Is Joy the same as what we call Happiness?
This is a timely word as we are quickly coming to the autumn/fall Appointed Times of the Lord which include the pouring with joy at the sukkot; and then the time of the season of rejoicing in the Torah which follows sukkot although not a Biblical feast.
Sim•cha- JOY is connected to the name of an important Holiday – Sim•chat To•rah – the Rejoicing of the Torah. This holiday is celebrated on She•mi•ni A•tze•ret, which is the first day following the seventh day of Sukkot /Feast of Booths, Feast of Tabernacles. Even though She•mi•ni A•tze•ret is celebrated a day after Su•kkot, it is a separate Biblical holiday.
“Seven days you shall offer an offering made by fire to the Lord; on the eighth day shall be a holy gathering to you; and you shall offer an offering made by fire to the Lord; it is a solemn assembly; and you shall do no labor in it”
Leviticus 23:36
Sim•chat To•rah is celebrated on the same day, and the custom was started by the sages during the exile in Babylonia. The holiday commemorates the completion of reading 52 portions of the Torah; each portion is read each week of the year all over the world and because it was first introduced by Ezra the Scribe this custom is considered biblical.
Another holiday related to
Joy/sim•cha is
Sim•chat Beit Ha•sho•e•va.
It is an ancient Jewish custom related to the commandment of Pouring (casting) Water
that was established at the Temple on
Sukkot (Feast of Booths, Feast of Tabernacles)
after bringing the water of the Gihon Spring
to the Temple.
The first time in 100 references to joy in the New Testament is coupled with the birth of Jesus/Yeshua:
“When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy”
Matthew 2:10
Joy is often associated with the list in Galatians of the fruit of our Heavenly Fathers indwelling Spirit of Holiness but is it the same thing as we call happiness? Modern meanings have changed over time and we need to take another look at this one in the list as we often skim over the word thinking we know what it means and where it comes from.
שמחה
GLADNESS – SIMCHAH שמחה
Sine/shin Mem Cheth Hei
Strong’s Hebrew: 8057. שִׂמְחָה (simchah)
joy, gladness, mirth, exceedingly, gladness, joyfulness, mirth, pleasure, rejoicing.
From sameach; blithesomeness or glee, religious or festival.
ימטשאַה. Simcha
is a Hebrew word with several meanings.
Literally, the word simcha means:
gladness, or joy.
It comes from the root word sameyach,
which means glad or happy.
More Hebrew words for joy
noun שִׂמְחָה happiness, gladness, gaiety, felicity, exhilaration
noun חֶדוָה delight, gladness, exultation
noun שָׂשׂוֹן delight, rejoicing, merriment, mirth
chedvah: joy.
Original Word: חֶדְוָה.
Transliteration: chedvah.
Phonetic Spelling: khed-vaw’
In Hebrew there are several words for joy, each with different shades of meaning.
Simcha’ (ch is a soft gutteral, between h and the ch of ‘Bach’) means happiness in the most full sense.
עֲלָזָה
joy
בְּדִיחוּת
joy, facetiousness, fun
צָהֳלָה
rejoicing, hilarity, exultation, merriment, joy, roar
גִיל
age, clapper, delight, joy, exultation, gladness
עוֹנֶג
pleasure, delight, joy, enjoyment
שִׂמְחָה
joy, happiness, gaiety, mirth, glee, gladness
דִיצָה
joy, amusement
חֶדוָה
delight, exultation, joy, gladness
גִילָה
exultation, delight, joy, gladness
מָשׂוֹשׂ
joy, gladness
רִנָה
exultation, joy, song, singing
שָׂשׂוֹן
mirth, delight, rejoicing, merriment, joy
עִנוּג
delight, joy, pleasure, enjoyment
עֲלִיזוּת
gaiety, cheerfulness, playfulness, mirth, fun, joy
Most of the words for joy mentioned below are in one of the seven blessings recited at a traditional Hebrew wedding. The guests join in singing it, so those words are familiar to many, especially in Israel. Here is the portion sung, with the words for joy in red:
אשר ברא ששון ושמחה, חתן וכלה, גילה, רינה, דיצה וחדוָה, אהבה ואחוָה ושלום ורעות”.
Below are those words in transliteration:
Sason, Simcha, Geela, Reena, Deetza, Hhedva
Below are some extended meanings of the Hebrew words:
hana-ah: enjoyment, deriving benefit from something specific.
Simcha: full-blown happiness; it’s also a common Hebrew first name.
