Jeremias 15

Jeremias 15:16

Morgan - Joy Increases as We Grasp God’s Word So God breathes the air of joy, He created the universe with an atmosphere of joy, He shares with us the oxygen of joy, and He expects us to worship Him with joy. We should be breathing it in every day. Perhaps you’re saying, “Well, I need some breathing lessons.” One of the ways we learn to breathe the oxygen of joy is by studying and grasping the truths of God’s Word. Over and over again in the Bible, a life of joy is linked to a life of Bible study. It’s the truth of God’s Word and the power of His Promises that opens the windows and freshens the air of the soul. • The prophet Jeremiah, who was melancholy by nature and who lived in truly tragic times said: Your words were found, and I ate them, and Your Word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart—Jeremiah 15:16 (NKJV). • In John 15:11 (NKJV), Jesus told His disciples: These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. • Nehemiah 8:12 says: Then all the people went away to eat and drink, to send portions of food and to celebrate with great joy, because they now understood the words that had been made known to them, referring to Ezra’s teaching of the Law and of the Word of God. • Psalm 19:8 says: The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. • And Psalm 119:111-112 says: Your statutes are my heritage forever; they are the joy of my heart. My heart is set on keeping Your decrees to the very end. Eating Words - I read about an Australian woman who developed a craving for paper. She began her unusual diet as a child, and as she grew older she ate as many as 10 tissues and a half page of the newspaper every day. The woman had also consumed small quantities of blotting paper, sheets from exercise books, and petty cash vouchers. Of course, there's no relationship between that woman's strange habit and the symbolic actions of the prophet Ezekiel. His eating of a scroll was meant to illustrate a spiritual exercise that all of us should engage in. If we are to declare God's truth with meaning and power, we must take time to let it fill our hearts. We need to feel the implications of what God has said. We are to let His Word become a vital part of us so that we can't talk about it glibly as uninvolved, detached students, but as those who have personally "tasted" it. The actual words and thoughts of God are revealed in the Bible. Don't just read them and repeat them. Think them. Feel them. Ask the Lord to clarify them, to make them a part of your experience, and to teach you. Lord, teach us from Your holy Word The truth that we must know; And help us share the joyous news Of blessings You bestow. —D. De Haan Let God's Word fill your mind, rule your heart, and guide your steps. DIGESTING THE WORD - King James is famous for the Bible translation that bears his name. Around the same time as the printing of the Bible, he also made revisions to The Book of Common Prayer. Still used today, this guide to intercession and worship contains a marvelous prayer for internalizing the Bible: “Blessed Lord, who hast caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning; grant that we may … hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that by patience, and comfort of [Your] holy Word, we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life.” Many centuries earlier, Jeremiah the prophet expressed a similar way of letting the Scriptures nourish our hearts: “Your words were found, and I ate them; and Your Word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart: for I am called by Your name, O Lord God of hosts” (Jer. 15:16). We internalize the Word as we “read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest” a passage of Scripture through prayerful meditation. Ask the Lord to help you apply the Bible to your heart today. Take time to ponder the meat and milk of the Word (Heb. 5:12). As you quiet your heart, God will teach you about Himself through His Book. Lord, I meditate on Your precepts and contemplate Your ways. I delight myself in Your statutes; I will not forget Your Word. Open my eyes that I may see wondrous things from Your law. Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested. —Bacon WHAT DID HE SAY? - Because our son Steve spent most of his teen years connected to a cell phone, it was a bit of a shock for us when we couldn’t talk with him for long periods of time after he joined the US Navy. First at boot camp and later while he trained as a hospital corpsman, we endured long periods of time without any communication. So it was a treat whenever we finally did hear from him. After one of us would get his call, the first question from the other was always, “What did he say?” We hung on every word to hear how he was doing, what he was thinking, and what the Navy was planning for him. It’s natural to respond like this to the words of those who are important to us. We eagerly anticipate hearing from them. Are we like that with the Word of God? Are we eager to communicate with Him—to look carefully into His Book to ask, “What did He say?” Unlike the infrequent calls from a son in the military, God’s words of encouragement and guidance are always available to us. We just have to listen. The prophet Jeremiah prayed, “Your words were found, and I ate them, and Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart” (Jer. 15:16). Do you have that same longing to hear God speak to you through His Word? Thy Word is a lamp to my feet, A light to my path alway To guide and to save me from sin And show me the heavenly way. —Anon. We cannot know the heart of God unless we have a heart for God. HEART FOOD - I love food! I love to see it beautifully presented, and I love to savor the taste. If it were up to me, I would eat more often than I should—although it wouldn’t help my waistline! So, it’s a good thing my wife, Martie, knows when to lovingly remind me to eat healthful foods in the right amount. Reading Jeremiah’s interesting thought—that when he found the words of God (even the words of God’s judgment) he “ate them” (Jer. 15:16)—makes me wonder if I ingest God’s Word as eagerly, as lovingly, and as often. Clearly, Jeremiah did not actually eat God’s Word. It was his way of saying that he read and savored it in his innermost being. And that’s exactly where God’s Word is intended to go. The Word is heart food! When we ingest it, the Holy Spirit provides the power to help us grow to be more like Jesus. His Word transforms how we think about God, money, enemies, careers, and family. In other words, it’s really good for us. So, “eat” God’s Word to your heart’s content! No doubt you will find yourself agreeing with the prophet Jeremiah when he said: “Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart” (Jer 15:16). Lord, cultivate in me an appetite for Your Word. Thank You that the Bible is food for my soul. Lead me to read it, to savor it, to ingest it, and to know the strength that Your words can give to my often-failing heart. The more you feast on God’s Word, the healthier you will become. Social Stomachs - Honey ants survive in difficult times by depending on certain members of their group, known as "honey pots." They take in so much nectar that they swell into "little round berries" hardly able to move. When food and water become scarce, they act as "social stomachs" and sustain the entire ant colony by dispensing what they have stored in their own bodies. Similarly, the messenger of God must fill his heart and mind with the truths of Scripture. Only as he is faithful to apply the Word of God to his own life can he honestly give its nourishing encouragement and exhortation to help others. The Lord told the prophet Ezekiel to eat a scroll that contained a message full of "lamentations and mourning and woe" (Ezek. 2:10). Because he was submissive to the Lord and applied the lesson to his own heart first, he could boldly present the life-giving message to all who would listen. After I have eaten, Lord, And on Your Word have fed, Help me share with others from Your precious, living bread. --DJD Before we can serve the Bread of Life to others, We must feast on it ourselves. THE WORD OF GOD: A JOY PRODUCER! And Thy Words became for me a joy - Beloved, don't miss this! While the Holy Spirit is not mentioned, rest assured Jeremiah is describing fruit that could only be borne as the Spirit takes the Word and brings forth life (Jn 6:63), in this case manifest as supernatural joy, a sense of exultation, rejoicing, gladness. It has to be supernatural because Jeremiah's circumstances were anything but joy filled! (see Gal 5:22-note) Joy (08342)(sason) means joy, gladness, rejoicing, mirth. In the OT it almost universally speaks of human happiness and abounding delight. The Lxx translates it here with the noun euphrosune (from eu = well, + phren = mind) which literally is "well minded" and then of good cheer, mirth, merriment. Euphrosune is used in Acts 2:28 in the sentence "Thou wilt make me full of gladness with Thy presence." Here