Topical Bible: Joy: Attributed to God

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In the Bible, joy is not only a human emotion but is also attributed to God, reflecting His nature and His relationship with creation. The joy of God is a profound theme that underscores His delight in His works, His people, and His redemptive plans.

God's Joy in Creation

The Scriptures reveal that God takes joy in His creation. In Genesis, after each act of creation, God saw that it was good (Genesis 1:31). This declaration implies a sense of satisfaction and joy in the beauty and order of what He had made. The psalmist echoes this sentiment, proclaiming, "May the glory of the LORD endure forever; may the LORD rejoice in His works" (Psalm 104:31). This joy is not passive but active, as God continues to sustain and delight in the universe He has fashioned.

Joy in God's People

God's joy is also evident in His relationship with His people. Zephaniah 3:17 beautifully captures this aspect: "The LORD your God is among you; He is mighty to save. He will rejoice over you with gladness; He will quiet you with His love; He will rejoice over you with singing." This verse portrays God as a loving Father who finds joy in His children, celebrating them with exuberance and affection. The joy of the Lord is not contingent on human actions but is rooted in His steadfast love and covenant faithfulness.

Joy in Redemption

The joy of God is profoundly linked to His redemptive work. In the parables of Jesus, particularly the parable of the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the prodigal son (Luke 15), there is a recurring theme of joy in heaven over one sinner who repents. This joy reflects God's heart for redemption and His desire to restore broken relationships. The prophet Isaiah also speaks of God's joy in salvation, declaring, "For as a young man marries a young woman, so your sons will marry you; and as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so your God will rejoice over you" (Isaiah 62:5). This imagery conveys the deep joy God experiences in the salvation and restoration of His people.

Joy in the Fulfillment of His Purposes

God's joy is ultimately tied to the fulfillment of His divine purposes. In the book of Hebrews, it is written of Jesus, "For the joy set before Him, He endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God" (Hebrews 12:2). This joy was rooted in the completion of God's redemptive plan through Christ's sacrificial death and resurrection. It highlights the joy that God experiences in the fulfillment of His will and the establishment of His kingdom.

In summary, the joy attributed to God in the Bible is multifaceted, encompassing His delight in creation, His people, His redemptive work, and the fulfillment of His divine purposes. This joy is an integral aspect of God's character, revealing His love, faithfulness, and sovereign plan for the world.

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Deuteronomy 28:63
And it shall come to pass, that as the LORD rejoiced over you to do you good, and to multiply you; so the LORD will rejoice over you to destroy you, and to bring you to nothing; and you shall be plucked from off the land where you go to possess it.
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Deuteronomy 30:9
And the LORD your God will make you plenteous in every work of your hand, in the fruit of your body, and in the fruit of your cattle, and in the fruit of your land, for good: for the LORD will again rejoice over you for good, as he rejoiced over your fathers:
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Jeremiah 32:41
Yes, I will rejoice over them to do them good, and I will plant them in this land assuredly with my whole heart and with my whole soul.
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Library

Whether There is Love in God
... 2; Q. ig, Art.2.) But those which do not involve imperfection, such as love and
joy, are rightly attributed to God, yet as without passion, as we have said. ...
/.../aquinas/nature and grace/article one whether there is.htm

Whether Love Exists in God?
... Certain other passions, however, as love and joy, imply no imperfection. Since
therefore none of these can be attributed to God on their material side, as has ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/aquinas/summa theologica/whether love exists in god.htm

Whether God is Composed of Matter and Form?
... Objection 2: Further, anger, joy and the like are passions of the composite. But
these are attributed to God in Scripture: "The Lord was exceeding angry with ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/aquinas/summa theologica/whether god is composed of.htm

Whether There is Composition of Form and Matter in God
... 2. Again, according to 1 De Anima, texts 12, 14, 15, anger, joy, and the like are ...
On the first point: a soul is attributed to God metaphorically, in order ...
/.../aquinas/nature and grace/article two whether there is.htm

Many Evils Before his Commingling with Evil are Attributed to the ...
... Before His Commingling with Evil are Attributed to the ... thing but of the nature of
God; and assuredly it ... and execrable, and ineffably sacrilegious joy, if the ...
/.../chapter 43 name evils before.htm

Of God and his Affections, and the Censure of Epicurus.
... what more worthy administration can be attributed to God, than ... itself compelled him
to remove from God the other ... that there is neither fear, nor joy, nor grief ...
/.../a treatise on the anger of god addressed to donatus/chap iv of god and his.htm

On the Attributes of God which Come to be Considered under his ...
... (2.). Joy is an ... of these derivative affections, (See Thesis 11) some belong to God
per se ... which seem to have something of imperfection, are attributed to him ...
/.../arminius/the works of james arminius vol 2/disputation xx on the attributes.htm

Whether There is an Irascible and a Concupiscible Appetite in the ...
... said to be in the demons, as anger is sometimes attributed to God;"-on account of
the resemblance in the effect. Reply to Objection 2: Love and joy, in so ...
/.../aquinas/summa theologica/whether there is an irascible.htm

From this Perfection of Our Restored Bodies Will Flow the ...
... "Everlasting joy," says Isaiah ... where will you find adversities in the presence of
God? ... and hair, so that any excess herein might not be attributed to indecency ...
/.../on the resurrection of the flesh/chapter lviii from this perfection of.htm

On the Nature of God
... (Jeremiah 5:7, 9.) Joy is an ... Despair, Confidence and Anger, and we do not exclude
even Fear, which, by an Anthropo-pathy, we read, as attributed to God. ...
/.../arminius/the works of james arminius vol 1/disputation 4 on the nature.htm