GOD’S WORD FOR JUNE 24 ~ ~ Isaiah 61:10~ ~ “I will rejoice greatly in the Lord,
My soul will be joyful in my God; For He has clothed me with garments of salvation,
He has wrapped me with a robe of righteousness, As a groom puts on a turban,
And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.”
We’re in John Piper’s book, “The Pleasures of God”
Promise #3
First, God promises not to turn away from doing us good. Then he promises that he will do this good with rejoicing. Now, in his third promise, he says that this rejoicing over the good of his people will be with all his heart and with all his soul.
“I WILL REJOICE IN DOING THEM GOOD, and I will plant them in this land in faithfulness, WITH ALL MY HEART AND WITH ALL MY SOUL.” Jeremiah 32:41
How do you describe the joy of doing something “with all your heart”? One way is to use comparisons that awaken in everybody the kind of emotions this would involve. For example, Isaiah uses one to help us feel the fullness of God’s joy over us as his people. “You shall no longer be termed Forsaken, and your land shall no more be termed Desolate; but you shall be called “My delight is in her,” and your land Married; for the Lord delights in you….AS A BRIDEGROOM REJOICES OVER THE BRIDE, SO SHALL YOUR GOD REJOICE OVER YOU” Isaiah 62:4-5.
When God does good to his people, it is not so much like a reluctant judge showing kindness to a criminal whom he finds despicable —-although that analogy has truth in it); but it is like a bridegroom showing affection to his bride.
Sometimes we joke and say about a marriage, “the honeymoon is over” but that’s because we are finite.
We can’t sustain a honeymoon level of intensity and affection. We can’t foresee the irritations that come with long-term familiarity. We can’t stay as fit and handsome as we were then. We can’t come up with enough new things to keep the relationship that fresh.
But God says his joy over his people is like a bridegroom over a bride. He is talking about honeymoon intensity and honeymoon pleasures, energy and excitement. He is trying to get into our hearts what he means when he says he rejoices over us WITH ALL HIS HEART.
To add to this that with God the honeymoon never ends. He is infinite in power and wisdom and creativity and love. So he has no trouble sustaining a honeymoon level of intensity; he can foresee all the future quirks of our personality and has decided he will keep what’s good for us and change what isn’t; he will always be as handsome as he ever was, and will see to it that we got more and more beautiful forever; and he is infinitely creative to think of new things to do together so that there is no boredom for the next trillion ages of millenniums.
Isaiah 54:5
For your husband is your Maker,
Whose name is the Lord of armies;
And your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel,
Who is called the God of all the earth.
Zephaniah 3:17~ ~ The Lord your God is in your midst, A victorious warrior. He will rejoice over you with joy, He will be quiet in His love, He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy.
Hosea 2:19-20
I will betroth you to Me forever; Yes, I will betroth you to Me in righteousness and in justice, In favor and in compassion, And I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness. Then you will know the Lord.