READERS of the early portions of the Bible are sometimes startled by the solemn warnings, set forth in the Ten Commandments and in many other passages, against both idolatry and error in their varied forms and disguises. Necessary as such warnings were under the circumstances of the establishment of ethics and true religion among the Hebrew tribes, and important as they still are in contributing to the maintenance of the lofty standards set forth by Christianity, how encouraging it is to find joy upheld, emphasized, and indeed commanded many centuries before Christ Jesus, the master Christian, gave it such a central place in his own teaching and practice!
The book of Deuteronomy is consistent in its emphasis upon joy. Like Exodus and Leviticus, Deuteronomy is largely concerned with law, but the obedience to the law of the Lord that it requires is accompanied by a sense of joyous spontaneity, which lifts the thought of the reader out of the somber shade of stern commands and requirements into the sunlit atmosphere of joyous and ready acceptance of God's bounty and of His will for all His children.
Typical of this pervasive and uplifting concept of rejoicing are the ringing words (Deut. 16: 15), "Because the Lord thy God shall bless thee in all thine increase, and in all the works of thine hands, therefore thou shalt surely rejoice." True joy and gratitude undoubtedly go hand in hand; and with the glad recognition and thankful utilization of the ceaseless gifts of our heavenly Father, the way is opened for the continuing of growth of both in our experience, in which happiness can blossom into that outgiving joy that shares its fragrance with all.
