Summary
What God Delights In—and What He Hates
Scripture reveals that God Himself has favorites. Psalm 147:10-11 declares, "His delight is not in the strength of the horse, nor his pleasure in the legs of a man, but the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love." The fear here is not terror but awe and reverence; the hope is not a wish but confidence. God delights when His people stand before Him in reverent awe and rest with assurance in His unfailing love.
Other passages echo the same. Zephaniah 3:17 tells us the Lord is in our midst as a warrior who saves, who rejoices over us with gladness and renews us in His love. Jeremiah 9:24 names His delights directly: steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth.
But Proverbs 6:16-19 turns the picture inside out, listing what God finds disgusting: "There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers." This is a numerical proverb—a poetic form where the second line raises the first by one—and seven, the number of completeness, is the point. The catalog moves from eyes to tongue to hands to heart to feet, head to toe, with the heart at the center. As Jesus says in Mark 7:21-23, it is from within, out of the human heart, that evil intentions come. The list pictures the completeness of our sin, top to bottom, inside and out.
Confronted with such a list, we are tempted to manage the discomfort rather than face it. Like the Pharisee in Luke 18:11-12, we compare ourselves to others and feel relieved. Like Saul before his conversion in Galatians 1:14, we put a finger on the scale, weighing our zeal and traditions to tip the balance our way. Or we soften sin into "mistakes"—forgetfulness, oversights, the kind of slips anyone makes. But Scripture will not let sin be reduced. 1 John 1:9 calls it unrighteousness; it is rebellion against the Almighty. And James 2:10 presses the verdict home: whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it.
The problem is too deep for self-comfort. It cannot be soothed by listing favorite things or rearranging our self-assessment. So God Himself acts. He sends His Son, and on the cross the Lord Jesus Christ takes all of it—every disgusting word, every wicked deed, every righteous act left undone—the spotless Lamb bearing the sin of the whole world. The wrath that should fall on us falls on Him. God comes to people stuck in a predicament they could never solve and solves it Himself.
These are the favorite things worth singing about: the grace that gives what we do not deserve, the mercy that withholds what we do; the steadfast love of God; redemption that opens eternity; the claim of baptismal water; the body and blood placed into our mouths with the words of forgiveness. Raindrops on roses pale beside them. For more, see Delight in God: "Favorite Things" 6-22-25.
Video citations
- Delight in God: "Favorite Things" 6-22-25 — Would you open your Bible's please for our time and God's Word to Proverbs 6, chapter 6, page 552, if you're using a Pue edition, 552 in the Old Testament. Reen drops on roses and whiskers on…