The more self-absorbed this world becomes; the less people care about how God reveals Himself. Despite this, God clearly reveals Himself to us through His written Word and creation. Jeremiah 9:24 showcases God’s affections. 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.
One of the reassuring lessons from this passage is that God says it is possible for a person to know and understand Him. This relationship is to be their boast, or the confidence of that individual. This personal awareness of God is not the source of ego or pride, but humility and gratitude as one who observes God.
On this occasion, the Lord explains through Jeremiah that three facets of His unchangeable character operate in unison. What’s more, the Lord is steadfast in these three. That is, God is perfectly consistent in all His expressions of love, justice, and righteousness. These three are inseparable and mutually engaged in the operations of each other. There is never a time when God expresses any one of these three without the other two being in operation also.
Here the Lord confesses that in these things I delight. These bring God pleasure and heighten our realisation of the holy correctness of these three character traits. From our perspective, we see God on display through these three in all the earth. And we joyfully wait for the day when the redemption of our bodies (Romans 8:23) shall transport us to Heaven where we shall see all of God’s glory displayed without limitation or restraint.
Through him (Christ) we have also obtained access by faith into this grace (Justification/Innocence) in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God (Romans 5:2). Grace is a profound truth which only the Holy Spirit can enable us to grasp and appreciate. God the Father’s grace has made it possible for us to come to Him through His Son. Faith in Christ sees us declared innocent and standing in an irreversible relationship with the Father. Being awakened to the enormity of this spiritual transition, we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
There are two levels at which we rejoice. First, because we are eyewitnesses of God’s love, justice, and righteousness working in us unworthy sinners through salvation, which God initiated on our behalf. He saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began (2 Timothy 1:9). Now that’s glorious! So, we praise Him for His grace. We speak well of His Son Jesus Christ. We exalt the glorious character of our God. It’s as Paul celebrated with the Corinthians, I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus (1 Corinthians 1:4).
Secondly, we live in anticipation of God’s grace liberating us from this dark world into His glorious presence in Christ. God has 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 (Ephesians 2:5-7). Heaven shall be our endless statement of God’s grace which enabled us to discover that He is the God of steadfast love, justice, and righteousness.