in Jeremiah the gladness is the result of being in the "presence" of "Thy Word." It follows that if we would have joy like Jeremiah, we would seek His presence in and through His Word. Yes, His Word is for our transformation, but it is also for our joy and gladness. If your "joy quotient" is low, run to His Word, asking His Spirit to unveil the presence of the Lord in His Word. You will experience a renewal of supernatural joy in the presence of Jesus (cp Ps 16:11). David makes a statement similar to Jeremiah in Ps 19:8 = The precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart. The Living Bible (TLB) paraphrases Jeremiah 15:16 - "Your words are what sustain me; they are food to my hungry soul. They bring joy to my sorrowing heart and delight me. How proud I am to bear Your Name, O Lord." Chuck Smith - Can you say that of God's Word? To me it is the joy and rejoicing. How I love the Word of God! How I enjoy finding beautiful truths in God's Word that minister to my spirit and my soul. It's the joy and rejoicing of my heart. Just to get into the Word and to read and study it, sort of devour it. And here's Jeremiah saying, "I found Your Word and I devoured it and it was the joy and the rejoicing of my heart." Dictionary of Bible Imagery - In summary, joy is experienced through God’s means of grace in the midst of life. Knowledge of God’s Word produces joy (Ps 19:8; 119:16, 111, 162, 165; Jer 15:16), worship evokes it (Ps 42:4; 43:4; 46:4; 71:23; 100:1; Lk 24:52; Jas 5:13), obedience discovers it (Ps 32:11; 64:10; 68:3; 69:32; 87:1–5; 97:11; 119:1; Prov 10:28; 13:9; 29:6) and work fosters it (Deut 12:18; Ezra 6:22; Eccles 2:24, 25). The Bible describes the “deep power of joy” by demonstrating it to be more powerful, more constant and more enduring than adverse circumstances (Jn 16:20–32; Acts 16:25, 34; Rom 14:17; 2 Cor 6:10; 7:4; 8:2; 12:10; Phil 4:4). In fact the Bible urges Christians to be joyful when suffering persecution for the faith, (Lk 6:22, 23) because in it they identify with their Savior (1 Pet 4:13). Every trial is an opportunity for joy, because it furthers the Christian’s sanctification (Jas 1:2; 1 Pet 1:8). The Bible not only exhorts people of faith to find joy in suffering, it says that God will give joy at the end of difficulty as a foretaste of the final redemption (Ps 30:5, 11, 12; 51:8; 53:6; 85:6; 126:5, 6; Is 35:1, 2, 10). Joy is the believer’s strength in the midst of affliction (Neh 8:10–12; Ps 28:7). Let the words of the great saint Isaac Watts be the prayer of our heart (Read his full poem "The Excellency of the Bible Demonstrated")… Then let me love my Bible more And take a fresh delight By day to read these wonders o'er And meditate by night. --Isaac Watts And the delight (KJV = rejoicing) (Ps 1:2-note Ps 19:10 Ps 119:16, 24, 35, 47,48, 72, 92, 97,103, 111, 113, 127, 159,167,174): nothing could be more agreeable. Describes David coming into the city dancing with "simchah" 1Sa 18:6, 1Ki 1:40 When Solomon appointed king over Israel and the festive "simchah" that accompanied. Is God's Word really your delight? How much time do you spend with God in His Word? What you choose to delight in is that which gives you great pleasure and soul satisfaction. O God grant us a genuine delight for the things that last forever (God's Word - Mt 24:35, human souls) so that enabled by Thy Spirit we might "look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal." (2Cor 4:18) Holman Bible Dictionary - The happy state that results from knowing and serving God. A number of Greek and Hebrew words are used in the Bible to convey the ideas of joy and rejoicing. We have the same situation in English with such nearly synonymous words as joy, happiness, pleasure, delight, gladness, merriment, felicity, and enjoyment. The words joy and rejoice are the words used most often to translate the Hebrew and Greek words into English. Joy is found over 150 times in the Bible. If such words as “joyous” and “joyful” are included, the number comes to over 200. The verb rejoice appears well over 200 times. Joy is the fruit of a right relation with God. It is not something people can create by their own efforts. The Bible distinguishes joy from pleasure. The Greek word for pleasure is the word from which we get our word hedonism , the philosophy of self-centered pleasure-seeking. Paul referred to false teachers as “lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God” (2 Timothy 3:4 ). (Joy - Holman Bible Dictionary) Joy - Baker's Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology Joy - International Standard Bible Encyclopedia Delight (08057) (simchah from samach = to rejoice, be glad) is a feminine noun which means joy, gladness (with one's entire being as indicated by its association with the heart cf. Ex 4:14; Ps 19:8; 104:15; 105:3, soul Ps 86:4, cp verb samach in Pr 15:30 = "bright eyes gladden the heart") and refers to both the emotion and the manifestation of the emotion (Ezra 3:12, 13). Simchah refers to the reality, the experience and manifestation of joy and gladness. Joy is happiness over an unanticipated or present good. Delight or gladness in our heart comes from God (Psalm 4:7, cp 2Chr 20:27, 30:21). David prays "make me know joy and gladness (simchah)." (Ps 51:8) God desires that we serve Him with joy (Dt 28:47). Jdg 16:23 describes pagan (Philistines) rejoicing upon conquering their enemy (Israel). We see joy associated with music and/or singing (1Sa 18:6, 1Ki 1:40, 1Chr 15:16, 2Chr 23:18, 29:30). We see joy associated with willing offering from a whole heart (1Chr 29:9, 17). Joy was associated with celebration of the feast (2Chr 30:21, 23, 26, Ezra 6:22) In God's "presence is fullness of joy" (Ps 16:11). God gives a person "gladness of heart" in the labor and toil of this earthly life (Eccl. 5:20). One’s wedding day is a day of rejoicing (Song 3:11). The "joy of the godless" is momentary (Job 20:5) because it depends on joy producing circumstances. Even as God can give joy, He can also take it away (Isa 16:10, Jer 7:34, Joel 1:16). One source says simchah has as its root meaning "to shine, to be bright." The Septuagint translates simchah with chara in Jer 15:16. HCSB - Simchah, derived from samach (rejoice, be glad), reflects several of the verb's meanings, occurring 10x with it. Simchah signifies joy (Gen 31:27), rejoicing (Neh 12:43), or shout of joy (1Sam 18:6). It connotes happiness (Job 20:5), pleasure (Pr 21:17), enjoyment (Ec 8:15), celebration (Neh 8:12), and gratitude (Neh 12:44). Simchah appears 13x with sason ("joy, delight"), usually as gladness (Ps 51:8), and several times each with giyl ("rejoicing"; Isa 16:10) and rinnah ("shout of joy, singing"; Zeph 3:17). Simchah accompanied feasting (Est 9:17-19), harvest (Isa 9:3), and especially music (21 vv.). It could arise from folly or wisdom (Pr 15:21,23). The adjective sameach (21x) describes people rejoicing (1Ki 1:40). It appears as joy (Dt 16:15) and joyful (Ps 113:9). It implies enjoying (oneself) (Est 5:14; Pr 2:14), taking pleasure (Ec 2:10), and being full of joy (Est 5:9). Carouser translates "sameach of heart" (Isa 24:7). Enhanced Brown-Driver-Briggs - . joy, gladness, mirth;—abs. שׂ׳ Gn 31:37 +, cstr. שִׂמְחַת Is 9:2 +; sf. שִׂמְחָתִי Ps 137:6, etc.; pl. שְׂמָחוֹת Ps 16:11, -ת֗ 45:16;—1. mirth, gladness, e.g. in festivity, Gn 31:27 (E), Ps 137:3, 6, 1 K 1:40; 1 S 18:6; Is 9:2(); 16:10 Ps 45:16; יוֹם מִשְׁתֶּה וְשׂ׳ Est 9:17, 18, 22 cf. (יוֹם om.) v 19 ( + יוֹם טוֹב), v 22 (|| יוֹם טוֹב), + 5 times, + קוֹל שׂ׳ Je 7:34 = 16:9 = 25:10 = 33:11; joy of heart Pr 14:10, 13; Ec 5:19; Ct 3:11, cf. (of inward joy) Jon 4:6; Pr 15:23; 21:15; = gaiety, pleasure Is 22:13; Ec 2:1, 2, 10; 8:15; 9:7, בֵּית שׂ׳ 7:4; שׂ׳ חָנֵף Jb 20:5, of foolish Pr 15:21; 21:17; malicious joy Ez 35:15 (ל rei), so שׂ׳ כָּל־לֵבָב 36:5. 2. 46 (especially Ps Ps Chr) religious: 2 S 6:12 || 1 Ch 15:16, 25; Jo 1:16 +; יוֹם שׂ׳ Nu 10:10 (P); עָשָׂה שׂ׳ i.e. make a (sacred) festivity 2 Ch 30:23; Ne 8:12; 12:27; שִׂמְחַת עוֹלָם Is 35:10 = 51:11; 61:7; שׂ׳ c. עַל pers. Ne 12:44; joy of heart Is 30:29; Je 15:16; as gift of י׳ Ps 4:8; 21:7 + 7 times + (in mockery) Is 66:5. †3. joy of י׳ Zp 3:17. †4. glad result, happy issue Ps 106:5 (|| טוֹבָה), Pr 10:28; 12:20 (Gr. אֱמֻנָה, Toy מִשְׁפָּט; opp. מִרְמָה). Gesenius - joy, gladness, Ps. 4:8; 45:16, etc. שָׂמַח שִׂמְחָה גְּדוֹלָה to be very joyful, 1 Ki. 1:40; Jonah 4:6. Specially—(a) joyful voices, joyful cries, Ge 31:27; Neh 12:43; 2Chr 23:18; 29:30.