Gila/Geela: a wave of happiness that comes and moves through you during a period of time; it’s also a common Hebrew first name. Gila is a stronger sensation of joy but more transient and worldly and is related to gal meaning wave.
Deetza/ditza: is joy related to dancing; Joy in the way of, I was so happy I jumped up & down
Rina/Reena: is a joy related to singing, boisterously joyful, shouting it out, as in, woo-hooo! & Hallelu-yah, it’s also a common name.
Ched-vah/Hhedva: Joy of a strength and radiant quality divine; also a Hebrew name.
Simchah pictures the person surrounded by The Name.
Chedvah is translated delight and pictures the fence around a door or protection for the house.
Sason is symbolic of partaking of life and as there are two s letters, it is double feasting on life.
Ratson is the image of being hooked on the person of life. That person is Yeshua/Jesus the Messiah.
Hebrew has 22 modern letters in the green chart below:
and below in the paleo hebrew alefbet, each one is a picture.
for more links click below:
https://www.minimannamoments.com/alef-bet-alphabet/
https://www.minimannamoments.com/ancient-pictographic-hebrew-language/
These are all first names for girls that could be translated as Joy:
Rina/Rinna/רינה,
Chedva חדווה/Khedva/Hedva,
Gila/גילה
Aliza/עליזה
Ditza דיצה
Tagel, Oshra, Oshrit,
Ztahala צהלה Tzahala/ Tsahala.
For boys
Gil גיל,
Sasson ששון Sason
Osher, Yagel.
Osher אושר, which means happiness and
Simkha/Simcha שמחה is for both male and female.
Joy or Happiness is a every important commandment to the Hebrew way of thinking, much has been written about why and how to practice Joy; and it’s said that no one can worship the Father when they are unhappy. The reasoning behind this is that a person who is sad is most likely because at that moment they are seeing themselves as the center of their world, and are wanting everything to go their own way. They also believe that a sad person is seen to be complaining against the Father for not agreeing with and answering their wishes.
Happy which is an adjective/a descriptive word, can be translated in the following ways, the first being the most common:
שַׂמֵחַ – sameach means: happy, glad, joyous, joyful, pleased, cheerful
מְאוּשָׁר – me’ushar means: deeply happy, content. it also means certified, endorsed, confirmed, or approved.
נֶעֱלָס – ne’elas = jolly, cheerful, merry
עַלִיז – aliz means: cheerful, merry, jolly, joyful, playful
מָלֵא שִׂמחָה – maleh simcha means: filled with happiness
מַרנִין – marnin means: joyful, gladdening
צוֹהֵל – tsohel means: joyful, exuberant, jubilant, exultant, gleeful
http://biblehub.com/hebrew/1523.htm
http://biblehub.com/hebrew/8057.htm
Gladness– One English dictionary defines joy as a feeling of great pleasure and happiness. This definition follows the Greek meaning of chará and hēdonḗ = rejoicing and pleasure. This is where we get the term Hedonism and is typical of western thinking which follows that of Plato and Aristotle; this is not so typical in Hebrew thought.
The two Greek words used: chairein and chaironton; are both forms of the same Greek word: chairo. It means ‘to rejoice, be glad, full of joy.‘ This word is related to charis which means grace and in its broader meaning, it’s a form of greeting, such as: be well or thrive.
http://biblehub.com/greek/5479.htm
http://biblehub.com/greek/5463.htm
What is the fullness of joy?
In Hebrew its soba semachot.
The word semachot comes from the root word semchah which means: joy and serenity. This word is written as a feminine plural, how can you have joy in a plural form?
in Hebrew the plural form could indicate one of two things or maybe even both of them. In English plural means more than one. We can have more than one kind of joy in our Heavenly Fathers’ presence.
For example we can experience
the joy of serenity,
the joy of peace
the joy of our salvation
and the joy of sabbath rest.
The word soba comes from the same root as Shabbat
which means rest and ceasing from labor/work
and it also has the idea of abundance and fullness.
In exploring our initial question a little deeper, the Hebrew text of the well known verse in
Nehemiah 8:10
the joy of the Lord is your strength.
may give us further insight into whether Joy is the same as our concept of happiness.
The word joy that is used in Nehemiah is the word
chadoth which is really the word for pleasure.
The pleasure of God is our strength!?
In this often quoted verse, there is a different Hebrew word, chedvah, also translated as the English joy.
Cheth daleth vav taw yod hei vav hei
Chadoth YHWH
This is a rare word and it’s only used two times in scripture to denote a direct connection to YHVH – here in Nehemiah and in 1Chronicles 16:27
“strength and joy – gladness – are in His Place”.
While simchah is linked with human emotions and actions, chedvah seems to be ONLY in connection with the Father/YHVH Himself.
This makes chedvah even more important because,
if chedvah YHVH is our strength,
then we need to have some understanding of what that really means.
As we are examining if joy is the same as our concept of happiness what exactly is the joy of YHVH?
This leads to other questions … Is this suggesting that the Father Himself experiences joy – and furthermore, that this is the basis of our strength? When reading this well known scripture we readily assume that our strength comes from the joy our Heavenly Father gives to us;
but, have we ever considered where that joy comes from?
We noted earlier that the word for joy in Nehemiah is chadoth which is really the word for pleasure and that it could read:
The pleasure of God is our strength.
We know that we are all created for a specific purpose in this life and as we walk, we are tested by experiencing and enduring various trials. These provide training that will help to prepare us for the role our Father has chosen for us and enable us to fulfill our calling.
Our faithfulness to the call on our lives
is what brings Joy to our Heavenly Father.
...Read that last sentence one more time!
As we are purged of all our impurities, selfish and self centered motives, we become more aware of His approval of and pleasure in us as Messiah/Christ is continually being formed in us. Everything we do, should be as the pattern Yeshua/Jesus showed us by His life. He did everything as unto His Father and in everything gave thanks to Him, both hearing His voice and obeying it and obeying His Fathers will gave both Jesus/Yeshua and His Father pleasure/joy.
This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased.
Matthew 3:17; Mark 1:11; Matthew 17:5-8
Have pleasure in – joy
The point is to make the distinction between joy and happiness in that it’s not the joy we feel as a fleeting emotion but rather the joy our Heavenly Father takes IN us …. that is our strength, that is the joy of the Lord, the pleasure He felt in Yeshua/Jesus and also does in us; this is our strength! We are to realize that our Father has joy in our faithfulness and that gives us strength to endure. With each and every trial that we go through, if we have the name of our Father and His Son coming from our lips, then His heart will be filled with joy over us and our faithfulness and when we experience that joy that is where we find our strength. This kind of joy is a spiritual force and is not an emotion that quickly fades.
Another interesting use of the Hebrew word in the plural form is that it does not necessarily have to indicate more than one; it could be used to point out the ultimate, the greatest. We could read this as:
In the presence of God is the fullness and the ultimate or greatest joy.
Hebrews 12:2 for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
John 15:11 These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.
That My Joy may remain in you and that your joy may be full
What is the joy we hear about often in scriptures such as Galatians 5:22
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control.
This Joy should not be confused with happiness and what we understand by the modern words when we speak of it in connection with Messiah. As our carnal thinking leans towards feelings, we look at the list in Galatians and often try to emulate this list with our own strength, but what if these are not carnal or fleshly based at all? They are fruit of the spirit not the flesh!
They are really an outward evidence of His Spirit of Holiness within the believer and are in fact not sourced from us at all but come from within us where the indwelling of His spirit resides. Furthermore, as spirit, are they not by their very nature spiritual forces and comprise the weapons of our warfare which are not carnal but mighty to the pulling down of strongholds? 2 Cor.
This joy Messiah had was the knowing that He was about to endure the price of sin and die physically that we may live and be forgiven.
His joy was of absolute self surrender and self sacrifice to His Father and His Fathers will, plan and purpose. The joy of doing that which His Father sent Him to do…
Who For the joy that was set before Him…endured the cross. Hebrews 12:2;
Ps 40:8…I delight to do Your will, O my God, And Your law is within my heart.”
Ps. 45:7,8 oil of joy above fellows.
You love righteousness and hate wickedness; Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You With the oil of gladness more than Your companions.
Also see post
https://www.minimannamoments.com/what-filled-messiah-with-simchah-chedvah-joy/
Messiah prayed that our joy might continue fulfilling itself until it becomes the same joy as His. When we read it this way, the words continue fulfilling itself, indicate that the joy doesn’t have its origin in us and confirms it’s more of a spiritual force, a force of His Spirit of Holiness/Ruach HaKodesh.
This by its nature of being a weapon against our adversary, because the weapons of our warfare which are not carnal but mighty to the pulling down of strongholds?
Have we allowed Him to impart HIS joy to us yet?
Listed in Galatians is the outward fruit that grows out of the inward obedient walk, together with His Spirit/Ruach so that the attributes of Messiah are evident to others; it seems that it is not the same joy that the Father imparts to us which is the source of our spiritual strength.
We should try to remember that living a full prosperous/abundant life here, is not centered in being completely healthy or that our circumstances are always perfect and how we would like them to be; nor is it in seeing success in the work God has given us to do. It is in us understanding the Father through relationship and growing in maturity towards oneness with Him in the same manner that Yeshua/Jesus had and experienced and prayed that He wanted that for us also. John 17:22
The first things that will hinder this joy are the subtle issues and irritations caused by focusing too much on the circumstances and events of our lives.
Mark 4:19 and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.
Mark records them as the cares of this world because they choke the life of the word sown in us and it becomes unfruitful and before we realize what has happened we are caught up in all the cares. Many don’t realize that in all He has done for us its only the beginning of our walk and He wants for us to come to the place where we joyfully proclaim who Jesus/Yeshua is and become witnesses unto Him.
Acts 1:8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
By forming and developing a right relationship with our Heavenly Father is where we will find our joy then out of us will flow His living waters.
We are to be the vessel, the fountain, through which He can pour His living water.
The scripture in John 7:37–38,
On the last and greatest day of the feast, Jesus stood up and called out in a loud voice, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink.
On the last day.
This was the last day of the seven-day long
Sukkot
Feast of Tabernacles
celebration known as “the Last Great Day”
in Heb. Hoshana Rabbah.
The Last Great Day immediately follows the Festival of Tabernacles. It can also be seen as the 8th Day of the Feast. It pictures Paradise, New Heavens & New Earth, the conclusion of all things.
John 7:38 He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.
We are often so self centered, with our conversations being many times focused on ‘me, I, myself’; and how everything affects us, our needs wants, desires and choices. Then we become complainers, those who murmur, aware of only ourselves and what concerns us; and it can lead us to become prideful and hypocritical; when the scripture tells us our lives are to be hidden with Christ in God.
Col. 3:3. For you died [to this world], and your [new, real] life is hidden with Christ in God. Amplified.
Those whose lives that have a right relationship with the Father, live a life as natural as breathing wherever they go. More often than not the lives that have been the greatest blessing to us are those people who were totally unaware of having been a blessing.
Joy is not frivolity, nor is it a passing high moment of fun, a good time, entertainment etc. It’s not the outward emotion stirred by events or success …so what is it?
Joy is a deep seated settled knowing in the depth of our soul and spirit from where it originates; it’s not a reaction to an outward event or an emotion from a physical situation. His Ruach HaKodesh/Spirit of Holiness is the source and it is combined with the other attributes He imparts which we are to exhibit as His child, His friend, His disciple and His bond servant. We are to minister as He did and here, recall the scripture that states what gave Him joy.. it was to do His Fathers will.
https://www.minimannamoments.com/what-filled-messiah-with-simchah-chedvah-joy/
Can we say the same?
Have we ever truly experienced this kind of Joy?…
or any of the fruit of His Spirit in a deep spiritual way?
Love for example, and not the emotion? Enduring peace – the true shalom, not just in a quiet moment, but in the midst of chaos and traumatic events?
All of these may have been experienced in moments and yet not in the enduring qualities that we are called to not only exhibit, but walk and live in day by day.
It was that force of spiritual joy not a fleeting emotion spoken of in Hebrews 12:2 for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
This is what enabled Him to endure and because it was before Him by HIs Father, He willingly went toward it. It was not a giddy, ecstatic burst of emotional feelings. His face was set like flint Luke 9:51 says, “When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face like flint to go to Jerusalem.”
He was determined and undeterred He looked beyond the natural to the victory beyond. To do that we must also see with the eyes of faith beyond our present circumstances and ignore feelings that constantly change and our unsteady emotions which will present a false picture..
There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. Romans 8:1
We are to walk after the spirit and not after the flesh. We must ignore the carnal mans demands… THEN all things will work together for good…we must remember to read the whole context of the verse because there are always conditions that accompany each promise.
Restore to us the joy of our salvation Ps.51:12
Joy is a gift given to us and
2 Timothy 1:6 Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hand
This is reminding us to stir up the gifts within us..
HOW?
we can do that by thinking on these things..
Phil 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
whatsoever is of good report… JOY is connected to the gospel message of forgiveness and salvation.
Another thing we are to remember is the attitude of being like a little child… not childish, but childlike, and this really is a necessity because simplicity is the secret if we are to see things clearly.
As believers, we often do not think clearly in the middle of a situation, then after time has passed and we reflect on what happened and what we could have – would have – should have said or done… Really if we are honest with ourselves, we ought to see clearly without any difficulty.
We cannot think our way through spiritual confusion to make things clear, we must simply obey His Word and ways. If it is just a matter of an intellectual decision then we can think things out logically; but in matters of the spirit, we will only further our confusion by our own thoughts and ‘what ifs’ ..and wander around in circles. Obedience to the Father is the answer and when He is putting His pressure on a matter we must bring all our questions and discussion to this place by… casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,
2 Cor. 10:5.
Then all will become clear for that situation and our reasonings will follow afterwards because reasoning is not how we see spiritually. We are to see like children see, because when we try to be wise we see nothing!
Matt. 11:25 At that time Jesus declared, “I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because You have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children.
Is it not true that even the tiny things we allow to sneak past the filter of His Spirit of Holiness is uncontrolled by His influence and then we act from our carnal fleshly thinking and then comes the spiritual confusion, obedience is the only solution to confusion. As soon as we are obedient the peace/shalom of the Father fills our heart and mind and that place of peace is the umpire, the agent of our Godly decisions and choices.
Colossians 3:15 in the Amplified says, “And let the peace (soul harmony which comes) from Christ rule (act as umpire continually) in your hearts [deciding and settling with finality all questions that arise in your minds, in that peaceful state]
As soon as we choose to obey, we have discernment and it can be somewhat embarrassing because we know that the reason for our confusion lies in our mind set and thought patterns. However, when we yield our natural mind to His Spirit and are devoted to Him and His Ways, our submission to His will becomes the very power that enables us to perceive the way forward. Then our whole life remains unconfused and simple…as a childs’ life is. They rely on the loving parent to take care of the problems faced in life and we are to simply apply His joy to all that we do. We are encouraged to remember as we run our race, we too, have joy set before us;
Christ in us the hope of glory. Col. 1:27
and if we have been good and faithful children/servants we will one day enter in to the joy of our Lord.
Matt 25:21 His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’
We often don’t consider joy as a weapon but it really is because it dispels the darkness that tries to creep up over us..
Based on Psalm 16:11 the Rabbis believe that Joy is a true sign of the presence of God, “…in Your presence is fullness of joy…”
Ps 16:11 Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence [is] fulness of joy; at thy right hand [there are] pleasures for evermore.
The word fullness is soba
which is a word used to describe:
a feast where you eat so much that you cannot eat another bit!
That is the fullness of joy that David receives from the presence of the Father.
joy is simchah which is:
a joy and love that we feel when we hug those we dearly love….
in that hug, in that moment, the world fades away as we experience that knowing that we too are loved and it is a moment when we want that joy to last forever. That is exactly what our Heavenly Father promises when He holds us close at the same time saying:
at thy right hand [there are] pleasures for evermore.
The right hand has always been: the symbol of strength and power and for most people is their dominant hand, so when our Father takes us in His right hand He is saying:
He will never let go and as He holds us we will have
pleasures/ na’iym forever.
The word pleasures
translated from na’iym has a meaning of:
singing and sweet sounding music.
When our Heavenly Father takes us in His arms and lovingly embraces us and we return that love, He intends for the pleasure, singing and music of that moment to go on forever.
Another reference to Joy is in
Psalm 43 :4 God My Exceeding Joy.
El Simchah Giyl.
The two Hebrew words
simchah and giyl
can both be translated as joy…
this name of God is almost like saying
God my joyful joy.
we could say a double portion of joy!
There are many Hebrew words and phrases that express joy because their language is rooted in a culture rich in joy filled festivals and celebrations of life/chaim.
The most common Hebrew word for happiness is simcha. According to Ecc. 2:26, it’s considered a gift to mankind
and Torah states,
vehayita ach sameach,
you should have nothing but joy.
Deut. 16:15.
In the Bible the noun simcha is mentioned 94x and is derived from verb samach, which is in the text 154x. It is rooted in the Akkadian word shamahu meaning: sprout or flourish.
A dictionary definition states: “Happiness is that feeling that comes over you when you know life is good and you can’t help but smile. It’s the opposite of sadness. When people are successful; or safe; or lucky, they feel happiness. The ‘pursuit of happiness’ is something this country (USA) is based on, and different people feel happiness for different reasons.”
It’s clear according to this definition that happiness depends on life’s circumstances and on what happens. If things are good, people are happy but with no success, it can result in sadness.
On the other hand,
Joy,
in the sense of true biblical understanding, does NOT depend on outside circumstances; it depends only on our Heavenly Father because He is the source of joy.
While happiness is more an outward show,
joy is more internal.
Happiness is usually temporary or fleeting;
Joy is a permanent state of being.
The source of one is the flesh.
The other is the spirit.
According to Isaiah 12:3 Joy is associated with a deeper well.
Following are some references where some of the many Hebrew words for Joy are noted:
After returning from captivity in Babylon, the children of Israel kept the Passover with joy:
And they kept the Feast of Unleavened Bread seven days with joy; for the LORD made them joyful…Ezra 6:22.
With joy in Hebrew in verse 22 is:
b’simcha בשמחה b’sim-KHA.
Simcha שמחה sim-KHA
as already noted is the most common word for
joy in the Tanakh.
This joy is always connected with the God of Israel
and is known as
simcha b’shamayim
שמחה בשמים
sim-KHA b’sha-MYEEM,
or joy of heaven.
Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, you righteous;
and shout for joy, rinna רנה, ree-NAH,
all you upright in heart
Ps. 32:11.
Jeremiah 15:16, Your words were found, and I ate them, and Your word was to me
the joy, l’sasson לששון, l’sah-SOHN
and rejoicing, l’simchat לשמחת, l’sim-KHAT,
of my heart, for I am called by Your name, O LORD God of hosts.
May the Word of God become an ever-increasing joy of our heart as we prepare for the return of the Living Word, Jesus/Yeshua.
The Brit Hadashah/re-New-ed Covenant, emphasizes that believers in Messiah Jesus/Yeshua are in a race.
Paul spoke a lot about his life in Messiah being a race and his goal was to finish it with joy.
But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy… Acts 20:24.
In Heb. 12:1-2. Recalling that WE were the joy set before Jesus/Yeshua….. may HE be the joy set before us.
In Psalm 30:5: the word is mourning, not morning!
weeping may endure for a night,
but joy, rinnah, comes in the mourning.
The joy that our Heavenly Father gives us is supernatural and not dependent on any situations in our lives. It’s the joy/strength to endure and overcome.
As prophesied in Isaiah 61:1-3
Yeshua/Jesus’ mission included, …to comfort all who mourn, to console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness…
What is this oil of joy?
Oil, in the Holy Scriptures, is symbolic of the Ruach HaKodesh, His Spirit of Holiness and His Joy flows from His Spirit.
And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.
Acts 13:52.
For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Rom. 14:17
Paul commended the believers for their good example to other followers of the Way, Joy, in the midst of affliction.
And you became followers of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy in the Holy Spirit. I Thess. 1:6.
Habakkuk points out the choice that we must make: Though the fig tree may not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines; though the labor of the olive may fail, and the fields yield no food; though the flock may be cut off from the fold, and there be no herd in the stalls—yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy, gil, GEEL, in the God of my salvation. Hab. 3:17-18.
When Jesus/Yeshua was about to leave this earth He reassured them:
Therefore you now have sorrow; but I will see you again and your heart will rejoice, and your joy no one will take from you.
John. 16:22.
As previously noted in Galatians 5:22-23, the second fruit of the Spirit is joy, ‘sim•cha.’ Together with its synonym, sa•son, it is used in scripture over 400 times. (The English word ‘sassy’ comes from sa•son.)
Together simcha and sason form an expression quoted during most every Israeli wedding it comes from Jeremiah 33:11 who repeats it three more times in: 7:34, 16:9 and 25:10.
It is a beautiful imagery also for believers, of the coming wedding at the marriage supper of the Lamb. As of now, we are His betrothed, promised to Him as in an extended engagement; and married in all but consummation until He returns, to take His Bride/the body of believers in Jesus/Yeshua as Messiah to the prepared place in His Fathers House!
Surely this expression will be heard…
‘kol sa•son ve•kol sim•cha, kol cha•tan ve•kol ka•la’.
The voice of joy, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride.
We may conclude that Joy is not a fleeting emotion of happiness. It is an unshakeable spiritual force of His JOY. The pleasure of God is our strength when our Heavenly Father has joy in our faithfulness and that gives us strength to endure each and every trial that we go through as we look to Him the author and finisher of our faith.
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