Psalm 98:4-6 Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth, burst into jubilant song with music; make music to the LORD with the harp, with the harp and the sound of singing, with trumpets and the blast of the ram’s horn– shout for joy before the LORD, the King.
Joy to the world, the Lord is come! Let earth receive her King!
Let ev’ry heart prepare Him room And heav’n and nature sing…
Yes, I know it is not yet Christmas time. It is not even Advent yet, although I have seen Christmas decorations on homes and in stores since September. But this hymn was not originally written as a Christmas hymn. It fits that season well, but did you ever stop to think about the things this hymn does not mention: shepherds, angels, wise men, the stable, Mary, Joseph, Bethlehem, the manger. None of those things are in what most people think is a Christmas hymn.
The emphasis is on the joy that Christ brings to this world, and that certainly started with His birth. God’s people, at least those who faithfully believed His promise, had been waiting for centuries for God to reveal Himself. It finally happened when “the Word became Flesh and dwelt among us.” The Lord is Come! But the Joy that is ours is more than just His birth. We have Joy because of what He did while He was here on earth.
Psalm 98 is a song of rejoicing that God has protected His chosen people. It also anticipates the time when He will be accepted as God by the whole earth. The hymn author, Isaac Watts, was known for writing what he called “New Testament hymns.” He would take an Old Testament text, something written before Christ was born, and reflect on what it means for those of us living in the New Testament age. “Joy to the World” turns Psalm 98 into a New Testament song of praise. It exalts the salvation that started with the birth of our Savior and King. Listen to how this Psalm begins:
Psalm 98:1-3 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 his salvation known and revealed his righteousness to the nations. He has remembered his love and his faithfulness to the house of Israel; all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
The key here is the recognition of God’s activity. He is the one who has done marvelous things, having rescued and worked salvation. Just as that was true throughout the Old Testament, it is true for us. We have not saved ourselves or accomplished what was necessary to pay for sins. God has. He did everything, marvelous things. It started with the birth of Christ, and was played out through His life of perfect obedience, His suffering and dying in your place, and His resurrection as the Conqueror! God did this for you and now He has made this salvation known to you, showing it to all people in fact, so that whoever believes in Jesus shall not perish, but have eternal life. All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God. There should truly be “Joy to the World” for this reason.