—(b) joyful banquets, pleasures. Pr. 21:17, אֹהֵב שִׂמְחָה loving pleasures. עָשָׂה שִׂמְחָה Neh. 8:12; 12:27; 2Chr 30:23. James Swanson - 1. joy, gladness, delight, i.e., a feeling or attitude of joyful happiness and cheerfulness (Ps 51:8), note: in some contexts this is a response to, or manifestation of, worship to God and so transcendent even of unfavorable circumstances; 2. pleasure, i.e., a state of happiness, with a focus on sensory input to the body which gives entertainment to the senses (Pr 21:17; Ecc 2:1; 2:2, 10; 7:4) (Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains) Simchah - 87v in the OT. NAS Usage: delight(1), exceeding joy(1), extremely*(1), festival(1), gladness(34), happiness(1), joy(38), mirth(1), pleasure(6), rejoice(1), rejoiced(1), rejoicing(6). Genesis 31:27 "Why did you flee secretly and deceive me, and did not tell me so that I might have sent you away with joy and with songs, with timbrel and with lyre; Numbers 10:10 "Also in the day of your gladness and in your appointed feasts, and on the first days of your months, you shall blow the trumpets over your burnt offerings, and over the sacrifices of your peace offerings; and they shall be as a reminder of you before your God. I am the LORD your God." Deuteronomy 28:47 "Because you did not serve the LORD your God with joy and a glad heart, for the abundance of all things; Judges 16:23 Now the lords of the Philistines assembled to offer a great sacrifice to Dagon their god, and to rejoice, for they said, "Our god has given Samson our enemy into our hands." 1 Samuel 18:6 It happened as they were coming, when David returned from killing the Philistine, that the women came out of all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet King Saul, with tambourines, with joy and with musical instruments. 2 Samuel 6:12 Now it was told King David, saying, "The LORD has blessed the house of Obed-edom and all that belongs to him, on account of the ark of God." David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom into the city of David with gladness. 1 Kings 1:40 All the people went up after him, and the people were playing on flutes and rejoicing with great joy, so that the earth shook at their noise. 1 Chronicles 12:40 Moreover those who were near to them, even as far as Issachar and Zebulun and Naphtali, brought food on donkeys, camels, mules and on oxen, great quantities of flour cakes, fig cakes and bunches of raisins, wine, oil, oxen and sheep. There was joy indeed in Israel. 1 Chronicles 15:16 Then David spoke to the chiefs of the Levites to appoint their relatives the singers, with instruments of music, harps, lyres, loud-sounding cymbals, to raise sounds of joy. 25 So it was David, with the elders of Israel and the captains over thousands, who went to bring up the ark of the covenant of the LORD from the house of Obed-edom with joy. 1 Chronicles 29:17 "Since I know, O my God, that You try the heart and delight in uprightness, I, in the integrity of my heart, have willingly offered all these things; so now with joy I have seen Your people, who are present here, make their offerings willingly to You. 22 So they ate and drank that day before the LORD with great gladness. And they made Solomon the son of David king a second time, and they anointed him as ruler for the LORD and Zadok as priest. 2 Chronicles 20:27 Every man of Judah and Jerusalem returned with Jehoshaphat at their head, returning to Jerusalem with joy, for the LORD had made them to rejoice over their enemies. 2 Chronicles 23:18 Moreover, Jehoiada placed the offices of the house of the LORD under the authority of the Levitical priests, whom David had assigned over the house of the LORD, to offer the burnt offerings of the LORD, as it is written in the law of Moses-- with rejoicing and singing according to the order of David. 2 Chronicles 29:30 Moreover, King Hezekiah and the officials ordered the Levites to sing praises to the LORD with the words of David and Asaph the seer. So they sang praises with joy, and bowed down and worshiped. 2 Chronicles 30:21 The sons of Israel present in Jerusalem celebrated the Feast of Unleavened Bread for seven days with great joy, and the Levites and the priests praised the LORD day after day with loud instruments to the LORD. 23 Then the whole assembly decided to celebrate the feast another seven days, so they celebrated the seven days with joy. 26 So there was great joy in Jerusalem, because there was nothing like this in Jerusalem since the days of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel. Ezra 3:12 Yet many of the priests and Levites and heads of fathers' households, the old men who had seen the first temple, wept with a loud voice when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, while many shouted aloud for joy, 13 so that the people could not distinguish the sound of the shout of joy from the sound of the weeping of the people, for the people shouted with a loud shout, and the sound was heard far away. Ezra 6:22 And they observed the Feast of Unleavened Bread seven days with joy, for