2 Samuel 22:20-32
The deliverances that God gives us (beginning with our salvation) do not depend upon what we deserve, but only upon His grace. On the other hand, where His Son is concerned, such excellence was found in Him that God could not fail to deliver Him. Among all men, Christ is the only One who, if one may so say, deserved His resurrection. To those who beheld Jesus on the cross, His abandonment appeared to be a sign of God’s disapproval. The mockers "wagged their heads": "Let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him" (Psalms 22:8) or ". . . if he will have him" (Matthew 27:43). God has taken up this challenge in raising Jesus from the dead. And the Son, who knows His Father’s heart, replies from the other side of death, "He delivered me, because he delighted in me" (v. 20).
There follow the marvellous reasons given to God by Jesus for finding His pleasure in Him: His righteousness and the purity of His actions (vv. 21, 25), His faithfulness (v. 22), His obedience (v. 23), His holiness (v. 24), His mercy (v. 26), His dependence (vv. 29, 30), His trust (v. 31); in short, His perfection (v. 24). Truly the Father’s gaze could rest with total satisfaction upon "the upright man" (v. 26).