Biblical joy is more than a happy feeling. Instead, it is a lasting emotion that comes from the trust that God will fulfill His promises. Joy from on high is a state of being and not a feeling. It is derived from seeing things from a heavenly perspective and, hence, such joy is full of hope. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines joy this way, “The emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune or by the prospect of possessing what one desires,” while the Oxford dictionary defines it as “a feeling of great pleasure and happiness.” Though the Bible similarly uses joy to describe a feeling of happiness, its biblical definition differs in significant ways. Biblical joy is choosing to respond to external circumstances with inner contentment and satisfaction, because we know that God will use those experiences to accomplish His work in and through our lives.
The word “joy” appears over 100 times in the Old Testament and it is incorporated in about fifteen different Hebrew words. The word simchah means joy, gladness, or mirth. In Jewish culture, significant events like childbirth or weddings are generally called simchah . Along with that one word and all those other Hebrew words, collectively, they mean to be happy or joyful and they derived from a variety of sources. People rejoiced in each other, their children, a successful harvest or victory; yet, ultimately, the Israelites rejoiced in God.
In the New Testament, there are eight Koine Greek words for joy, but the most prevalent one is chara (Gk. χαρά). It appears about five dozen times in the writings of the New Testament. The word’s first occurrence is in regard to the Nativity of Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew, which says, “The star that they had seen at its rising preceded them, until it came and stopped over the place where the child was. They were overjoyed at seeing the star…” (Mt 2:9-10). According to Strong’s Concordance, chara means joy, calm delight, or inner gladness. It is related to chairo (Gk. χαίρω), which means to rejoice and also etymologically related to charis (Gk. χάρις), which a word that means grace. Therefore, chara can be understood as to rejoice because of grace; thus, joy or chara is the awareness of God’s grace or favor through Jesus, as well as our reaction to it.
Biblical joy comes from the Lord. It is a perpetual gladness of the heart that is derived from knowing, experiencing, and trusting Jesus. Moreover, biblical joy is not based on our possessions or circumstances like worldly joy. In the first letter of Peter (1 Peter 1:6), you would read this verse, “In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials.” The sacred author teaches us that we can greatly rejoice. This is an overflowing, exuberance-filled, lively form of joy. That is exactly the kind of joy that God’s people can experience even when faced with a variety of trials or difficulties.
Biblical joy is choosing to respond to external circumstances and to do so with inner contentment and satisfaction, because we know that God will use those experiences to accomplish His work in and through our lives. The Israelites waited for hundreds of years for the Messiah and joyfully expected His coming to deliver them from their oppressors. Jesus is that Messiah who will bring everlasting joy. When the angel announced His birth to the shepherds, the angel said that it was good news of great joy for all the people. (Lk 2:10), and when the shepherds saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy (Matthew 2:10). Come, Lord Jesus!
Nature and dignity 