the LORD had caused them to rejoice, and had turned the heart of the king of Assyria toward them to encourage them in the work of the house of God, the God of Israel. Nehemiah 8:12 All the people went away to eat, to drink, to send portions and to celebrate a great festival, because they understood the words which had been made known to them. 17 The entire assembly of those who had returned from the captivity made booths and lived in them. The sons of Israel had indeed not done so from the days of Joshua the son of Nun to that day. And there was great rejoicing. Nehemiah 12:27 Now at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem they sought out the Levites from all their places, to bring them to Jerusalem so that they might celebrate the dedication with gladness, with hymns of thanksgiving and with songs to the accompaniment of cymbals, harps and lyres. 43 and on that day they offered great sacrifices and rejoiced because God had given them great joy, even the women and children rejoiced, so that the joy of Jerusalem was heard from afar. 44 On that day men were also appointed over the chambers for the stores, the contributions, the first fruits and the tithes, to gather into them from the fields of the cities the portions required by the law for the priests and Levites; for Judah rejoiced over the priests and Levites who served. Esther 8:16 For the Jews there was light and gladness and joy and honor. 17 In each and every province and in each and every city, wherever the king's commandment and his decree arrived, there was gladness and joy for the Jews, a feast and a holiday. And many among the peoples of the land became Jews, for the dread of the Jews had fallen on them. Esther 9:17 This was done on the thirteenth day of the month Adar, and on the fourteenth day they rested and made it a day of feasting and rejoicing. 18 But the Jews who were in Susa assembled on the thirteenth and the fourteenth of the same month, and they rested on the fifteenth day and made it a day of feasting and rejoicing. 19 Therefore the Jews of the rural areas, who live in the rural towns, make the fourteenth day of the month Adar a holiday for rejoicing and feasting and sending portions of food to one another. 22 because on those days the Jews rid themselves of their enemies, and it was a month which was turned for them from sorrow into gladness and from mourning into a holiday; that they should make them days of feasting and rejoicing and sending portions of food to one another and gifts to the poor. Job 20:5 That the triumphing of the wicked is short, And the joy of the godless momentary? Psalm 4:7 You have put gladness in my heart, More than when their grain and new wine abound. Psalm 16:11 You will make known to me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; In Your right hand there are pleasures forever. Comment: euphrosune (from eu = well, + phren = mind) which literally is "well minded" and then of good cheer. See discussion of joy (sasson). Psalm 21:6 For You make him most blessed forever; You make him joyful with gladness in Your presence. Psalm 30:11 You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; You have loosed my sackcloth and girded me with gladness, Psalm 43:4 Then I will go to the altar of God, To God my exceeding joy; And upon the lyre I shall praise You, O God, my God. Psalm 45:15 They will be led forth with gladness and rejoicing; They will enter into the King's palace. Psalm 51:8 Make me to hear joy and gladness, Let the bones which You have broken rejoice. Psalm 68:3 But let the righteous be glad; let them exult before God; Yes, let them rejoice with gladness. Psalm 97:11 Light is sown like seed for the righteous And gladness for the upright in heart. Psalm 100:2 Serve the LORD with gladness; Come before Him with joyful singing. Psalm 106:5 That I may see the prosperity of Your chosen ones, That I may rejoice in the gladness of Your nation, That I may glory with Your inheritance. Psalm 137:3 For there our captors demanded of us songs, And our tormentors mirth, saying, "Sing us one of the songs of Zion." 6 May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth If I do not remember you, If I do not exalt Jerusalem Above my chief joy. Proverbs 10:28 The hope of the righteous is gladness, But the expectation of the wicked perishes. Proverbs 12:20 Deceit is in the heart of those who devise evil, But counselors of peace have joy. Proverbs 14:10 The heart knows its own bitterness, And a stranger does not share its joy. 13 Even in laughter the heart may be in pain, And the end of joy may be grief. Proverbs 15:21 Folly is joy to him who lacks sense, But a man of understanding walks straight. 