July 9, 2023— I was reading the Holy Bible, and the Holy Spirit told me about doing an article on rejoicing. With everything going on in the world today, it can be easy to lose track, get unfocused, and become frustrated. Through the fog of real and fake news, we look toward a new light. Surely there must be something that can make us happy again. In fact, the Holy Bible says, “Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, you righteous; And shout for joy, all you upright in heart!” (Psalm 32:11).
Rejoice in Circumstances
The Holy Bible is filled with various circumstances when biblical people rejoiced. Hannah rejoiced in her heart after her son, Samuel, was born. Samuel was dedicated to the temple as part of Hannah’s prayer to God. He began to minister and prophesy when he was a boy. According to Jewish tradition, two books were written by him (1 and 2 Samuel). In adulthood, he served as a prophet, priest, and judge during a critical time in ancient Israel's history. He anoints Saul as the first king of Israel but later anoints David as the future king. Samuel mentors David and plays a vital role in establishing David’s reign. Samuel’s life emphasizes obedience, faithfulness, and the consequences of disobedience to God.
Samuel accomplished all this mainly due to Hannah’s prayer. However, keep in mind that she also rejoiced at his birth. She did not forsake him, dismiss him or curse him. This is a lesson for pregnant women and future pregnant women everywhere.
We also see the father-in-law of Moses, Jethro, rejoicing after Moses comes to him when Israel was delivered from the Pharaoh. Moses told Jethro that God led the Israelites out of Egypt. Moses also explained to Jethro what the Lord had done to Pharaoh, the persecution that came after the Israelites, and how the Lord delivered them through the Red Sea. At this, “Jethro rejoiced for all the good which the LORD had done for Israel, whom He had delivered out of the hand of the Egyptians.” (Exodus 18:9). Jethro then says:
Blessed be the Lord, who has delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians and out of the hand of Pharaoh, and who has delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians. Now I know that the Lord is greater than all the gods; for in the very thing in which they behaved proudly, He was above them.
Exodus 18:10-11
The book of Psalms discusses rejoicing in the following circumstances:
When you are glad (Psalm 9:2)
For salvation (Psalm 9:14, 13:5, 35:9, 65:9)
When the Lord has been your help (Psalm 28:7 and 63:7)
When you trust the Lord and His mercy (Psalm 13:5)
Moving from the Old Testament to the New Testament, we see Paul rejoicing because Titus’s spirit was refreshed by the Christians within Corinth (2 Corinthians 7:13). By verse 14, Paul rejoices that he has confidence in the believers of Corinth.
In Acts 15:31, believers rejoice for the word of encouragement they received in a letter from the apostles, the elders, and the brethren (Acts 15 22-29)
Rejoicing for Jesus
When the three wise men from the east saw Jesus’s “star,” they went to Herod and told him, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.” (Matthew 2:2). Herod was troubled by this, and asked the chief priests and the scribes where Jesus was to be born. They cited a passage from Micah:
‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
Are not the least among the rulers of Judah;
For out of you shall come a Ruler.
Who will shepherd My people Israel.’ ”
Matthew 2:6 referring to Micah 5:2
Herod told the wise men to bring back Jesus’s location so he could worship Him too. We know that this was never Herod’s intention, as he and Jerusalem were troubled when they heard the wise men speak (Matthew 2:3). When they departed from Herod, they found the star they had seen previously. When they saw it again, the three wise men “rejoiced with exceedingly great joy” (Matthew 2:10). When they arrived at where Jesus was born, they worshipped Him.
There is a passage in Isaiah that speaks to rejoicing for the LORD’s salvation, “And it will be said in that day: ‘Behold, this is our God; We have waited for Him, and He will save us. This is the Lord; We have waited for Him; We will be glad and rejoice in His salvation.’ ” (Isaiah 25:9). The wise men of the east indeed rejoiced at the salvation of Jesus Christ. As should we all. When the wise men did not return to Herod, he was furious. Herod ordered the death of all Bethlehem boys under two years of age. (Matthew 16:16).
However, God warned Joseph (Jesus’s father by adoption) in a dream to flee to Egypt (Matthew 2:13-15). He took his family and departed for Egypt before Herod’s rath ensued. God called Joseph out of Egypt and back to Israel when Herod died. This would fulfill a prophecy in Hosea 11:1, “When Israel was a child, I loved him, And out of Egypt I called My son.” At that time, Archelaus was reigning over Judea instead of Herod, his father. God warned Joseph in another dream. The Holy Bible says that Joseph turned to the region of Galilee instead. He eventually settled in Nazareth (Matthew 2:23).
Nazareth is where Jesus was raised though He was not born there. As you read, He was born in Bethlehem. Regardless of His birthplace, Jesus’s ministry began in Nazareth, but it did not remain there forever. Those from Nazareth rejected Jesus’s teachings, and Jesus said, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house.” (Mark 6:4).
Jesus’s ministry would only last three years, but He would take twelve people and change the world. After three years, He was crucified, having committed no crime, but was resurrected after the third day. For forty days, Jesus remained in His resurrected body. When He came to His disciples in His resurrected body, He told them to rejoice. Matthew 28:9 says, “And as they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, “Rejoice!” So they came and held Him by the feet and worshiped Him.”
Rejoicing in Spirit, Soul, and Body
On September 15, 2021, we posted an article about the difference between your spirit, soul, and body. Just as God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are three in one, so are you. Let us break down your spirit, soul, and body.
Spirits are not demons or angels, and they are not souls. They are described in the Holy Bible as “the lamp of the Lord, Searching all the inner depths of his heart.” (Proverbs 20:27). Meanwhile, souls are created, condemned, or saved by the Lord our God (Matthew 10:28). You may be asking yourself, “How can this possibly have anything to do with rejoicing?” Well, you rejoice in body, spirit, and soul. Here are a few passages that speak to these three “bodies”:
“And Hannah prayed and said: “My heart rejoices in the Lord;
My horn is exalted in the Lord. I smile at my enemies,
Because I rejoice in Your salvation.” (1 Samuel 2:1) (This refers to your physical body)
“And my soul shall be joyful in the Lord; It shall rejoice in His salvation.” (Psalm 35:9)
“And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.” (Luke 1:47)
Moreover, look at what Jesus said about rejoicing. He told His disciples not to rejoice over the fact that the spirits are subjected to them but to rejoice that their names are written in heaven (Luke 10:20). The next verse says, “In that hour Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit and said, “I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight.”
Takeaways
Put simply; rejoicing is a shout of joy. It is an action performed in the body, spirit, and soul. God has given us Jesus Christ, by which we obtain eternal life (salvation), not through deserving but through believing. For all have fallen short of salvation, and all have sinned. Yet, in believing in Jesus Christ as our savior, Jesus gives us the Holy Spirit.
Paul said that we have peace with God through Jesus Christ, “through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” (Romans 5:2). All this, just by having faith, and believing that Jesus Christ is our savior. Therefore, we should rejoice constantly as Paul says, “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4)
Accepting Jesus
Did you know that heaven rejoices for every person that repents and turns to Jesus? (Luke 15:7). Are you ready to rejoice for your salvation? Accept Jesus as your savior today by saying this life-changing, chain-breaking, and soul-freeing prayer:
God, I confess that Jesus came in the flesh and blood, paid the price for my sins, died on the cross, rose on the third day, ascended to the heavens, and sent the Holy Spirit to help me understand Your Ways. For that, I accept Jesus Christ as my savior and Lord, and I welcome the Holy Spirit in my life. In Jesus’s name, I pray, amen!
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