The more I have studied our beloved Christmas carols, the more in awe I have become of the writers who penned them. Repeat the Sounding Joy!
Isaac Watts was somewhat of a boy genius.
At the age of five he learned to speak Latin, at nine he was fluent in Greek, at eleven, French and at thirteen he conquered Hebrew! Attending church services week after week, he was not impressed with the music and the lyrics of the worship songs that were being sung and one Sunday morning after service he expressed his views to his father. He was fifteen at the time. His father did not ignore his impetuous teenager but challenged him to come up with something better.
At the evening service, Isaac presented the congregation with his first hymn:
“Behold the glories of the Lamb, Amidst His Father’s throne; Prepare new honors for His name, And songs before unknown.”
It was just a few short years later, in 1719, that Watts published his Psalms of David Imitated and included in it was our beloved Joy to the World. This is an imitation of the last half of Psalm 98. Originally a song of deliverance for the Israelites, Watts turned it into a Christian song of rejoicing! He declares how the salvation of God started with the Baby Jesus who then came to “…rule the world with truth and grace.”
The Redemption Story is evident all throughout Psalm 98 and in Joy to the World!
From the garden to His imminent return, we see Watts weaving history, the present, and the future into his timeline of events to create a masterpiece.
“No more let sins and sorrows grow, nor thorns infest the ground; He comes to make His blessings flow far as the curse is found.”
You won’t find shepherds, wise men, a manger, or angels, things we normally associate with Christmas in Joy to the World. What you will find is the message that Jesus saves and that He is coming back again!
Though He entered this world as a baby, Jesus Christ was our Victor, as we see in the first verse of the Psalm: “…his right hand, and his holy arm, hath gotten him the victory.” He has “made known his salvation…” (verse two).
He is our King in verse six and our Judge in verse nine. “He makes the nations prove the glories of His righteousness and wonders of His love.”
For those who believe, this carol is full of JOY! So should the Christian be all the year round!
And Christmas is all about preparing our hearts for HIM, making room for HIM, making Him glorious!
“Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth;
Break forth in song, rejoice, and sing praises.” Psalm 98:4 NKJV.
Remember, as the days grow short and the hurry and flurry of activities seem to take away the blessedness of the season: Joy came to the world so long ago and if anyone has reason to be full of joy it is the people of the Most High God! Rejoice in that Hope today that He came for YOU and He is coming again!
Repeat the Sounding Joy!
Enjoy this rendition of the Christmas favorite with The Gaithers!
