Joy Of The Lord
Pippa, our dog, is 12 pounds of joy in our lives. She greets you with a soft howling “woo” every time you return home. She is always eager to go for a car ride while running errands around town. She has an incredible ability to make you smile or laugh with just a look. She can give your lap extra warmth on a cold day. And she is the world’s greatest alarm clock—no obnoxious sounds, just her inching closer and closer, gradually waking you until she’s near enough that you can feel her breath on your face. Then, when you open your eyes or make a noise, the kissing begins.
At times, her love feels unconditional, but as I think about it now, her love is very conditional. She can be a bossy dog, demanding walks when the game is on. She will spend more time with me when there’s food available. Yes, it’s fun to take her on strolls through the woods with her off-leash, but should I stop moving and she find something more entertaining, suddenly she can’t hear my command to “come.” She also requires work: there are “presents” in the yard, and as a puppy, she left “surprises” in the house. She costs money for several reasons, and on the rare trips she doesn’t get to go along, she is one more responsibility to manage.
The point of this testimony: the presence of joy doesn’t mean the absence of opposition to my desires.
The NIV Application Commentary says this is the original meaning of Isaiah 61:
In this chapter, we are introduced once again to the means whereby God’s people will be enabled to live righteous lives, which will, in turn, draw the nations to God. That means is the Anointed One, the Messiah (61:1–3a). Then follows a list of the benefits that the Messiah’s people will receive (61:3b–7). In 61:8–9, God speaks, making it explicit that covenant righteousness is what He desires and that He is the One who makes that righteousness possible. Finally, the servant people break forth into a psalm of praise to God, who makes them a righteous people in the sight of the nations (61:10–11).
I encourage you to take a minute to read Isaiah 61:1–11 to gain context. For today, we are focusing on verse 7.
Isaiah 61:7
Instead of your shame, there shall be a double portion;
instead of dishonor, they shall rejoice in their lot;
therefore in their land, they shall possess a double portion;
they shall have everlasting joy.
The NIV Application Commentary continues: The speaker has been anointed by the Spirit of God both to “preach good news” (61:1) and to provide “beauty” instead of “ashes,” “gladness” instead of “mourning,” and “praise” instead of “despair” (61:3), so that God’s people will be “oaks of righteousness.” This is not the work of a human prophet; rather, it is the work of the Messiah, the Anointed One, Jesus Christ, who is prophesied throughout the book. He will make of His people what they cannot make of themselves.
The results of the Messiah’s work are detailed in 61:3b–7, beginning with God’s people becoming “oaks of righteousness.” This is the opposite of what was said of them in 1:27–31, where they were described as “an oak with fading leaves” because of the unrighteousness and injustice practiced among them (1:21). Yet even there, God promised that Jerusalem would one day “be called the City of Righteousness, the Faithful City” (1:26). Now, He reveals the means whereby that will become a reality. The Servant aka Messiah’s work will not only deliver but also transform.
That deliverance and transformation are expressed in the language of rebuilding (61:4) and freedom (61:5). The nations will make it possible (61:5–6) for the people of Israel to fulfill their ancient calling to be a royal priesthood (Ex. 19:6), serving God in the beauty of holiness. They will move from “disgrace” to the “inheritance” of a firstborn son—the “double portion” (Isa. 61:7).
What is the result of the work of the Messiah, the Anointed One, Jesus Christ? It’s right there in verse 7 of Isaiah 61: Everlasting joy!
Even though, in the book of Isaiah, the city of Jerusalem is called an oak with fading leaves, the work of God—the work of the Messiah and the Spirit—transforms them into “oaks of righteousness,” “the City of Righteousness, the Faithful City.”
Now I’ll be honest with you because maybe then you can be honest with God and realize you are not alone. In light of this scripture and referring back to the point of my original story about my dog, Pippa: the presence of Joy doesn’t mean the absence of opposition to my desires. Because quite often my human desires are contrary to the work of the almighty God. But the presence of Joy in my life is a direct result of God the Father, Jesus the Savior, Spirit the helper and comforter working in my heart.
If you think joy that lasts will come from the perfect gift under the tree, it won’t. Even our precious traditions and practices that are good for us—like gathering with our loved ones, singing Christmas carols, or attending a candlelit Christmas Eve service (and I want you to do all those things)—even those won’t be the source of everlasting joy. The source of everlasting joy comes from the work of God in your life. I encourage you to pray to God, surrender your will for your life to His, and ask Him to give you joy.
Chad Strausbaugh