Joy To The World
When is a Christmas carol not a Christmas carol? When it doesn't focus on the birth of Christ, perhaps?
Take this one, for instance. Isaac Watts based this text on the last half of Psalm 98, which celebrates the coming of the Lord to judge the world in righteousness. The psalmist calls on all creation to sing and shout for joy at His coming. There is nothing in the psalm or in Watt's paraphrase that specifically mentions the birth of Christ, just the Lord's return in judgment.
So, should we stop singing this at Christmas? Not at all! This hymn celebrates God's involvement with His people-and this work of God began at the stable in Bethlehem.
~ Shout to the Lord, all the earth; break out in praise and sing for joy! . . Let the sea and everything in it shout his praise! Let the rivers clap their hands in glee! Let the hills sing out their songs of joy before the earth. He will judge the world with justice, and the nations with fairness. PSALM 98:4, 7-9
(Taken from the One Year Great Songs of Faith)
Joy To The World
Verse 1
Joy to the world! the Lord is come;
Let earth receive her King;
Let ev'ry heart prepare Him room,
And heav'n and nature sing,
And heav'n and nature sing,
And heav'n, and heav'n and nature sing.
Verse 2
Joy to the earth! 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.
Verse 3
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.
Verse 4
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.
(Isaac Watts,1674-1748)