“Delighted”
Psalm 41:11-13
By this I know that You delight in me: my enemy will not shout in triumph over me. But You have upheld me because of my integrity, and set me in Your presence forever. Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting! Amen and Amen.
“By this I know.” God’s delight in us is a sign of His favor. We know He delights in us because our enemy, the devil, will not shout in triumph over us. We happily agree with the psalm up until this point, but we run into a bit of a snag with the psalmist’s next remark: “But You have upheld me because of my integrity.” We must, in repentant humility, admit that integrity is not always displayed in our lives. We are not always as honest and upright as our Lord commands us to be. As Scripture says, “None is righteous; no, not one” (Romans 3:10b). God does not uphold us against the foe because of our integrity. He upholds us because of the integrity of our Savior.
The inspired, prophetic words of this psalm point to Jesus, the promised Messiah, the Father’s delight. During the Lord’s earthly ministry, the Father’s praise for His Son echoed from heaven. At Jesus’ Baptism, the Father said, “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17b). As Jesus drew nearer to the cross, three disciples watched as He was transfigured in glory. They heard the Father’s voice from a bright cloud: “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to Him” (Matthew 17:5).
The innocent Son, who never failed in integrity and uprightness, was condemned to death and nailed to the cross. Jesus took onto Himself all of our sins—our unrighteousness and our lack of integrity—and suffered the penalty of death that we deserved. At Jesus’ death, the devil may have shouted in triumph, but the foe’s triumph did not last long. The sinless Son was upheld because of His integrity. It was the Son, not the enemy, who triumphed: “For You will not abandon My soul to Sheol, or let Your Holy One see corruption. You make known to Me the path of life; in Your presence there is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore” (Psalm 16:10-11). Jesus was raised from the dead, exalted to the Father’s right hand, and set in His presence forever.
By faith, Jesus’ victory is our victory. Our sins are forgiven and the foe cannot shout in triumph over us. We are baptized into Christ Jesus, clothed with His integrity, His righteousness. For Jesus’ sake, the Father who delights in His beloved Son delights in us: His beloved sons and daughters. We will live in God’s presence forever and bless the Lord from everlasting to everlasting. These psalm verses are all about our Lord Jesus and, because of His saving work, these verses describe us, too!
We Pray:
Heavenly Father, through faith in Jesus I am righteous in Your sight. Help me to live with integrity in the world so that I might glorify You.
Amen.
Written by Dr. Carol Geisler.
Reflection Questions:
1. How do you practice integrity in your life?
2. Why would God delight in us?
3. How has Jesus made us worthy before God the Father?
Today’s Bible in a Year Reading:
1 Kings 16-18; Acts 13:1-25