“Because you did not serve the Lord your God with joy and gladness of heart, … therefore you shall serve your enemies.” Deuteronomy 28:27-28
This is quite a sobering thought, but I have found it to be true. Lack of rejoicing keeps us in bondage and still applies to us today even under the New Covenant. I don’t know about you but I rejoicing doesn’t comes naturally. Its hard enough to praise God and be thankful at times, but rejoicing is something else.
In these days of great trials, our tendency is to moan and point the finger at those who we imagine to be the cause of the problem. Any praise we do exercise is generally the passive, quiet type that we whisper under our breath. The vocal stuff is mostly reserved for moaning and groaning.
This verse says that because you did not rejoice and express your praise boldly you have ended up serving your enemies. Ask yourself, “Who are my enemies today?” I think they are things like sickness, poverty, depression; oppression, lack, rejection, other people and the government just to name a few.
Rejoicing is a completely new level far above mere ‘whispering praise’. Passive praise is not from the heart and doesn’t involve any part of our body except the movements of our lips.
Rejoicing however is far more animated. King David was a mighty warrior, not only skilled with the sword but also the master of praise and rejoicing. He often said things like;
“Seven times a day I praise you for your righteous laws.” Psalm 119:164
David even set aside certain times each day in his busy schedule to praise the Lord, and specifically for His word. He did this even though he was under the old covenant, which is amazing in itself.
The word ‘Praise’ here in Hebrew is ‘Halal.’ This type of praise is not passive, for it means to ‘shine, flash light, boast, make a fool of yourself, act madly or to rave.’ It’s using the whole body type of praise. King David was quite a ‘Raver’ in his praise, for when they were bringing the Ark of God into Jerusalem he danced before it in his ‘under garments’ with all his might. 2 Samuel 6:16
He was using his whole body to praise the Lord, and not just his words. It’s always good to praise the Lord, but there are times when we need to praise God with a little more gusto. I would call it rejoicing. Passive praise doesn’t always set us free from an oppressive spirit.
If David could praise God like this as he brought the Ark or Presence of God into the City of David. How much more should we be praising God in this dispensation, when Jesus actually dwells in our hearts?
There are 2 verses that have been coming to mind lately.
“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, Lowly and riding on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey.” Zechariah 9:9
rJesus is coming back soon, and even if it does seem a bit slow in coming (donkey speed). We need to rejoice, and not just rejoice but greatly rejoice.
The other verse that comes to mind is.
“Therefore most gladly I will rather ‘boast’ in my ‘infirmities’, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” 2 Corinthians 12:9
To boast means to glory, joy, and rejoice. Infirmities can mean weakness, sickness, want of strength, trials and troubles.
The word for you today is rejoice in whatever situation you find yourself so that Gods power can come upon you and those chains fall off. Wave your arms and legs in a victory dance to shake off those spiritual chains.
When you moan about your problem you are inviting the enemy to start wrapping his spider webs around you. If you don’t shake them off quickly they will eventually end up like a cocoon that is really hard to get out of.
Some people need to go for a run, go to the gym or have a walk every day, otherwise they are not running on all cylinders. May I suggest that you need to stop and really rejoice, and rave before the Lord often during the day to experience Gods power and run at full capacity.
Psalm 67:5-6 says “Let all the peoples ‘praise’ You. Then the earth shall yield her increase;”
This word for praise here is the word ‘Yadah’ in Hebrew. It is far from passive for it means to shoot arrows, throw down, confess and can involve the use of extended hands.
Don’t let the enemy keep you a prisoner any longer, start rejoicing now, and see your life begin to turn around.
Remember when Paul wrote that verse in 2 Corinthians 12:9 about boasting and rejoicing in his trials, that he was under an oppressive one world government that makes ours today look like child’s play.