Joy to the World!

In the 98th Psalm we read in verse 4 and verses 7-9, "Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises!...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."

It is indeed ironic that one of the most loved of all Christmas hymns was never intended by its author to be a Christmas hymn at all.  Inspired by the 98th Psalm, Isaac Watts merely intended to give a more overtly Christian representation of the Psalm's meaning.  Drawing on and making allusions to other passages of Scripture, he penned the now famous hymn which, like many great hymns for Advent, looks forward both to Christmas and the celebration of the Lord's first coming, as well as to His second coming.

In addition to this, similarly to O Holy Night, Joy to the World speaks not only to the joy which humans are offered in Christ Jesus, but also to the joy that all of Creation itself is waiting to express as it longs for its release from bondage.  It points us to that day when this release will be realized, the day when He will judge the world with righteousness and the peoples with equity.  And on that day, the words of this hymn will be made manifest,

Joy to the earth, the Savior reigns!
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat the sounding joy
Repeat, repeat, the sounding joy.

May it be said of us that we are a people who sing of the glories of God not only at Christmas, but year round. And may the Creation itself echo back those praises!

Previous posts in this series:

O Holy Night 

God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen

O Come, O Come, Emmanuel (part 1)

O Come, O Come, Emmanuel (part 2)

O Little Town of Bethlehem