Morning, September 21, edited from Spurgeon’s Morning and Evening

“I will rejoice over them to do them good.” — Jeremiah 32:41

How encouraging to the believer, is the delight which God has in his saints! We cannot see any reason in ourselves why the Lord should take pleasure in us; we cannot take delight in ourselves, for we often must groan, being burdened — conscious of our sinfulness, and deploring our unfaithfulness — and we fear that God’s people cannot take much delight in us, for they must perceive so many of our imperfections and our foolishness, so that they may rather grieve over our shortcomings than admire our virtues. But we love to dwell upon this transcendent truth, this glorious mystery: that as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so does the Lord rejoice over us. We do not read anywhere that God delights in the cloud-capped mountains, or the sparkling stars, but we do read that he delights in the inhabited parts of the earth, and that his delights are with the sons of men. We do not even find it written that angels give his soul delight; and he doesn’t say, concerning cherubim and seraphim, “You shalt be called Hephzibah, for the Lord delights in you;” but he does say all that to poor fallen creatures like ourselves, debased and depraved by sin, but saved, exalted, and glorified by his grace. Note in what strong language he expresses his delight in his people! Who could have conceived of the eternal One as bursting forth into a song? Yet it is written, “He will rejoice over you with joy, he will rest in his love, he will joy over you with singing.” As he looked upon the world he had made, he said, “It is very good;” but when he beheld those who are purchased of Jesus’ blood, his own chosen ones, it seemed as if the great heart of the Infinite could restrain itself no longer, but overflowed in divine exclamations of joy. Should not we utter our grateful response to such a marvelous declaration of his love, and sing, “I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation?”