Joy of God

One of the striking instructions of the apostle Paul occurs when he urges the Philippian believers to rejoice in the Lord always. Indeed, he is so eager that they will do so that he repeats his exhortation immediately. Why was he so eager? His letter to them makes clear that it was not because the Philippians were not joyful at the time, although it was possible for them to become less joyful. Nor was it because he himself was struggling with becoming joyful; Paul states several times in this letter that he possessed joy. Rather he was eager for all God’s people to be joyful because God himself is full of joy.

 

The joy of God

How do we know that God is joyful? Recall what Nehemiah said to encourage the Israelites: ‘The joy of the Lord is your strength’ (Neh. 8:10). That statement indicates that the Lord is joyful and that he gives of his joy to his people. Similarly, Jesus told a parable about himself and his servants where the reward for the servants is described as ‘entering into the joy of your Lord.’ As with the verse by Nehemiah, the statement by Jesus says that the Lord shares his joy with his people, except that this experience will be in the future after the Day of Judgement whereas the experience promised by Nehemiah was in the here and now.

 

Where do we see God as joyful? It is not difficult to grasp that within the Trinity the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are full of joy in one another and for one another. Of course, it is impossible for a creature to explain what such joy is like, except to say that it is perfect and eternal, without increase or decrease. Because that is the case, it means that God did not create because he was lacking in joy.  Rather, he created to share his joy in numerous ways, all for his glory.

 

We can go back to the beginning of creation and consider what is said about God after completing the first week of creation. His declaration about it was that it was all very good. The Lord expressed pleasure in all that he had made. He rejoiced in the range of creatures that he had brought into existence, and he rejoiced in having provided for them an environment in which they could live. Among his creatures were Adam and Eve whom he had made the king and queen of his world. He was pleased with what had appeared as he rested on that first Sabbath, not because he was tired but because there was now a time and a place in which his blessings could be known. 

 

God reminded Job of what had occurred when the world was created: ‘Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements – surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? On what were its bases sunk, or who laid its cornerstone, when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy?’ (Job 38:4-7). Surely, the joy of the angels was linked to the joy of their Creator!

 

The Lord rejoiced in his plan of salvation, it was his good pleasure, the way whereby sinners would discover the goodness of God. Paul assures us that the goodness of God leads to repentance and Jesus told three stories in one to illustrate the joy that God has when sinners repent. The stories were that of the lost sheep whose shepherd rejoiced when he found it, and the lost coin whose owner rejoiced when she found it, and the loving father who rejoiced at the penitent return of his wayward son (Luke 15). In the sections about the sheep and the coin, Jesus said there was joy in the presence of the angels over repentant sinners, and the ‘presence’ of the angels is likely a reference to God and his joy.

 

An astonishing description of the joyfulness of God is given in Zephaniah 3:17: ‘The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.’

 

We can focus now on three Bible passages that point to the joy of the Father, three passages that describe the joy of Jesus, and on some ways in which the Spirit expresses his joy.

 

The joy of God the Father

In Psalm 16:11, David says to God, ‘You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.’ We can understand how those words could describe David’s anticipation of heaven, but they are more than his. Peter, in his sermon on the Day of Pentecost, points out that the words describe someone whose body, after he died, did not see corruption, unlike David. Instead of the words in the psalm being the words of David, they are the words of Jesus as he speaks to his heavenly Father and says that he possesses fullness of joy, and that the joy will be given to all who will be there in his presence. His words tell us that the Father is both full of joy and a fountain of joy.

 

Another verse that reveals the joy of the Father is Isaiah 42:1: ‘Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights.’ The verse is a prophecy about Jesus, and it describes the Father’s joy in the service that his Son would give when he became a man. It reminds us of what the Father said at the baptism of Jesus: ‘This is my beloved Son with whom I am well pleased’ (Matt. 3:17). Both in the prophecy and at the baptism the Father joyfully commends his Servant for his way of life on earth. Of course, this does not mean that he was not delighted with his Son on other occasions. Indeed, the delight is eternal without beginning and without end. Yet the Father did not keep the delight a secret; he did not only mention it in a verse in the Old Testament; he also announced on the banks of the Jordan and later on when Jesus was glorified on the Mount of Transfiguration (Matt. 17:5). 

 

On one occasion, Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom’ (Luke 12:32). They were possessed with fears, perhaps connected to the fewness of the disciples at that time. The Saviour encourages them by reminding them of their Father’s plan, the plan that gives him pleasure because in it he reveals the amazing bounty of his grace. They did not deserve the kingdom, but their Father’s joy is revealed in giving it to them.

 

So we see that the Father’s joy is connected to the mission of his Son and the grace to be given to his people. No doubt, he has joy in other ways, such as in his relationship with the angels. But when we say ‘heavenly Father’, we should think of his joy revealed in his gracious plan, a joy that will never end as far as its experience and its bounty is concerned.

 

The joy of Jesus

Not much is said about the joy of Jesus in the Gospels. One notable reference is in Luke 10:21-22: ‘In that same hour he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, or who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”’ The absence of other references does not mean that he was not joyful at other times.

 

What does that passage say about the joy of Jesus? First, it tells us that the Trinity was involved: Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit and spoke to the Father. Second, his joy led him to pray and have communion with his Father. Third, his joy was related to the gladness he experienced at the way his heavenly Father had blessed the disciples. Fourth, his joy was connected to the role he had been given by the heavenly Father. 

