“Oh sing to the LORD a new song, for He has done marvelous things! His right hand and His holy arm have worked salvation for Him. The LORD has made known His salvation; He has revealed His righteousness in the sight of the nations. He has remembered His steadfast love and faithfulness to the house of Israel. All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God. Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises! Sing praises to the LORD with the lyre, with the lyre and the sound of melody! With trumpets and the sound of the horn make a joyful noise before the King, the LORD! Let the sea roar, and all that fills it; the world and those who dwell in it! Let the rivers clap their hands; let the hills sing for joy together before the LORD, for He comes to judge the earth He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with equity.”- Psalm 98:1-9
When Isaac Watts was a teenager in late-seventeenth century England, he did not care for the type of songs being sung in churches at the time. Most of the songs sung in the churches of the British Isles were from the Psalms of David that the Church of Scotland had added metric and rhyme to. While he was not opposed to the Psalms he felt the church could also do more.
It is said that one Sunday after returning from a service and expressing much dissatisfaction, his father replied: “Well then, young man, why don’t you give us something better to sing?” Watts, then eighteen years old, accepted his father’s challenge. The next Sunday he produced his first hymn, and for the next two years, young Watts wrote a new hymn text for his church every Sunday. His love for rhyme and the truth of Christ eventually led him to become known as the “Father of English Hymnody.” Over two and half centuries later, our hymnals still contain some of Watt’s best, and are beloved by many.
In my opinion, Watt’s hymn “Joy to the World” is one of the most uplifting hymns in existence, capturing what the spirit of Christ’s birth and 2nd Coming should mean to humanity. The song appeared in his well-known hymnal of 1719, The Psalms of David Imitated in the Language of the New Testament. Watts intended this collection to give the Psalms a New Testament meaning and style.
The hymn is a paraphrase of the last half of Psalm 98 which celebrates the coming of the LORD to judge the world with righteousness. The psalmist calls on all creation to sing and shout for joy at His 2nd Coming…as a procession welcoming the reigning King. There is nothing in the Psalm or in Watt’s hymn the specifically mentions the birth of Christ, just the LORD’s return in judgment and righteousness. So should we stop singing it at Christmas, of course not? Advent is a season that looks back at what God did to prepare the world for Jesus’ coming confirming for us that He will come again just as He said. But Advent also causes us to look forward to His 2nd Coming when He will make all things new where… “no more let sins and sorrows grow, nor thorns infest the ground…he comes to make His blessing flow far as the curse is found.”
The hymn naturally reminds us of the angels chorus on the night of His birth but there is more to it that simply announcing His birth since the bulk of the song speaks of His reign and the on-going eternal benefits of that reign at His 2nd coming. This hymn celebrates God’s involvement with His people and this work of God which began before time but came to physical fruition in Bethlehem, in a stable. The angels did in fact rejoice over the birth of the Savior of God’s people heralding this wondrous event as He came to save His people from our sins but we know they will do the same with trumpets when He comes again.
Both Psalm 98 and “Joy to the World” are songs of rejoicing at the incredible ways in which God is active in the world restoring His people to Himself. Psalm 98 looks forward in anticipation to Christ’s 2nd Coming, bringing justice on earth through judgment and mercy. This prompts the psalmist to urge everyone to shout for joy together, including the waters and hills of nature. Watts begins his hymn with this promise fulfilled:
Joy to the world, the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven, and Heaven, and nature sing.
While God does in fact continue to rule the world today with truth and grace it is important for us to also reflect on what lies ahead for this world and His people so that we will have hope for a bright tomorrow …a day when we can fully sing and enjoy the “wonders of His love”. Amidst the busyness of the holidays, Watts reminds us that we have much to slow down and joyously take in. We behold a Savior who has come “to make His blessings flow, far as the curse is found.” So let us take time to meditate on the wonders of His love all around us and repeat the sounding joy of His birth remembering these dual truths…the Lord is come…and He is coming again! Come, Lord Jesus!
God Bless y’all today and this week.
In His grip,
Pastor Mike
