The causes and occasions of joy among God’s people given in the Old Testament.
DIVISION 1.
Everything that is stated to be a cause or a subject of joy to God’s people.
Section 1. —PRESENT JOY.
Leviticus 23:40. The keeping of the feast of tabernacles, Deuteronomy 16:14.
Deuteronomy 12:7. “Ye shall rejoice in all that ye put your hand to,” v. 12. “Ye shall rejoice before the Lord your God,” 14:26; 27:7.
Deuteronomy 16:11. The feast of weeks.
Deuteronomy 26:11. The offering of the first fruits, “thou shalt rejoice in every good thing which the Lord thy God hath given thee.”
Deuteronomy 28:47. “Because thou servedst not the Lord thy God with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart, for the abundance of all things.”
Josh. 1:15. The gift of the land.
Psalms 4:7. “Thou hast put gladness in my heart.”
Psalms 5:11. “ But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them; let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee.”
Psalms 9:2. “I will be glad and rejoice in thee.” 32:11; 33:21; 104:34.
Psalms 9:14. “ I will rejoice in thy salvation.” 13:5; 20:5; 21:1; 35:9.
Psalms 16:11. “ In thy presence is fullness of joy.”
Psalms 19:8. “ The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart.”
Psalms 21:6. “ Thou hast made him exceeding glad with thy countenance.”
Psalms 28:7. “The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth.”
Psalms 31:7. “ I will be glad and rejoice in thy mercy.” 90:14.
Psalms 40:16. “ Let all those that seek thee be glad and rejoice in thee.” 70:4; 105:3.
Psalms 63:7. “ Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice.”
Psalms 71:23. “ My lips shall greatly rejoice when I sing unto thee.”
Psalms 119:14. “ I have rejoiced in the way of thy testimonies as much as in all riches, ver. 111, 162.
Psalms 122:1. “ I was glad when they said unto me, let us go into the house of the Lord.”
Psalms 126:6. “ He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.”
Proverbs 10:1. “A wise son maketh a glad father.” 15:20; 23:15, 16, 24, 25; 27:11; 29:3, 57.
Proverbs 12:20. “ To the counselors of peace is joy.”
Proverbs 21:15. It is joy to the just to do judgment.”
Proverbs 27:9. “ Ointment and perfume rejoice the heart: so doth the sweetness of a man’s friend by hearty counsel.”
Ecclesiastes 2:26. “ For God giveth to a man that is good in his sight.. joy.”
Ecclesiastes 3:13. “That every man should.... enjoy the good of all his labor, it is the gift of God.” 5:18-20; 9:7.
Ecclesiastes 7:14. “ In the day of prosperity be joyful.”
Jeremiah 15:16. “Thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart.”
Section 2. —FUTURE JOY.
Psalms 14:7. “ When the Lord bringeth hack the captivity of his people, Jacob shall rejoice, and Israel shall be glad.” 53:6.
Psalms 48:11. “ Let mount Zion rejoice, let the daughters of Judah be glad, because of thy judgments.”
Psalms 67:4. “O let the nations be glad and sing for joy.”
Isaiah 12:2; 3. “Behold God is my salvation.... therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.”
Isaiah 25:9. “ This is the Lord, we have waited for him; we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.”
Isaiah 29:59 “ The meek also shall increase their joy in the Lord, and the poor among men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.”
Isaiah 51:11. “Therefore the redeemed of the Lord shall return and come with singing to Zion: and everlasting joy shall be upon their head: they shall obtain gladness and joy.”
Isaiah 56:6, 17. “Also the sons of the stranger.... will I bring to my holy mountain and make them joyful in my house of prayer.”
Isaiah 61:10. “ I will greatly rejoice in the Lord; my soul shall be joyful in my God.”
Isaiah 65:18. “ Behold I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy.”
Isaiah 66:10. “Rejoice ye with Jerusalem” &c.
Jeremiah 31:13. “ I will turn their mourning into joy and will comfort them and make them rejoice from their sorrow.”
