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JOY TO THE WORLD, THE LORD IS COME Psalm 98 Back in the days of Isaac Watts, the church's praise and worship came right out of the Psalms of David—they were the only songs! Even though Watts felt this was too restrictive, he did not ignore the Psalms, either. In 1719, he published his own hymnal that paraphrased the Psalms through the eyes of New Testament faith. This book, "The Psalms of David Imitated in the Language of the New Testament," set the Psalms within the framework of Christianity. By the way, Watts' strongest critic, Thomas Bradbury, refused to call these new songs "hymns", but instead, opted for his own term—"whims!" Imagine! As Isaac Watts contemplated Psalm 98, he saw very clearly the true purpose of praising God—"O sing unto the Lord a new song; for He hath done marvelous things: His right hand, and His holy arm, hath gotten Him the victory." (vs. 1) Not only must the Lord of all be praised for His beautiful creation, and even for life itself, but for the glory of the redemption of humankind that has been provided through Jesus Christ and His Cross. It is in Him that the salvation of God is made obvious before one and all—the Jew first, but, now also, unto the Gentile—"all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God." (vs. 3b) Yes, the King "is" come, and He is worthy of all the room in our lives that He wants—yes, all of it! Therefore, "Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise." (vs. 4) Praise God—Joy to the world, the Lord is come—not just that He had come, as He did in the past on that first Christmas; and not just that He will come, as he will to rapture His saints, or, at the very end, to ultimately reveal the utter defeat of Satan; but Isaac Watts said, "Is come!" He is come right now—into the hearts of all who will receive Him as King. Oh, truly praise Him for this—with whatever instrument you can get your hands on—"Sing unto the Lord with the harp; with the harp, and the voice of a psalm. With trumpets and sound of cornet make a joyful noise before the Lord, the King." (vss. 5,6) Let nothing get in the way—not sin, not sorrow, not any thorn-infested ground—let Him have His way in every way, for He is the Way! Have you noticed something here? This hymn is just about always reserved for the Christmas season, but it is so much richer than that. It speaks rather graphically of the entire role of that manger-born Savior—He "is" also the one who "rules the world with truth and grace, and makes the nations prove" who He really is—King of kings, and Lord of lords! Yes, He, and He alone, will be everyone's Judge—Let everything praise Him, "…for He cometh to judge the earth: with righteousness shall He judge the world, and the people with equity." (vs. 9) This message is not just for Christmas; it is for all of time! This glorious new song of praise is a prophecy being fulfilled even today through the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and the life-changing fire of God. Just a Christmas whim? No way—let this true joy fill you all the year round! ~ Rev. Roy D. Warren, Jr. |