“Praise our triune God, who delights to redeem us!” That was our service theme last Sunday. Through Jacob’s sermon and our reading of Ruth chapter 3, we saw Boaz’s delight in serving as Ruth’s redeemer – and subsequently recognized the picture of God’s delight in redeeming His people.

We face constant temptations to think differently about God. When we sin, when we fail, when we neglect prayer or Bible reading, we often feel as if God is annoyed with us, frustrated with us, ready to have nothing more to do with us.

But our God is the happy God. Whatever He pleases, He does (Psalm 135:6). He overflows with joy within the Trinity.

God is pleased to spread His joy by redeeming a people for His own possession, who will receive and then display and proclaim His love and mercy, His grace and truth (1 Peter 2:9-10). We His people become His intimate family, sharing in His joy (Psalm 16:11, Matthew 25:21, 1 Peter 1:8-9).

But we all are sinful, are fallen, while God is holy; He is “light and in Him is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5). He thus is the God of perfect justice; every sin must be paid for. So if we are to be in His family, there must be a payment for our sins – the redemption price.

So Jesus provides that payment. Indeed, through the sorrow and pain of the cross, Jesus knew the “joy set before Him” (Hebrews 12:2), the joy of redeeming God’s people for His glory.

Thus, our redemption is God’s work from beginning to end. He delights to accomplish that redemption. He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust, that we are fallen (Psalm 103:14). And so through the Gospel He provides a way for us, sinful as we are, to be His delight. We become like Him in hating sin – we must be holy, for He is holy (Leviticus 11:45). Yet when we commit sin, we come to Him in confession and repentance, relying on Jesus’ sacrifice, knowing that in Him the Father accepts us completely (1 John 1:9-2:2, Romans 8:1).

Reflect on these great truths. Meditate on the God who delights to redeem His people. And – whatever you do, however you fail – know that God delights to redeem you for Himself.

To help you in those reflections and meditations, here are additional Scriptures on this theme. (Unless otherwise indicated, all Scriptures are ESV. Emphasis added.)

• Micah 7:18-20 Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance? He does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in steadfast love. ¹⁹ He will again have compassion on us; he will tread our iniquities underfoot. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea. ²⁰ You will show faithfulness to Jacob and steadfast love to Abraham, as you have sworn to our fathers from the days of old.
• Jeremiah 32:37-41 Behold, I will gather them from all the countries to which I drove them in my anger and my wrath and in great indignation. I will bring them back to this place, and I will make them dwell in safety. ³⁸ And they shall be my people, and I will be their God. ³⁹ I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear me forever, for their own good and the good of their children after them. ⁴⁰ I will make with them an everlasting covenant, that I will not turn away from doing good to them. And I will put the fear of me in their hearts, that they may not turn from me. ⁴¹ I will rejoice in doing them good, and I will plant them in this land in faithfulness, with all my heart and all my soul.
• Psalm 35:27 Let those who delight in my righteousness shout for joy and be glad and say evermore, “Great is the LORD, who delights in the welfare [shalom] of his servant!”
• Psalm 147:10-11 His delight is not in the strength of the horse, nor his pleasure in the legs of a man, ¹¹ but the LORD takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love.
• Psalm 149:4 For the LORD takes pleasure in his people; he adorns the humble with salvation.
• Isaiah 43:25 “I, I am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins.”
• Isaiah 1:18 “Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.”
• Psalm 103:13 As a father shows compassion to his children, so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear him.
• Psalm 130:7-8 O Israel, hope in the LORD! For with the LORD there is steadfast love, and with him is plentiful redemption. And he will redeem Israel from all his iniquities.  (NET 7b-8: [He] is more than willing to deliver. ⁸ He will deliver Israel from all the consequences of their sins.)
• Ephesians 2:4-7 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, ⁵ even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ– by grace you have been saved– ⁶ and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, ⁷ so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
• Mark 1:40-42 NET Now a leper came to [Jesus] and fell to his knees, asking for help. “If you are willing, you can make me clean,” he said. ⁴¹ Moved with compassion, Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing. Be clean!” ⁴² The leprosy left him at once, and he was clean.

So join the leper in saying to Jesus, “If you are willing, you can make me clean!” He will gladly say to you: “I am willing! Be clean! Welcome to my intimate family!”