Jeremiah 33:11. “ The voice of joy and the voice of gladness.”
Joel 2:21. “ Be glad and rejoice; for the Lord will do great things.”
Joel. 2:23. “ Be glad then ye children of Zion and rejoice in the Lord your God.”
Hab. 3:17, 18 “Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines..... yet will I rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation.”
Ephesians 3:14, 15 “ Sing, O daughter of Zion; shout O Israel, be glad and rejoice with all the heart, O daughter of Jerusalem. The Lord bath taken away thy judgments, he hath cast out thine enemy, the king of Israel, even the Lord is in the midst of thee, thou shalt not see evil anymore.”
Zechariah 2:10. Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion, for, lo, I come, and I will dwell in the midst of thee, saith the Lord.”
Zechariah 9:9. “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout O daughter of Jerusalem; behold thy king cometh unto thee: he is just and having salvation.”
Zechariah 10:7. And they of Ephraim shall be like a mighty man, and their heart shall rejoice as through wine; yea, their children shall see it, and be glad; their heart shall rejoice in the Lord.”
DIVISION 2.
Every distinct occasion when a child of God rejoiced.
Genesis 21:6-8. Abraham and Sarah at the birth of Isaac.
Exodus 15:1-19. The children of Israel at their deliverance from Egypt, Psalms 66:6; 105:43.
Exodus 18:9. Jethro on account of all the goodness which the Lord had done to Israel.
Leviticus 9:24. The children of Israel when God accepted the burnt offering.
1 Samuel 2:1. Hannah at the birth of Samuel. “ My heart rejoiceth in the Lord,” “ I rejoice in thy salvation.”
1 Samuel 6:13. The men of Bethshemesh when they saw the ark.
1 Samuel 11:15. Saul and the men of Israel at Saul’s coronation.
1 Samuel 18:6. The women of Israel at the death of Goliath.
2 Samuel 6:12 David when he brought the ark to Zion, 1 Chronicles 15:27.
2 Samuel 22. David for deliverance from his enemies and from Saul.
1 Kings 1:40. The people when Solomon was anointed king. 1 Chronicles 29:22.
1 Kings 5:7. Hiram when he heard of the wisdom of Solomon.
1 Kings 8:66. The people at the dedication of the temple. 2 Chronicles 5:13; 6:41; 7:3.
2 Kings 11:14, 20. The people when Jehoash was made king. 2 Chronicles 23:18-21.
1 Chronicles 12:40. The men of Israel when they accepted David as king.
1 Chronicles 29:9. The people when they gave for the building of the temple.
2 Chronicles 15:12-15. The men of Judah and Benjamin and certain of Israel when they made a covenant to seek the Lord God.
2 Chronicles 20:26. Jehoshaphat and his people when they returned from the destruction of Ammon and Moab.
2 Chronicles 24:10 The princes and all the people when a collection was made to repair the temple.
2 Chronicles 29:36. Hezekiah and all the people when the temple was sanctified and the offerings once more offered.
2 Chronicles 30:25. “And all the congregation of Judah, with the priest’s and the Levites, and all the congregation that came out of Israel, and the strangers that came out of the land of Israel, and that dwelt in Judah rejoiced. So there was great joy in Jerusalem; for since the time of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel, there was not the like in Jerusalem.”
Ezra 3:11. The people when the foundations of the temple were laid.
Ezra 6:16. The people when the temple was dedicated, and v. 22 when they kept the feast of unleavened bread.
Nehemiah 8:17... The people when they kept the feast of tabernacles.
Nehemiah 12:27-43. When the wall of Jerusalem was dedicated.
Esther 8:15-17 The Jews when the edict for their destruction was recalled by Ahasuerus, and 9:17-19 when they had destroyed their enemies, Jonah 4:6. Jonah, when the Lord caused a gourd to spring up and shelter him from the sun.
“I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him; rejoicing in the habitable part of his earth; and my delights were with the sons of men.” Proverbs 8:30,35.