Proverbs 17:22, My Joy – Your Joy!

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November 19, Proverbs 17:22

John 15:11; Phil. 4:4; 2 Cor. 2:1-3 “Not the laughter of fools, but the joy of the Lord.”

My Joy – Your Joy!

1. INNER HARMONY: The Christian life should not be characterised as “doom and gloom.” Solomon rebukes the laughter of fools (Eccl. 7:6), for the end of that mirth is heaviness (14:13). Such mirth is not medicine but madness (Eccl. 2:2). A merry heart does good like a medicine. “Our Lord thus made a merry heart by his message of forgiveness (Mt. 9:2-8); and this doubtless was a more healing medicine to the paralytic, than the restoration of his limbs” (Bridges).

a. The Sinner’s Curse: What is it that makes a merry, joyous heart so valuable? Solomon answers, It does good like a medicine. This word medicine occurs just once. The verb form, also rare, means to free from pain or from guilt! Here the noun means a healing, a cure. So a merry heart is like a good medicine because it causes good healing, good health all round. This proverb reminds us again of the vital harmony between physical and spiritual health. In Pr. 15:13, we were warned that by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken. Here we are further warned that a broken (same word) spirit drieth the bone. It “saps the strength and undermines the very self.” This is the sinner’s curse. It is not to be confused with the broken spirit that God must often inflict upon His erring children. This broken spirit is a stricken spirit. It is “a brooding spirit of despondency; always looking at the dark side; and if connected with religion, flowing from narrow and perverted views, a spurious humility centering in self” (Bridges). Misery and morbidity are twins just as are joy and health. “It is sin,” says George Lawson, “that brings the most dangerous sorrows along with it.” The things of the world give no permanent joy or satisfaction. They are vanity and vexation of spirit (Eccl. 2:26).

b. The Saviour’s Cure: Our Saviour is the Bestower of Blessings now and eternally. There is a natural merriment, a cheerfulness that is always good for body and soul. How much more is this true of the joy of the Lord? Does not Christ promise real joy in His Salvation (Mt. 9:2)? He called His followers blessed, the nine-fold happy ones (Mt. 5:3-11)! The word gospel itself means glad tidings (Acts 16:25). Paul had this always in mind in his preaching and letters (1 Thes. 5:23). He prays for total harmony of the spirit, soul, and body. Yes, God’s Spirit produces a holy cheerfulness in our spirit (Rom. 14:17). Happiness and holiness are inseparable (Rom. 5:11). This in turn produces a hopeful cheerfulness in the soul (Rom. 5:2). There is hope here, and hope hereafter (1 Pt. 1:3-9). Finally, it issues in a wonderful healthful cheerfulness for the body, too. It shines from the face (Pr. 15:13)! The whole body reflects the inner harmony of soul and spirit. A preacher, having sealed a letter to a friend, wrote on the face of the envelope, “Be of good cheer, brother.” The postal authorities didn’t approve! They stamped over these words, “Contrary to Regulations.” Don’t let trials squeeze you into that mould!

Thought: A merry heart is God-taught to know where true happiness lies.

Prayer: Lord, preserve me in Thy joy today.