Most people assume the Lord’s actions are motivated almost solely because of His love for man. Yet, God works for His own glory and for His own name’s sake.
The character of the individual in authority affects everyone under his authority. People mourn when a nation, congregation, or family unit is ruled by one who is wicked. On the other hand, those same people would rejoice under the right authority of a righteous ruler. When Pharaoh ruled over God’s people in Egypt, their lives were made bitter with hard bondage (Exodus 1:8-14). Their days were filled with sorrow and affliction (Exodus 3:7). In contrast, when Solomon ruled over the people of God in Jerusalem, there was great rejoicing (1 Kings 1:40; 1 Kings 5:7). This truth not only applies to Israel, but to every nation, church, workplace, and family.
Any man desiring to know the motive of his sacrifices should consider the companions of his sacrifices. If a man offers a sacrifice followed by sorrow or regret, his motive was surely wrong. For instance, some people answer the call to give financially in a time of need. They sacrifice, but frustration accompanies their sacrifice because of the loss of money. This reaction should not and will not accompany godly sacrifice given with godly motives. One who sacrifices to the Lord from a godly motive will find joy and peace accompanying his sacrifice. When God works in an individual’s heart, encouraging a sacrifice, the heart rejoices at the opportunity to be obedient and declare one’s love for a holy God.
Rebellion is identified in a variety of ways, but the Lord often associates it to someone with a stiff neck. Society should find this concept easily grasped. A stiff neck impedes the head from bowing. Moses directly associated the stiff neck with rebellion when he said, “For I know thy rebellion, and thy stiff neck” (Deuteronomy 31:27). Like Moses, the Lord identified the rebellion of the children of Israel when He stated that they were “a stiffnecked people” (Exodus 32:9). Isaiah likewise attested to this truth by stating that rebellious people had a neck of iron sinew and a brow of brass (Isaiah 48:4). These descriptive terms demonstrate that rebellion is exemplified by an individual who refuses to bow and allow the mind to be changed. He has an unyielding spirit.
Singing has become more of a performance than worship because most churches have lost any concept of biblical singing. Singing was not intended to be something performed by the few to be witnessed by the multitudes. All of God’s people ought to sing, but how shall we sing? According to 1 Chronicles 13:8, God’s people should worship the Lord in song “with all their might.” In agreement with that passage, the Bible suggests that God’s people should be singing aloud (Nehemiah 12:42; Psalm 51:14). This is further confirmed when the Bible likens singing to a breaking forth (Isaiah 14:7). This breaking forth should come from an overflowing heart (Ephesians 5:19).
There are few sights and sounds like that of a majestically flowing river. For this reason, the Lord promised His people that they would have “been as a river” through simple obedience. This analogy using the river not only speaks of quality but also of quantity. Israel's obedience would bring a peace similar to the calming effect of a flowing river. This peace would also be quantitatively associated to the vast amounts of water which flow down a river. The Lord reaffirmed this truth when He said of Jerusalem, “Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river” (Isaiah 66:12). This peace too was dependent upon the obedience of the people of God. Unfortunately, for most people, life is more like the raging waves of the sea rather than the pristine flowing waters of a river. God in His grace desires to reward the obedient with peace like a river, but disobedience has its own set of unmanageable outcomes.
People express joy in distinct ways: some expressions involve tears, some laughter, and some simple words of praise; yet each expression of joy stems from the goodness of God. With all these variations, the Bible repeats a few expressions in conjunction with people having joy. Several times we are told that the people of God rejoiced with great joy (1 Kings 1:40; Nehemiah 12:43). This joy on the part of the people of God generally manifested itself as a vocal expression of praise. Additionally, the Bible also connects joy with music, like the noise of a harp (Isaiah 24:8) and singing (Psalm 95:1-2). Though the Bible conveys various types of expressions, true joy cannot be hidden.
