go along with Grounded in the Bible’s Bible studies. These bonus materials enhance the Bible study it accompanies…

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5 years ago · Karen Hoffman

Each individual study that has been completed also includes a word search and a comprehensive list of verses associated with that characteristic. You can find these at the post above as well.

Lastly, I want to highlight just a couple individual lessons that have over 1,000 views. It’s worth reading through the entire series, but so far these have been the most popular.

God is Forgiving (1.28k views)

God is Trustworthy, Part 1 (1.96k views)

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The next study I want to write fits really well with the thankfulness theme we often find in November, so I’m going to wait a few weeks to publish it. In the meantime, I’m going to highlight a handful of past Grounded in the Bible studies that have the most views—the “best of,” so to speak. Then we’ll pick up a new study again in November, looking at the theme of “delight” in the Bible.

Over the past 4 1/2 years of writing Grounded in the Bible, I’ve accumulated a library of over 400 posts, with at least half of those being Bible study posts. And considering that almost half of my subscribers have joined in the last year, there are probably a lot of studies that you haven’t read yet. This is your chance to read the most popular ones! I’ll highlight any particular lesson in the selected studies that has over 1,000 views.

Blameless Word Study

As my very first multi-week study, I looked at the word “blameless” throughout the Bible. Who does the Bible call blameless, and what does it really mean to be blameless? Considering the first post went out to only 25 of you, over the years this study has racked up quite a few views.

Grounded in the Bible

Blameless Word Study

When you think of the word “blameless,” what goes through your mind? For me, that word gives the connotation of someone who hasn’t done anything wrong—that person is without sin. But the Bible ascribes the quality of blamelessness to some humans, such as Noah …

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5 years ago · 1 like · Karen Hoffman

This study spanned 6 weeks:

Blameless Word Study Overview

Part 1: Who Does the Bible Call Blameless? (1.40k views)

Part 2: Hebrew/Greek Word Study (2.09k views)

Part 3: Characteristics of Those Who Are Blameless (3.74k views)

Part 4: Rewards for Those Who Are Blameless

Part 5: Jesus as the Ultimate One Who Is Blameless

Honestly, that last one is the most important one, and it has the least views! Let’s give it the attention it deserves.

Come back next week as we look at my most-viewed study—by far!

Witness Wednesday Index

Every couple weeks, we take time to think about what God is doing in the world around us.

We start with a video highlighting a nation around the world and how we can pray for the people in that nation. Then, we ask you to discuss how you see God working in your life and community.

This week’s country to pray for is Estonia.

You can see the full information about Estonia from Prayercast’s website.

These are the prayer points listed in the video:

If you feel led, consider writing out a short prayer for Estonia in the comment section.

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And now we ask you:

How have you seen God working in the world around you in the past few weeks?

This could be something that happened to you, something you witnessed someone else do, or a story you saw that spoke to your heart. Examples include:

• You saw a news story of Christ at work in the world.

• You saw someone do something extraordinarily kind for someone else.

• Someone came to help you in your time of need in an unexpected way.

• You witnessed someone accept Christ as their Savior or be baptized.

Sometimes we can get so wrapped up in our own little world that we fail to look for signs of Christ working in the world around us. This often leads us to believe that Christ isn’t working. I’m hoping that by consistently posing this question, it will remind us to be looking for evidence that Christ is still at work through his people. Some weeks, we may not get any stories. Some weeks, we may get a lot of stories. But I want the opportunity to always be there for you to share stories of how Christ is at work as a way to encourage Christians to stay strong in the faith.

John 13:34-35: [Jesus said] “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

I hope you will join me in sharing your stories! If you have a story and don’t want to wait for the next post, feel free to go back and find the previous post and share your story there!

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I’ve had the recurring thought that I should write an article about why we study the Bible. This is the foundation of why I named my newsletter Grounded in the Bible, but I’ve never taken the time to write out why the Bible should be the foundation of our lives or why it is important to study the Bible.

A few weeks ago, I came across Psalm 111:10 in my transforming verse of the day jar. I decided to read the whole psalm for context, and it hit me—this is why we study the Bible. Let me tell you the reasons I saw in Psalm 111 for why we study the Bible.

Psalm 111

¹ Praise the Lord.

I will extol the Lord with all my heart
in the council of the upright and in the assembly.

² Great are the works of the Lord;
they are pondered by all who delight in them.
³ Glorious and majestic are his deeds,
and his righteousness endures forever.
⁴ He has caused his wonders to be remembered;
the Lord is gracious and compassionate.
⁵ He provides food for those who fear him;
he remembers his covenant forever.

⁶ He has shown his people the power of his works,
giving them the lands of other nations.
⁷ The works of his hands are faithful and just;
all his precepts are trustworthy.
⁸ They are established for ever and ever,
enacted in faithfulness and uprightness.
⁹ He provided redemption for his people;
he ordained his covenant forever—
holy and awesome is his name.

¹⁰ The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;
all who follow his precepts have good understanding.
To him belongs eternal praise.

Reason #1: We study the Bible to understand God’s character.

Read through Psalm 111 again and look for the characteristics of God. Here’s a table to help you find them.

Here’s a list of the characteristics I see:

1. Worthy of praise

2. Great

3. Performs wonders

4. Glorious

5. Majestic

6. Righteous (upright)

7. Eternal

8. Gracious

9. Compassionate

10. Provider

11. Faithful

12. Omnipotent

13. Just

14. Trustworthy

15. Redeemer

16. Holy

17. Awesome

18. God’s name

19. Wise

And that’s just from one psalm—10 verses! How much more can we understand the characteristics of God if we study the entire Bible. This is one reason I have created the Characteristics of God series.

Reason #2: We study the Bible to remember God’s mighty acts.

Verses 2-9 are all about God’s works, his deeds, his wonders, the works of his hands. We read the Bible to remember all the things God has done. His deeds display his awesome power and his control over creation and people and history and events. Without a written record of God’s mighty acts, we would so quickly forget them.

God’s mighty acts are also one way that we see that God keeps his promises. Every promise that God has made, he has fulfilled. He has kept his end of the covenant, even when we don’t. By reading about God’s mighty acts, we see that God is a good and trustworthy God, a faithful and holy God, and he is worthy of our praise.

Reason #3: We study the Bible to know that God has redeemed us.

One of God’s greatest “mighty acts” is his redemption of his people, both the Israelites and humankind as a whole. Verse 9 says that God has provided redemption for his people. That redemption was complete when Jesus paid for our sins on the cross and rose again in full power and glory. We study the Bible to know Jesus and to believe in him.

Reason #4: We study the Bible to grow in our fear of the Lord.

Verse 10 says that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. What is the fear of the Lord? If we fear the Lord, it means that we have holy reverence for him and we understand that he has the power to forgive us and cleanse us of our sins or cast us away into darkness forever. He is a holy and just God, and we are all deserving of eternal death because of our sins. But God in his mercy sent Jesus to redeem us. By fully understanding God’s character, his intolerance of sin, and his greatest act of compassion for us, we grow in our fear of the Lord.

Reason #5: We study the Bible to grow in wisdom and understanding.

As we study the Bible, we begin to understand God’s character and his redemption plan, which causes us to fear him. As we fear him and continue to study his Word, we grow in wisdom and understanding. By applying what we learn in the Bible to our lives, we can be wise and discerning in how we live and the choices we make.

Reason #6: We study the Bible to be reminded to worship God.

The Bible, especially the Psalms, gives us reason after reason why God is the only one who is worthy of praise and worship. All other gods fail in comparison to the One True God. God is the only one who is in control of all creation. He is the only one who sustains life. He is the only one who is exalted far above all other gods. He is the only one who can restore his fallen creation so that we can be in a right relationship with him. We have so many reasons to worship God.

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The day after I pulled Psalm 111:10 from my transforming verse jar, I pulled Romans 15:4. And that verse gave me more reasons why we study the Bible.

Romans 15:4: For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.

Reason #7: We study the Bible for encouragement.

Life on earth can be hard. Sometimes we need a bit (or a lot) of encouragement to get through the day, to not give up. When we feel this way, the Bible has words of encouragement that God has given to his people.

Reason #8: We study the Bible for hope.

Very few things on this earth give us hope. I’m not talking about “I hope I get this awesome gift for Christmas” or “I hope I get this job.” I’m talking about real hope. Not just a wish for something to happen, but hope that is based on something sure and certain. God’s promises in the Bible are sure and certain. He has already acted to redeem us and to save us from the enemy. He already knows what the end will look like. He already has a plan in place for a new heaven and a new earth. Because God is trustworthy, we can depend on his promises. We can depend on him to keep his word. This is our sure source of hope in a tired and weary world.

Reason #9: We study the Bible so we can endure.

When we place our trust in Jesus, when we believe that the words of the Bible are true, when we know that God’s promises are sure and certain, we have the hope and encouragement we need to endure all hardships and persecution. For some, this may look like tolerating a below-average job because it pays the bills. For others, this may look like a cancer diagnosis. And for still others, this may look like becoming a martyr for your faith. Whatever God calls us to endure, we know that we can endure it because he’s given us encouragement and hope in the Bible. He has told us how everything ends. He has told us that the side of good will win. But if we don’t study the Bible, how will we know this?

I hope these reasons convince you that it’s important to study the Bible. That it’s important to let the Bible be the foundation of your life. The Bible holds the key to knowing God, being redeemed from your sins, and having hope to endure to the end. It holds the words that bring eternal life. I hope you will join us at Grounded in the Bible as we study God’s word each week!