23 A man has joy in an apt answer, And how delightful is a timely word! Proverbs 21:15 The exercise of justice is joy for the righteous, But is terror to the workers of iniquity. 17 He who loves pleasure will become a poor man; He who loves wine and oil will not become rich. Ecclesiastes 2:1 I said to myself, "Come now, I will test you with pleasure. So enjoy yourself." And behold, it too was futility. 2 I said of laughter, "It is madness," and of pleasure, "What does it accomplish?" 10 All that my eyes desired I did not refuse them. I did not withhold my heart from any pleasure, for my heart was pleased because of all my labor and this was my reward for all my labor. 26 For to a person who is good in His sight He has given wisdom and knowledge and joy, while to the sinner He has given the task of gathering and collecting so that he may give to one who is good in God's sight. This too is vanity and striving after wind. Ecclesiastes 5:20 For he will not often consider the years of his life, because God keeps him occupied with the gladness of his heart. Ecclesiastes 7:4 The mind of the wise is in the house of mourning, While the mind of fools is in the house of pleasure. Ecclesiastes 8:15 So I commended pleasure, for there is nothing good for a man under the sun except to eat and to drink and to be merry, and this will stand by him in his toils throughout the days of his life which God has given him under the sun. Ecclesiastes 9:7 Go then, eat your bread in happiness and drink your wine with a cheerful heart; for God has already approved your works. Song of Solomon 3:11 "Go forth, O daughters of Zion, And gaze on King Solomon with the crown With which his mother has crowned him On the day of his wedding, And on the day of his gladness of heart." Isaiah 9:3 You shall multiply the nation, You shall increase their gladness; They will be glad in Your presence As with the gladness of harvest, As men rejoice when they divide the spoil. Isaiah 16:10 Gladness and joy are taken away from the fruitful field; In the vineyards also there will be no cries of joy or jubilant shouting, No treader treads out wine in the presses, For I have made the shouting to cease. Isaiah 22:13 Instead, there is gaiety and gladness, Killing of cattle and slaughtering of sheep, Eating of meat and drinking of wine: "Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we may die." Isaiah 24:11 There is an outcry in the streets concerning the wine; All joy turns to gloom. The gaiety of the earth is banished. Isaiah 29:19 The afflicted also will increase their gladness in the LORD, And the needy of mankind will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel. Isaiah 30:29 You will have songs as in the night when you keep the festival, And gladness of heart as when one marches to the sound of the flute, To go to the mountain of the LORD, to the Rock of Israel. Isaiah 35:10 And the ransomed of the LORD will return And come with joyful shouting to Zion, With everlasting joy upon their heads. They will find gladness and joy, And sorrow and sighing will flee away. Isaiah 51:3 Indeed, the LORD will comfort Zion; He will comfort all her waste places. And her wilderness He will make like Eden, And her desert like the garden of the LORD; Joy and gladness will be found in her, Thanksgiving and sound of a melody. 11 So the ransomed of the LORD will return And come with joyful shouting to Zion, And everlasting joy will be on their heads. They will obtain gladness and joy, And sorrow and sighing will flee away. Isaiah 55:12 "For you will go out with joy And be led forth with peace; The mountains and the hills will break forth into shouts of joy before you, And all the trees of the field will clap their hands. Isaiah 61:7 Instead of your shame you will have a double portion, And instead of humiliation they will shout for joy over their portion. Therefore they will possess a double portion in their land, Everlasting joy will be theirs. Isaiah 66:5 Hear the word of the LORD, you who tremble at His word: "Your brothers who hate you, who exclude you for My name's sake, Have said, 'Let the LORD be glorified, that we may see your joy.' But they will be put to shame. Jeremiah 7:34 "Then I will make to cease from the cities of Judah and from the streets of Jerusalem the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride; for the land