Joy In God
By Ward
Fenley
Chapter 4
The Temporal Joy of the World
In the book of Job we read of a man who had virtually everything a person
could want. The Bible describes Job as the greatest of all men in the east.
One day God saw fit to take away from Job his possessions and his children.
Job’s response seems too perfect to be possible:
Job 1:21 And said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked
shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed
be the name of the LORD.
Job was aware that God in His sovereignty was in control of not only what
Job received but also what Job lost. Eventually Job was afflicted with
boils from his head to his toes. He began to complain against God. During
this time three of Job’s "friends" began to accuse Job of unrighteousness
and that his unrighteousness was the reason for his affliction. Job defended
himself even ultimately to a fault as far as God was concerned. In fact
there were several dialogues between Job and each of these three men concerning
the reasons for Job being afflicted. Many of the accusations these men
brought against Job were false and made in hypocrisy. However, some of
their statements were profoundly and sometimes obviously true. One of these
men, Zophar, asked this rhetorical question to Job:
Job 20:4-5 Do you not know this from of old, ever since mortals were
placed on earth, {5} that the exulting of the wicked is short, and the
joy of the godless is but for a moment?
The answer to this question is clear, as Zophar implies. When the wicked
experience joy in this world, their joy is temporal. It is the momentary
"joy of the godless." There is no lasting joy in their lives. It simply
satisfies them temporally. And when they pursue that joy and continue to
rebel against God, the Bible describes them:
Psalms 92:7 When the wicked spring as the grass, and when all the
workers of iniquity do flourish; it is that they shall be destroyed for
ever:
This radical statement emphasizes the momentary satisfaction of the "flourishing"
or joy of the wicked. What appears to be a gleeful experience of the wicked
will ultimately be for their everlasting destruction, should they continue
to rebel against God. So not only do unbelievers not have any deep and
lasting joy in this life; they also are destroyed forever, never to experience
the eternal joy of God. Though ever so bleak, yet this truth should be
a startling reality to those who pursue the temporary joys of this world.
Before the rebuilding of the city of Jerusalem and the Temple during
the time of Nehemiah, Israel was in captivity under the Babylonian Empire.
Their Temple was destroyed and their city burnt. Their religion was essentially
destroyed for that present time. This great people who had been so blessed
by God were in a time of hardship and what to them seemed as if all was
lost. God was punishing them for their sins, idolatry, self-righteousness,
and their longing for the temporal joys of the world. In the woeful book
of Lamentations, Jeremiah describes that which had come upon the Israelites.
He describes the cessation of their temporal joys:
Lamentations 5:14-17 The elders have ceased from the gate, the young
men from their music. {15} The joy of our heart is ceased; our dance is
turned into mourning. {16} The crown is fallen from our head: woe unto
us, that we have sinned! {17} For this our heart is faint; for these things
our eyes are dim.
In the heart of the Israelites there was no positive outlook. There was
nothing that would encourage them. Everything had been lost. The joy they
had experienced in religion and the countries and pleasures around them
suddenly had forsaken them. Those joys that pacified their hearts had come
to an end. The only vision they had was one of gloom and dimness. They
had lost all the idols in which they had trusted. For them the idols were
self-righteousness, protection from other countries, and the stature of
being the nation whom the surrounding countries had come to respect.
To get a glimpse of this problem in our present generation, let us consider
the various idols we serve. Certainly the idols of fame and power still
plague us. And of course money and possessions affect us. We look to all
those things to give us temporary joy. However, one of the greatest vices
primarily for the religious person is the joy of self-righteousness. This
is often a very hidden vice. Many do not realize that they get great satisfaction
out of their religion and "obedience." The idols of money, power, fame,
etc. many times can be obvious. However, self-righteousness is not always
obvious, for in it we feel as if we are doing right. We feel that it is
a God-honoring thing. However, if our minds are finding joy in our own
"good deeds," then we may be caught in the grip of a religion of works
rather than a religion of grace. It is very easy to accept credit in our
minds for what we perceive as great obedience to God. We fall so easily
into the trap of enjoying what outstanding citizens and church-goers we
are. We often find great delight in our regular giving to churches or charitable
organizations, thinking that doing such earns favor with God. Israel, in
their profession to love the Mosaic law, transgressed that law. In looking
to the law which God gave them to reveal their sin (Romans 3:20; Galatians
3:19), they instead trusted in their obedience to that law to gain them
favor in God’s sight. God views such trust as self-righteousness and actually
transgression of that very law. In Isaiah, Israel’s delight in that law
would end in her shame and derision and the cessation of her joy:
Isaiah 24:5-11 The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof;
because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken
the everlasting covenant. {6} Therefore hath the curse devoured the earth,
and they that dwell therein are desolate: therefore the inhabitants of
the earth are burned, and few men left. {7} The new wine mourneth, the
vine languisheth, all the merryhearted do sigh. {8} The mirth of tabrets
ceaseth, the noise of them that rejoice endeth, the joy of the harp ceaseth.
{9} They shall not drink wine with a song; strong drink shall be bitter
to them that drink it. {10} The city of confusion is broken down: every
house is shut up, that no man may come in. {11} There is a crying for wine
in the streets; all joy is darkened, the mirth of the land is gone.
Notice the emphasis on the cessation of joy: "the merryhearted do sigh"
(vs.7); "the mirth (joy) of tabrets ceaseth, the noise of them that rejoice
endeth, the joy of the harp ceaseth." (vs.8); "all joy is darkened"; and
"the mirth of the land is gone" (vs.11). The joy they experienced is proven
to be a joy that was not founded upon God and His ability to give joy,
but rather it was a joy that was founded upon wine, music, and song. Is
it wrong to get joy out of wine, music, and song? Absolutely not. However,
when we begin to shift our affections to the objects of wine, music, and
song rather than keeping our affections riveted upon the Creator of those
objects, that is when we begin to erect those objects as idols rather than
viewing them as vehicles by which we can thank and praise God. When we
set them up as idols, it is then that one of two things will happen. If
we are God’s children, He will take those idols away from us and turn our
hearts toward Him as our Father (Lamentations 5:21), or if we are not His
children, we could be in danger of His judgment Galatians 5:19-21).
It is not, however, the intent of this chapter to place emphasis on
the ultimate end of the unbeliever, for the end of the unbeliever is entirely
a different subject. But it is my desire in this chapter to present to
the believer and unbeliever the inescapable fact that there is no continuance
in the joy that this world has to offer.
Sometimes people have a tendency to go to extremes: If we examine the
world with eyes that see fulfillment in created objects and experiences
apart from God’s involvement, we will be sorely disappointed, as we have
seen above. However, we can go to the opposite extreme and begin to view
the objects and experiences in this world as evil in and of themselves.
This too can be a tragedy and lead to depression. So then, please do not
understand this chapter to be a chapter encouraging us to despise things
like money, hobbies, fun, etc. Certainly it is my desire to encourage everyone
to despise self-righteousness and idolatry, but when we are dealing with
actual created things, we must be careful to not ascribe to them animation
and morality beyond what God has given them. We are to have a balance.
We should always strive to not pursue the vain and shallow joys of this
world, but rather we should seek to find the true joy that God offers not
only through eternal life in Jesus Christ, but also through all of the
material and spiritual creation. But how do we do this and maintain a balance?
Hopefully the following chapters will give a fresh and yet ancient answer
to this very important question.
Ward
Fenley
ESCHATOLOGY.COM
/ KOSG