Jeremiah 9:23-24 tells three things that please God.
“Thus says the LORD: ‘Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom,
let not the mighty man boast in his might,
let not the rich man boast in his riches,
but let him who boasts boast in this,
that he understands and knows me,
that I am the LORD
who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth.
For in these things I delight, declares the LORD.’”
—Jeremiah 9:23-24
Did you notice how many times God uses his covenant name LORD (Hebrew, Yahweh) in these verses?
Imagine eating lunch with a friend named Mark, and after finishing his hamburger he states: “Here is what Mark says, ‘Let’s do something fun this weekend, maybe go golfing or play tennis, because I am Mark, who likes golfing,’ declares Mark.”
As you munched your french fries, you would probably ask yourself, Why does he keep repeating his name? Did I call him the wrong name without realizing it?
God’s name
Clearly God’s name is extremely important. He repeats it here for a holy reason. It is important to him because it is his identity, and if we know him well it is important to us.
In Jeremiah 9:23-24, God defines himself. This is my name, this is who I am, this is what I stand for, this is what I delight in.
Anyone who wants to know God well, as he truly is, pays extra close attention when God talks like this. If you are distracted, if your mind is wandering, you perk up and realize, This is an all-important moment, because God is making it as plain as one can make it.
When a guy who has romantic interest in a girl named Lisa overhears her gush to her friend, “I like yellow roses. Lisa can’t get enough yellow roses. Lisa loves it when people give her yellow roses,” he pays attention. You can be sure what he is going to give her the next time he takes her on a date.
That is how people enthralled with knowing God hear Jeremiah 9:23-24.
God’s delights
The LORD defines himself by saying there are three things he “delights” in. God has delights. He is not a computer. He is not Spock. God is not an impersonal force. He is a person who feels infinite pleasure, enjoyment, and satisfaction in certain things. According to Jeremiah 9:23-24, what God delights infinitely in are steadfast love, justice, and righteousness.
Steadfast love (Hebrew, hesed)
God delights in steadfast love, in the loyal kindness and faithfulness that lifelong friends, longtime business partners, and persevering spouses show one another. The opposite is betrayal and abandonment. God delights in showing steadfast love to his people, and he delights when people show steadfast love to each other.
Two of the great examples of God’s steadfast love to people are the covenants he keeps with Abraham and David.
Great examples of steadfast love between people are the relationships of David and Jonathan, Sarah toward Abraham, and Ruth toward Naomi.
David and Jonathan remained loyal to one another despite the murderous hatred that Jonathan’s father Saul held toward David and despite Jonathan and David each having a claim on being king after Saul.
Sarah showed steadfast love to Abraham by remaining true to him despite Abraham twice letting her be taken by covetous kings. Scripture never records that Sarah had any negative words or attitude toward Abraham as a result.
Ruth showed steadfast love to her mother-in-law Naomi when she clung to Naomi as she returned to Israel, speaking the words that perfectly express the virtue of steadfast love: “Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried. May the LORD do so to me and more also if anything but death parts me from you.” (Ruth 1:16-17)
God delights in such love. If we want to please God, we will show steadfast love to people.
This is the end of part one. Read part two next week.
Jeremiah 9:23–24: “Thus says the LORD: ‘Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD.’” (ESV)