The God of Joy
David Lamb, in his new, thoughtful must-read, The Emotions of God: Making Sense of a God Who Hates, Weeps, and Loves, expounds on the emotions of God in the Bible. One of the emotions of God is joy, but the Bible shows a God of many emotions.
Joy defined looks like this: “a deep feeling or condition of happiness or contentment” and when we think of joy we think of “pleasure, happiness, and delight.” Extreme joy is ecstasy. Sorrow leads to weeping, joy leads to singing.
The God of the Bible is a God of joy. God is happy and takes delight.
David Lamb refers to “Buddy the Elf.” He is not respected but eventually wins the day. He gives four Hebrew words and five Greek words for joy in the Bible. Look some of these up: Gen 1:4 (where tov seems to mean pleased), Ezra 6:22, Psalm 43:4, Isa 65:18, Luke 15:32, Matt 25:21, 5:12, Luke 1:14, and Mark 1:11.
God finds his creation of the world to be joy-causing: Gen 1:4, 18. Including the great sea monster of Gen 1:21, which he says is “something like a kraken.” OK, Kris and I were in Alaska and our host, Leslie Leyland Fields’ husband, took us out in the bay and we saw massive whales. A bit terrifying but also deeply joyous to see the sea monsters.
God delights in “bipedal hominids” (Gen 1:28, 31), and “very good” could be translated “pure bliss.”
These emotions of God open the Bible. That is, the Bible opens by telling us that God takes delight, great joy, in all creation.
God’s people bring God joy. Check this out from Isa 62:4-5:
You shall no more be termed Forsaken
and your land shall no more be termed Desolate,
but you shall be called My Delight Is in Her
and your land Married,
for the LORD delights in you,
and your land shall be married.
For as a young man marries a young woman,
so shall your builder marry you,
and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride,
so shall your God rejoice over you.
Jerusalem gets new names, and these names tell us about God’s joy. Notice these references: Isa 65:19; Zeph 3:17; Psalm 149:4.
Blessing God’s people cause joy for God.
It’s Christmas Eve as I write this. Gift-giving brings the giver joy. Deuteronomy 30:9 puts it this way: “and the LORD your God will make you abundantly prosperous in all your undertakings, in the fruit of your body, in the fruit of your livestock, and in the fruit of your soil. For the LORD will again take delight in prospering you, just as he delighted in prospering your ancestors” – that verse is a Christmas Day verse.
Wisdom, faith, and justice bring God joy.
Here’s one for you: Micah 6:7-8. The first half does not bring God joy, and the second half in italics of these two verses does bring God joy.
Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?” He has told you, O mortal, what is good, and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice and to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God?”
Humans find joy in God.
Hannah, we are told in 1 Samuel, says before and of God, “My heart rejoices in the Lord … for I delight in your deliverance” (1 Sam 2:1, sounds like Magnificat, eh?). Notice, too, Nehemiah 8:10, 12, and Psalm 16:9, 11.
When Jesus is born there is joy.
Speaking of Christmas: the scenes around and of the birth of Jesus were occasions for cosmic joy. Luke 1:44, 47; and Luke 2:10, and Matthew 2:10 – the magi’s joy. The Father’s joy at the baptism of Jesus can fit here too (Mark 1:11).
Jesus’ parables talk about joy.
“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and reburied; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field” (Matt 13:44). And the prodigal son chp has plenty of joy (Luke 15:6, 7, 9, 10). Divine joy, an human celebrations.
There is joy in the ministry of Jesus.
Lots of joy over Jesus’ ministry, including the return of the missioners (Luke 10:17) and Zacchaeus (Luke 19:6). The resurrection brought joy to two Marys (Matt 28:7-8).
Paul found joy in his suffering.
But not because he was a Stoic. His joy saw through the suffering to the final justice of God and to eternal life in the presence of God in God’s home (2 Tim 1:4).
“Joy defined looks like this: ‘a deep feeling or condition of happiness or contentment’ and when we think of joy we think of ‘pleasure, happiness, and delight.’ Extreme joy is ecstasy. Sorrow leads to weeping, joy leads to singing.”
This made me think of “gratitude@ as explained in Diana Butler Bass’ writing. A JOY that overcomes someone, beyond expectations. Sometimes our facial expressions, or lack there-of, betray “The Force” (Star Wats style) we are feeling.
God, The Force, doesn’t just dish it out, but God also feels it! Spiritual physics!
The joy of we feel from this book, partially vicariously, through Scot, leads us us to want to actually read the book! The reverb/tsunami of emotions - that essence of the emotion that bounces out and hits those in it’s path. What does it do to consider emotions that volley back and forth across spiritual space, between and through God and creation?