Does God Have Favorites? What the Bible Says God Delights In

Does God Have Favorites?

We've been talking about favorites a lot at our house lately. Favorite colors, favorite animals, favorite foods, and even favorite numbers. Yes, favorite numbers are a thing.

Mine is 8.

Last week I turned 48, and I was super excited because my favorite number is part of my age again.

One year, shortly after we moved into our current house, my husband surprised me by having our yard landscaped for my birthday. Among the new plants were purple irises, which just so happened to bloom right on my birthday this year. Purple isn't new to our yard, though. Earlier this month, our large hedge of lilacs was in full bloom.

Speaking of favorites and the color purple, my youngest daughter's favorite color is lavender, and her favorite animal is a fennec fox. I didn't know much about a fennec fox until this week when we visited a zoo and discovered they had two of them. She was thrilled.

All this talk about favorites had me wondering: Does God have favorites?

The Bible tells us, "For God does not show favoritism" (Romans 2:11).

God doesn't love one person more than another based on appearance, popularity, accomplishments, or status. But as I kept searching through the Bible, I found something interesting.

While God doesn't have favorite people, the Bible does tell us what He delights in.

God delights in:

• Humility – "Act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God." (Micah 6:8)

  
  

• Obedience – "To obey is better than sacrifice." (1 Samuel 15:22)

  
  

• Mercy – "I desire mercy, not sacrifice." (Hosea 6:6)

  
  

• Truth and trustworthiness – "The Lord delights in people who are trustworthy." (Proverbs 12:22)

  
  

• Those who put their hope in Him – "The Lord delights in those who fear Him, who put their hope in His unfailing love." (Psalm 147:11)

These conversations about favorites have stuck with me all week. We've even talked about our favorite smells!

Our favorites tell people something about us. My favorite number, my daughter's favorite animal, and even the purple flowers in our yard give a tiny peek into the things we enjoy.

God's delights do the same thing. They help us to see what God values, to get to know Him better. God doesn't have favorite people, but He does show us what delights Him.

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About Make Monday Matter

Make Monday Matter is my weekly Christian devotional where I share reflections on faith, running, and the small ways God shows up in everyday life.