Most people would think “Joy to the World” is a Christmas song about a baby in a manger, but it is not. In that Christmas carol there is no mention of Mary. There is no mention of the stable or the shepherds or angels. It is a song about a King and a Judge and a Ruler, and once you see that, and see the connection to Psalm 98, maybe you will see the song a little differently. Hello, my name is Ryan Rench. I am the pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in Temecula, California. Every year we sing familiar Christmas carols, and we are very familiar with the tunes and the words. Sometimes we just sing right over them and never really stop to ask where the words come from, or what they are actually saying. So today I want to walk through the psalm behind the song “Joy to the World.” We are in the Christmas season, and the next couple of videos will still follow the Christmas theme, even though they will post weeks after Christmas is done. We are going to talk through some of the different Christmas carols, and I want to walk through the psalm behind “Joy to the World,” Psalm 98, which is fitting for our ninety-eighth YouTube video.
Here is where we are going in today’s video. We are going to walk through Psalm 98, the psalm Isaac Watts used when he wrote “Joy to the World.” We are going to see why the song is more a song of triumph and not just Christmas sentimentality, why Psalm 98 is about Christ’s reign, not just His birth, and why we can rejoice today in something that, even though it is still future, we can enjoy now. We will take the psalm in three clear movements, using the lines of the song itself, and I will try to show those as we go.
The Background of the Song
First, the background of the song. Before we open Psalm 98, we will look at the writer. Back in 1719, Isaac Watts published a psalter, and in the introduction he wrote these words: “I have endeavoured to bring the Book of Psalms into the language of the New Testament, and accommodate them to the state of the gospel and the worship of Christian churches. My design is to represent the sense of David as it is suited to the times of the gospel.” That is not a bad thing. He was not rewriting the Psalms. He was exposing the progressive nature of the Scriptures, interpreting the Psalms through Christ. So when he came to Psalm 98, he labeled it “Psalm 98, Part 2: The Messiah’s Coming and Kingdom.” He read Jesus Christ into the psalm, and he was right to do so, because this psalm is about Christ. Isaac Watts was a Nonconformist. His father dissented from the Church of England and spent time in jail because of it, so from childhood Watts understood what it means to take a stand as a Christian, that truth has a cost. Watts was absolutely brilliant. As a boy he learned Latin, Greek, Hebrew, French, and other languages, and he was extremely well read. Yet because of his Nonconformist stance, he was barred from Oxford and Cambridge, though he still received a classical education. When Watts listened to the songs of the churches of his day, he was looking for something more, and he complained to his father. His father, like any good dad, said, “Hey, if you do not like it, then do something better.” And so he did. He began writing hymns and Christianizing the psalms. He pastored for a while but was often very sickly and too weak to preach, so he eventually retreated into a life of writing, and we have benefited from the writings of Isaac Watts all these years.
As Watts reflected on Psalm 98 and the coming of the Messiah, he wrote the words of “Joy to the World.” The tune we know came much later. It appears to have been influenced by Handel’s Messiah and its triumphant theme; the “Glory to God” line has the same cadence as “Joy to the World.” Handel was a German composer who was later naturalized as a British citizen. He wrote Messiah in English at a time when many operas were written in Italian, and it became enormously popular. Many years later, in the 1800s, Lowell Mason paired Watts’s poem on Psalm 98 with the tune Antioch. Mason was a musician who was dissatisfied with congregational singing in America, so his life’s work was teaching churches how to sing. He was influenced by Handel and Mozart and Haydn and enjoyed that triumphant sound. When he paired Watts’s words with this tune, it turned into this Christmas song, “Joy to the World,” and I am glad he did.
A Song of the Second Coming
The unique thing is that there is no Christmas in “Joy to the World.” There is no manger or baby or angels. If you look at Psalm 98, it is more about Christ’s second coming than His first. We know His first coming was what made His second coming possible, but Psalm 98 talks about the whole earth worshiping, and we have not gotten there yet. It talks about the Lord judging the earth, and we have not gotten there yet. It talks about the King reigning openly. Jesus said in John 12:47, “And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world.” Psalm 98 speaks of a time when He will judge. It is a future psalm, but it is written as if it has already happened. In God’s eyes, the future is as good as done. I am going to read the psalm in full, and you can follow along: “O sing unto the LORD a new song; for he hath done marvellous things: his right hand, and his holy arm, hath gotten him the victory. The LORD hath made known his salvation: his righteousness hath he openly shewed in the sight of the heathen. He hath remembered his mercy and his truth toward the house of Israel: all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God. Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise. Sing unto the LORD with the harp; with the harp, and the voice of a psalm. With trumpets and sound of cornet make a joyful noise before the LORD, the King. Let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. Let the floods clap their hands: let the hills be joyful together Before the LORD; for he cometh to judge the earth: with righteousness shall he judge the world, and the people with equity.”
