Unless stated otherwise, my source for hymn texts and tunes is The Lutheran Service Book.

Wednesday, December 13, 2017

LSB #387 "Joy to the World"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Psalm 98, Romans 5:16-19, Revelation 22:1-5

Psalm 98:  "1 Oh sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done marvelous things!  His right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him.  2 The LORD has made known his salvation; he has revealed his righteousness in the sight of the nations.  3 He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness to the house of Israel.  All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.

4 Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises!  5 Sing praises to the LORD with the lyre, with the lyre and the sound of melody!  6 With trumpets and the sound of the horn make a joyful noise before the King, the LORD!

7 Let the sea roar, and all that fills it; the world and those who dwell in it!  8 Let the rivers clap their hands; let the hills sing for joy together 9 before the LORD, for he comes to judge the earth.  He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with equity."

Romans 5:16-19:  "16 And the free gift is not like the result of that one man's sin.  For the judgement following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification.  17 For if, because of one man's trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.

"18 Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men.  19 For as by the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous."

Revelation 22:1-5:  "1 Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2 through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month.  The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.  3 No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him.  4 They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.  5 And night will be no more.  They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the LORD GOD will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever."

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The text is public domain:
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.
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.
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.
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.
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Parts of the first two verses come from Psalm 98, specifically "Let the sea roar, and all that fills it; the world and those who dwell in it!  Let the rivers clap their hands; let the hills sing for joy together before the LORD."  The hymn also has creation praising the Lord: "Let ev'ry heart prepare Him room / And heav'n and nature sing" and "fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains / Repeat the sounding joy."

The Romans text seems to be present in the third verse, specifically the lines "He comes to make His blessings flow / Far as the curse is found."  This isn't too different from Romans 5:18-19.  The hymn describes the breadth of "His blessings," and the text from Romans mentions that justification, life, and righteousness "for all men" and "the many" come "through the one man Jesus Christ."

The Revelation text is in the last two verses.  After describing trees and fruit, Revelation declares that "No longer will there be anything accursed," and in the hymn, this appears in the lines "No more let sins and sorrows grow / Nor thorns infest the ground."  The fourth verse's "glories of His righteousness / And wonders of His love" seem to be a more general description of the scene in Revelation 22.