Psalms 147:11

The declaration 'the Lord taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy' grounds divine delight not in human achievement (the preceding verse: 'he delighteth not in the strength of the horse, nor taketh pleasure in the legs of a man') but in the disposition of trust-in-divine-mercy. The pairing 'fear him' and 'hope in his mercy' might seem paradoxical — fear and hope directed at the same object — but represents the Old Testament integration of awesome reverence and confident reliance as the defining posture of covenant relationship. The verse participates in Psalm 147's sustained contrast between human military and natural power (horses, armies) and the different register of divine power — the creator of the cosmos who also heals the brokenhearted (v. 3). James 4:6 ('God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace to the humble') and 1 Peter 5:7 ('casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you') develop the same theology of divine delight in humble trust.