We are going to follow the structure of the psalm, which goes in three movements, and we will bounce around a little from one to the next.
Joy to the World, the Lord Is Come
The first point, from the middle of the psalm, verses 4 through 6, is “Joy to the world, the Lord is come!” This is a call to rejoice: make a joyful noise, sing praise. We read there about playing instruments. Why do we praise the Lord? Because He is the King. God commands singing. He does not just command building buildings or painting paintings, but singing. Singing is a unique way to give joy to the Lord, because music is expressive. It is built into us. We carry praise around with us all the time in our vocal cords, and we have the opportunity to praise the Lord all the time. Church is one of the last places in our society where people still sing together, and that is a good thing. I am glad we sing together. Psalm 98 reminds us that the praise we offer right here on earth is just a foretaste of what is coming in the future, “a foretaste of glory divine,” as the other song says.
Let Every Heart Prepare Him Room
The second point is “Let every heart prepare Him room,” a line from “Joy to the World,” and the psalm starts with an inward look. The joy to the world we are talking about here is a joy that belongs to those who know His salvation. In the opening verses we saw ideas of salvation many, many times: victory, deliverance, rescue, and the word salvation a couple of times. Isaac Watts captures it perfectly: “No more let sins and sorrows grow, nor thorns infest the ground; He comes to make His blessings flow far as the curse is found.” We are talking about the ultimate salvation, when sin itself is removed and the curse of sin is gone. That kind of joy comes because the Saviour is in charge, when the Saviour reigns. That is the beauty of the future reign of Jesus Christ. But that kind of reign belongs in the heart. A head belief is not enough; it has to be a heart belief, and that is where the gospel comes into play. Every heart must prepare Him room.
Let Earth Receive Her King
The third chapter of our little booklet on Psalm 98 uses the line of the song “Let earth receive her King,” which ties into Psalm 98:7-9. It is as if the choir expands from our voices on earth and our instruments. It says the sea itself will roar, the floods will clap their hands, and the hills themselves will rejoice. Man, all of creation is joining together to sing worship to her King. Paul talks in Romans chapter 8 about creation joining in the praise of God. It says that right now this creation is groaning, waiting for redemption. It cannot wait for the day when Jesus comes to redeem it, to make it right, to buy it back, to restore it to its intended purpose. Jesus said that if the people held their peace, the stones would immediately cry out, and one day they will. We read in Psalm 98:9, “For he cometh to judge the earth.” This is a good kind of judgment. This is the only perfect Judge who will ever rule, the best kind of government. Somebody said that if we could elect this government, we would all vote for it, because it is perfect. He is a perfect Judge, a righteous Judge. It is the only government without corruption. Human governments include corruption, I am sad to say, but there is a day coming when Jesus will rule perfectly.
All this joy to the world matters at Christmas because the second coming could not have happened without the first. That really is what we are celebrating: the manger is what made the throne possible. The cross was the original purpose of Jesus’ first coming, and the cross is what will bring about the crown of Jesus Christ. This kingdom has begun. Christ came to establish and institute this kingdom, to bring the kingdom to earth. The King has come, and the King will rule. So when we sing now, we are singing about something as good as done, singing as if we were already standing around the throne worshiping the Lord. So, joy to the world! Yes, it is joy to the world; the Lord is come. Let every heart prepare Him room. Let earth receive her King. And when we all join together, it is as if heaven and nature are joining to sing to our Creator, the great Jesus Christ. That is what “Joy to the World” is all about. God bless you, and we will see you in the next video, on Christmas Curiosities, where we answer many of those little puzzling questions, trying to discern whether some of the things we enjoy at Christmastime are tradition or have biblical backing. I think you will enjoy the next video. Until then, enjoy this Christmas season. God bless you, and we will see you in the next video.
