Tuesday, December 15, 2015

A Week of Joy: Thou Crownest the Year

Sometimes the King James Bible is very economical in gathering scattered thoughts into one place. The other night I did not have a full Bible handy, but I did have a very old Book of Psalms (printed by the British and Foreign Bible Society) that I bought years ago at a thrift store. The store had several others in the set of Bible books as well, which made me think of Charlotte Mason's idea of children reading one book at a time and adding to their "library"; and I wish now I had bought the others.

Anyway, I started reading at Psalm 65, and I was thinking about the three themes so far of Advent: Hope, Peace, Joy. Verses 5 and 6 seemed to be all about hope:

5 By terrible things in righteousness wilt thou answer us, O God of our salvation; who art the confidence of all the ends of the earth, and of them that are afar off upon the sea:
6 Which by his strength setteth fast the mountains; being girded with power:

Verse 7 was about peace:

7 Which stilleth the noise of the seas, the noise of their waves, and the tumult of the people.

Would there also be one for joy? Not just one, but three:

8 They also that dwell in the uttermost parts are afraid at thy tokens: thou makest the outgoings of the morning and evening to rejoice.
12 They drop upon the pastures of the wilderness: and the little hills rejoice on every side.
13 The pastures are clothed with flocks; the valleys also are covered over with corn; they shout for joy, they also sing.

And then there was this:

11 Thou crownest the year with thy goodness; and thy paths drop fatness.

Rejoice!

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