As our world is shaken, many people think God is mad at us, or disapproves of us. Nothing could be further from the truth. There is a wonderful account of Jesus when the world was created in Proverbs 8. It begins with wisdom calling from the hilltops and gates of the city. The text clearly states wisdom is God Himself. Verse 22 says, “The LORD possessed me at the beginning of His way, from everlasting to everlasting I was anointed. When there were no depths before the mountains were settled, when He established the heavens I was there. When He made firm the skies above, when He set for the seas its boundary, when He marked out the foundations of the earth; then I was beside Him as a master workman; and I was daily His delight, rejoicing always before Him. Rejoicing in the world, His earth, and having my delight in the sons of men.”
The word delight means enjoyment and pleasure. Jesus was daily his Father’s delight, His Father’s joy, His Father’s pleasure. If we comprehend the joy the Father has in His Son Jesus, we might get a fresh insight into the depth of love the Father has for us. He was willing to give up His Son in whom all His delight rested, to grant us fellowship with Him.
Verse 31 is a profound truth. “Rejoicing in the world, His earth, and having my delight in the sons of men.” Jesus was so happy with God’s creation that He rejoiced in it. It’s His Father’s world, created by Him and Jesus loved it. And yet, His delight is in us – the sons and daughters of Adam and Eve. Jesus, the master workman, could have delighted only in the created world, but His real joy was in us. Even when sin tainted the world and mankind forever, Jesus still delighted in us. Psalm 18:19 states, “He brought me forth also into a broad place; He rescued me because He delighted in me.”
There was joy in heaven over the sons of mankind. Remember John 3:16 says that God so loved the world that He sent His only Son. Salvation through Christ was the Father’s idea and His Son was delighted to do His Father’s will. Hebrews 12:2 says it this way: “Jesus, the author, and finisher of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” This joy set before Jesus is us! He delighted in us all along and had great joy in going to the cross to pay for our sin. It may not have looked like He was joyful having all our sins thrown upon Him, but He knew the joy was there in rescuing us from the kingdom of darkness and placing us into the kingdom of light.
God did not send Jesus because He was obligated to but because He was delighted to save us. He alone knew what salvation would bring. We still don’t grasp the entire scope of all He died to give us. In this day and age when people have a bad opinion of God and His character, His Word says He delights in us, loves us, and had joy in saving us. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8).
Receive from Jesus 