In 1719, this hymn was written by an English minister, Isaac Watts. Watts based this hymn off of Psalm 98; I would suggest you read Psalm 98 now. This hymn is usually sung to the 1848 arrangement created by the American composer, Lowell Mason. This hymn is typically sung at the end of Christmas Eve and Christmas Day worship services and is one of the most performed Christmas hymns in the United States.
The first and second stanzas are:
“Joy to the world the Lord is come. Let earth receive her king. Let every heart prepare Him room. And heaven and nature sing. And heaven and nature sing. And heaven, and heaven and nature sing.”
“Joy to the world the savior reigns. Let men their songs employ. While fields and floods rocks hills and plains. Repeat the sounding joy. Repeat the sounding joy. Repeat, repeat the sounding joy.”
In the first and second stanzas, Watts wrote of heaven and earth rejoicing at the coming of our Savior and King, Jesus Christ. Interestingly, Watts actually did not write this to be a hymn sung at Christmas time, as evidenced in his lyrics that do not reflect Jesus’ miraculous virgin birth. Rather, Watts wrote this to be a hymn about Christ's Second Coming on Judgment Day. Therefore, it was meant to be sung during the church season of Advent instead of Christmas. (Psalm 98:9).
Yet, I still think it is a fitting hymn to be sung on Christmas Eve and Day because Jesus’ birth was the first piece of God’s puzzle that portrays His love story for us. God cannot die, so He had to humble Himself to become a human. Jesus came to suffer and die for our sins on our behalf, then He rose to new life and left the grave, and ascended into heaven. From His throne in heaven, He fills all the universe and rules over it, waiting for the day when He will return to judge the earth. This Gospel message should fill all in the earth with great joy.
The third stanza is:
“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. Far as the curse is found. Far as, far as the curse is found.”
Phil Wickham’s version of this hymn left out stanza three, but I felt that it is an important part to keep for this analysis. It speaks of Christ's victory over sin, which gloriously extends to all the ends of the earth; "far as the curse is found." This stanza more alludes to Genesis 3:17-19 rather than Psalm 98. It also doesn’t sound as cheerful as the other stanzas, but we ought to have great joy inside us after we understand what Christ has done for us through destroying the power that sin holds over us.
The fourth stanza is:
“He rules the world with truth and grace. And makes the nations prove. The glories of His righteousness. And wonders of His love. And wonders of His love. And wonders, wonders of His love.”
This stanza celebrates Almighty Jesus Christ's ruling over all the nations and all the earth, in fact all the universe, from His throne in heaven. And this stanza definitely speaks to Christ’s Second Coming. Even though the Last Day will be filled with grief, suffering, weeping, and gnashing of teeth by unbelievers, it will be a very joyous occasion for all believers. We are to celebrate in joy because God's love and faithfulness has brought salvation to all who believe in Him.
In this version, Wickham ends the song with the first half of the first stanza of the hymn: “Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee.” I like how it changes the tempo and melody in a pleasant way to be a modern, contemporary version of this classic Christian hymn. I will be analyzing this hymn at a later time, so I’ll save it for then.
The lyrics below are repeated twice in Wickham’s song:
“Joyful, joyful we adore Thee. God of glory, Lord of love. Hearts unfold like flowers before Thee. Opening to the sun above.”
God of glory, Lord of love. All praise, laud, and honor be to You! Amen.
Soli Deo Gloria!
Philip Frank
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