"I Will Rejoice Over Them"

Jeremiah 32:40

Joy with God is an attribute, not a passion. It is therefore eternal, infinite, perfect and immutble. Joy is God's eternal complacency, satisfaction and delight. The Scriptures specifically tell us four things which please God, in which he delights and rejoices.

1. GOD REJOICES IN HIMSELF (I Chron. 16:27). When God dwelt alone, in the solitary perfection of his holy Being, when nothing existed but God, there was joy and gladness in his place. God does not need his creatures to give him joy. He is joy in himself.

2. GOD REJOICES IN ALL HIS WORKS (Psa. 104:31). Every- thing that God has done,is doing, or shall hereafter do is to him a reason for endless joy (Rev.4:11). He finds joy in all his works of creation, in all his works of providence, and in his marvellous work of redemption (Gen. 1:31; 2:2; Isa. 46:10; Lk. 15:7, 9, 22-24).

3. GOD REJOICES IN HIS SON, THE LORD JESUS CHRIST (Matt. 3:17; 17:5; Col. 1:18-19). There is only one Man in all the universe with whom God is absolutely, eternally and immutably well-pleased. And that Man is the God-Man,our Substitute,Christ Jesus. God is pleased with Christ as our Mediator. God the Father is pleased with Christ's obedience to him as our Representative to fulfill all righteousness on our behalf (Rom. 5:19). He is pleased with Christ's blood sacrifice as our Substitute for the satisfaction of his justice. And he is pleased with Christ's intercession as our High Priest for the non-imputation of sin (I John 2:1-2).

4. AND GOD REJOICES, DELIGHTS, TAKES PLEASURE AND FINDS COMPLACENCY IN HIS PEOPLE FOR CHRIST'S SAKE. That is astonishing.But it is a fact. God takes pleasure in us, his people. We are his Hephzibah, in whom he delights. We are his Beulah, to whom he is married (Isa. 62:4-5). As a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so the Lord rejoices and takes pleasure in us (Psa. 147:11; 149:4). Imagine that! In the words of the covenant God said, "Yea, I will rejoice over them to do them good." And he does what he promised. He rejoices over us because we are united to Christ by faith. He rejoices to bestow upon us all benefits of his grace and all the glory of heaven. He rejoices to make us spiritually rich and prosperous. And he rejoices to make all things work together for our good. Because God so rejoices in us, let us ever rejoice in him (Psa. 35:27-28).

Don Fortner