 

The communion that Jesus had with his Father is beyond our experience. Not only was Jesus a divine person he also had a sinless human nature. We do not know how the divine persons communicate with one another. They are omniscient and omnipotent which means that their knowledge is constantly full and constantly shared, and there is no power that can prevent their communication. Obviously, we cannot have that kind of experience. Yet even when we consider the communion that the human heart of Jesus had with the Father, we can see great differences between his experience and ours. His human nature was sinless, he trusted his Father fully, he had no unbelief to confess, and he never thought or said or did anything that would grieve the Spirit.

 

Every action of Jesus, whether mental or physical, was done in the Spirit. He was under the guidance of the Spirit, even when he was led into temptation, and he performed his miracles through the power of the Spirit. And his joy came through the Spirit as well. As noted, this passage from Luke shows that his joy was expressed through prayer. Does this reference not give us an insight into why and how Jesus spent nights in prayer? We can say that in prayer to his Father was when he felt at home.

 

What made him so joyful on the occasion described? God the Father, in his amazing grace, had hidden spiritual realities from the wise of this world and revealed them to his disciples. Jesus here affirmed the sovereignty of his Father’s grace, not only at the level of sinnership, but at the level of competence. The only reason we know anything about God and his ways is because the Father has arranged it. Surely, if the Saviour rejoiced at the ways of his Father in this matter of communication, so should we. After all, joy and humility go together. Here we as Christians are put in our place, and it is a good place to be, dependent on God for what we need to know.

 

Jesus also had joy because of the role given to him by the Father. He mentions two aspects of his role: his reign over the future and his revealing of the name of the Father to sinners. Jesus was set apart by the Father to reign as the God-man, the Mediator. Moreover, as he reigns, he will reveal what the Father is like to those he saves. Does this twofold description not explain what the author of Hebrews means by the joy that was set before Jesus, which helped him despise the shame of the cross? He knew that at God’s right hand were pleasures for evermore, and the right hand is where he would be. From there, he would reveal the name of his Father to his brothers. This is what he is doing today in heaven and on earth and what he will do forever. Jesus will be full of joy forever, given the oil of gladness above his companions to fulfil the Father’s desire that they would be blessed.

 

Jesus also assured his disciples that he would give his joy to them (John 15:11); indeed he mentioned in his prayer in John 17 when speaking about his return to the Father that he wanted his disciples to have his joy (John 17:13). In one sense, this request is surprising because he was about to be arrested and crucified. Yet he knew that once they understood the significance of his death and resurrection they would be marked by joy.

 

The writer of Hebrews reminds us that Jesus endured the cross because of the joy that was before him. That description indicates that ahead for Jesus lay the endless experience of great joy. We can think about the joy he knew on the resurrection day, or on his ascension and exaltation, or in fulfilling his roles as prophet, priest and king, or when he will yet share his inheritance with his co-heirs, the people of God. Who can estimate the joy of the Saviour who has been anointed with the oil of gladness above his companions!

 

The joy of the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit know the eternal and boundless joy that exists within the Trinity. As with the Father and the Son, he has joy in fulfilling the roles he engages in when bringing salvation to believers. We can even see an allusion to his joy in the instruction to believers not to grieve him, since grieving is an experience that affects joy to some extent. It is the case that there will many reasons why the Spirit will have joy and only a few can be mentioned here.

 

First, the Holy Spirit will have joy when he indwells those he has regenerated and given spiritual life. It is the case that they are still sinners and that their sins will affect the relationship they have with him. Nevertheless, he is in them on a mission of mercy that will bring about a great change in them, and the task is one that gives him pleasure. He never leaves them, and it is his presence in and with them that makes real in their experience the meaning of fellowship with God.

 

Second, in fulfilling the role he has been given, the Holy Spirit will take of the things of Christ and reveal them to his people. The provision of such information surely is a work of joy. What greater information could be given? What more suitable information could be shown? Revealing Jesus to sinners is a great pleasure for preachers limited by the fact that they are human; it is a much greater pleasure for the Holy Spirit who knows everything about the Subject he is speaking about, and who also knows which aspects of his Subject to mention at any given time.

 

Third, the Holy Spirit delights to comfort his people. After all, he is the paraclete, the one who comes alongside to help, the counsellor and helper who is always at hand. The provision of such comfort is connected to him taking of the things of Christ, but sometimes he applies those features in ways that give a strong sense of real comfort to longing souls. Even when they sin, he works to bring them to repentance and reminds them of the presence of their Advocate and the efficacy of his ongoing intercession. He is with his people as the guarantee of the world of glory that they will yet have, and he sometimes gives them foretastes of it.

 

Fourth, the Holy Spirit joyfully conforms God’s people to the image of Christ. He is engaged in making them increasingly like Jesus, a process that is lifelong and which requires constant oversight by him. The change requires putting sins off and putting on graces, and he enables millions of them to do so day after day, year after year. He enables them to please God.

 

Fifth, the Holy Spirit gladly gives unity to God’s people. He creates within them a sense of family unity not confined to denominational connections. This unity covers a wide range of common interests and experiences and is an amazing wonder to behold. He leads them often to pray for one another even when they have never met physically. He can remind them of the amazing worship experience they participate in when they gather in the presence of God and sense by faith the extraordinary reality that they ‘have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel’ (Heb. 12:22-24).

 

Paul reminded Timothy that their message was the glorious gospel of the blessed God (1 Tim. 1:11). There are many reasons why it is glorious and one of them is the happiness of the God who declares it through his servants. As Spurgeon commented in a sermon on that text, God ‘would have his people supremely blest. He would have every vessel of mercy full to the brim with the oil of joy. And the way to make us so is to give us the gospel!’ And the gospel is the good news of the activities of the Triune God in bringing blessings to sinners, and we should often remind ourselves of the great joy expressed in those divine actions. After all, what joy can compare with the joy of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit!