Our God is a God of gladness and Jesus is a King who delights in the children of men (Proverbs 8:31), which is to say, He delights in you. Given who we are, this must be accepted by faith.
One of the ways He expresses His delight is by inviting us to the party. He inviting us to feast with Him.
This was true in Eden, true among the wandering Israelites and central to the restoration of rebellious Israel in the days of Nehemiah.
Then He said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the Lord is your strength. (Nehemiah 8:10)
The Puritans, much to the irritation of the Methodists, Baptists and state church in England, understood this. They enjoyed their wives, their singing of Psalms, and their feasts. It was a hallmark of their faith working through love.
Their joy was not a consequence of their wealth or their status, for they often had neither. Their joy was in the salvation of a God who delighted in them and loved them.
Their Joy was distinct from the joy of the world in that they woke up the following morning with a smile on their faces and not the worried and anxious hearts of those riddled with guilt.
Their theological debates and study were vigorous, their hugs were warm and their happy celebrations culminated in happy rest. Echoing the joy of Psalm 128, they took delight in their domestic life and family, their work, and their worship.
Did your average Puritan, happiness was to be found in holiness, godly mirth was to be found in praise and thanksgiving, and true joy was to be found in the Lord.
They feared God and sought to honour His Word in all of life. They delighted in the Word of God and loved a good sermon. Puritan preacher, Laurence Chaderton, is said to have apologised to his congregation on at least one occassion after preaching for two hours straight. Their response was to cry, “For God’s sake, sir, go on, go on!”
Their joy in the Lord was contagious. But it also had it’s critics. And so the term, “Puritan”, was used then, as it often is today, by people with a startling lack of brain, as a derogatory term.
The Puritans were made up of stable families growing in holiness who were accused of being unholy. These were law abiding citizens accused of being legalists. These were serious men and women who were accused of not taking things seriously.
But they did take things seriously. They took seriously the joy of Christ set before them. They took seriously their deliverance from guilt and shame through the cross. They took seriously their security and safety in a God who was unchanging, whose love was solid and whose promises were true. And so they seriously laboured for the gladness of God in the lives of those around them.
And having the assurance that they were free men, they were capable of rejoicing in happy rest. To them, God was a pleasant reward. And since He is unchanging, so should be their joy.
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).
All of which left the the world as it is often leaves today, …scratching it’s collective head. We have a rest that our enemies envy. We have a joy that our critics and our enemies cannot fathom. A joy, not grounded in the circumstances of life, but in the goodness and faithfulness of God.
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