will become a ruin. Jeremiah 15:16 Your words were found and I ate them, And Your words became for me a joy and the delight of my heart; For I have been called by Your name, O LORD God of hosts. Jeremiah 16:9 For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: "Behold, I am going to eliminate from this place, before your eyes and in your time, the voice of rejoicing and the voice of gladness, the voice of the groom and the voice of the bride. Jeremiah 25:10 'Moreover, I will take from them the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the sound of the millstones and the light of the lamp. Jeremiah 31:7 For thus says the LORD, "Sing aloud with gladness for Jacob, And shout among the chief of the nations; Proclaim, give praise and say, 'O LORD, save Your people, The remnant of Israel.' Jeremiah 33:11 the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the voice of those who say, "Give thanks to the LORD of hosts, For the LORD is good, For His lovingkindness is everlasting"; and of those who bring a thank offering into the house of the LORD. For I will restore the fortunes of the land as they were at first,' says the LORD. Jeremiah 48:33 "So gladness and joy are taken away From the fruitful field, even from the land of Moab. And I have made the wine to cease from the wine presses; No one will tread them with shouting, The shouting will not be shouts of joy. Ezekiel 36:5 therefore thus says the Lord GOD, "Surely in the fire of My jealousy I have spoken against the rest of the nations, and against all Edom, who appropriated My land for themselves as a possession with wholehearted joy and with scorn of soul, to drive it out for a prey." Joel 1:16 Has not food been cut off before our eyes, Gladness and joy from the house of our God? Jonah 4:6 So the LORD God appointed a plant and it grew up over Jonah to be a shade over his head to deliver him from his discomfort. And Jonah was extremely happy about the plant. Zephaniah 3:17 "The LORD your God is in your midst, A victorious warrior. He will exult over you with joy, He will be quiet in His love, He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy. Zechariah 8:19 "Thus says the LORD of hosts, 'The fast of the fourth, the fast of the fifth, the fast of the seventh and the fast of the tenth months will become joy, gladness, and cheerful feasts for the house of Judah; so love truth and peace.' THE WORD OF GOD IN THE PSALMS AND THE DELIGHT IN OUR SOULS The psalms repeatedly allude to the delighting power of the Word… Ps 1:2-note; But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night. Ps 19:10-note They are more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb. Ps 119:16 I shall delight in Thy statutes; I shall not forget Thy word. Comment: How would he not forget? My memorizing God's Word which he would do because it was not drudgery but delight! Is memorization drudgery for you? It does take "work," but the payoff is eternal, so ask God's Spirit to create in you a heart that supernaturally desires God's Word, and this is a prayer you can be 100% sure He will answer (1Jn 5:14-15-note explains why we can be so confident in His answer!) Ps 119:24 Thy testimonies also are my delight; They are my counselors. Ps 119:35 Make me walk in the path of Thy commandments, For I delight in it. Ps 119:47 And I shall delight in Thy commandments, Which I love. Ps 119:48 And I shall lift up my hands to Thy commandments, Which I love; And I will meditate on Thy statutes. Ps 119:72 The law of Thy mouth is better to me Than thousands of gold and silver pieces. Ps 119:92 If Thy law had not been my delight, Then I would have perished in my affliction. Ps 119:97 Mem. O how I love Thy law! It is my meditation all the day. Ps 119:103 How sweet are Thy words to my taste! Yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth! Ps 119:111 I have inherited Thy testimonies forever, For they are the joy of my heart. Ps 119:113 Samekh. I hate those who are double-minded, But I love Thy law. Ps 119:127 Therefore I love Thy commandments Above gold, yes, above fine gold. Ps 119:159 Consider how I love Thy precepts; Revive me, O LORD, according to Thy lovingkindness. Ps 119:167 My soul keeps Thy testimonies, And I love them exceedingly. Ps 119:174 I long for Thy salvation, O LORD, And Thy law is my delight. Of my heart - Not my head, but the "control center" of my very being. If we read the Word for information without desiring transformation, we come prideful like the Pharisees! Beware of this subtle trap! H A