Joy to the World—the LORD Is Coming Again!**
The LORD has made his salvation known and revealed
his righteousness to the nations.
Psalm 98:2
The somber church music of
the 18th century frustrated Isaac Watts. He wanted to use lyrics
that were more understandable and tunes that were more uplifting. At that time
most congregations sang only the psalms, so Watts decided to update his church’s
music by rewriting all 150 psalms in rhymed verse.* The words to “Joy to the
World” are his paraphrase of Psalm 98.
Watts couldn’t foresee that
his version of that psalm would become one of Christendom’s most beloved Christmas
carols; in fact, his words weren’t attached to the tune we sing for over 100
years! Nevertheless, the first few verses of Psalm 98 can certainly be applied
to Christ’s birth. God did make his salvation known and did reveal his
righteousness when Jesus was born in Bethlehem (v. 2). He also manifested His
love and faithfulness to Israel through the arrival of their Messiah (v.3).
However, the psalmist also
referred to events that haven’t yet occurred. Verse 3 declares, “all the ends
of the earth have seen the salvation of our God,” and verse 9 proclaims, “[the
LORD] will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples with equity.” These things didn’t happen when Jesus
came to earth as a baby; they will happen when He returns to earth as King.
Watts understood that Psalm
98 referred primarily to the Second Coming of Christ. This is evident
throughout his paraphrase. When will “rocks, hills, and plains repeat the
sounding joy”? When will “heaven and nature sing”? Paul said that all of
creation waits for the day when Christ will return (Romans 8:19). When will sin
and sorrow no longer grow or “thorns infest the ground”? When will Jesus come “to
make His blessings flow Far as the curse is found”? According to Revelation 21:4, that time will come when “the
first heaven and the first earth [have] passed away.”
Should we stop singing “Joy
to the World” at Christmastime? Of course not. But its joyful message shouldn’t
be confined to the Advent season.
Every day our desire should be “let earth receive her King” as we
eagerly anticipate Jesus’ Second Coming. Every day our prayer should be “let
every heart prepare him room.” And
every day our song should be joy to the world—The LORD is coming again!
*You can
access a free copy of Isaac Watts’ The
Psalms of David at http://www.fullbooks.com/The-Psalms-of-David.html.
DIG DEEPER:
1.
Many psalms are
considered “messianic” in that they refer to either the first or second coming
of Christ. Psalm 22 and Psalm 24 are two of them. Read both psalms. Which
refers to the first coming? Which refers to the second coming?
2.
Read Simeon’s
words in Luke 2:29-32. What similarities do you see between his words and Psalm
98:2-3?
3.
What is the best
way for us to “prepare him room” in our hearts? Read Colossians 3:12-17.
4.
To read all of
the lyrics to “Joy to the World,” go to http://nethymnal.org/htm/j/o/joyworld.htm
Denise K. Loock
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**A longer version of this devotion appears in Open Your Hymnal Again: More Devotions That Harmonize Scripture with Song. To find out more about the book or to order a copy, click here