"You will again be happy and dance." Jer. 31:4
Revelation
18:21-23
“Then a mighty
angel picked up a boulder the size of a large millstone and threw it
into the sea, and said:
'With such violence the great city of Babylon will be thrown down,
never to be found again. The music of harpists and musicians, pipers
and trumpeters, will never be heard in you again. No worker of any
trade will ever be found in you again. The sound of a millstone will
never be heard in you again. The light of a lamp will never shine
in you again. The voice of the bridegroom and bride will never be
heard in you again...'”
To associate with
her in any of her activities was sin. God called His people to “come
out of her so they would not receive any of her plagues.” She had
corrupted the earth and to be engaged in her activities would result
in one's own corruption. (Rev. 19:2)
What was being
removed during her judgment was all God's blessings and goodness.
Those things that remained that were genuinely good would be fully
removed and the land would be barren.
This picture of
barrenness and mourning over their losses in their adultery is the
opposite of the picture of heaven. Here there is the richness of the fullness of
life, joy and gladness. In heaven, there is incredible music and
worship. There is the sound of the bride and bridegroom. There is the Holy City that comes down as “a bride
beautifully dressed for her husband.” There is no darkness at all anymore as
the light of the glory of God shines brightly and gives light
forever.
Revelation 22:1-5
speaks about once again coming into the Garden of Eden. I
imagine it bursting forth with life, music, dance and color.
“Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear
as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the
middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river
stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its
fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of
the nations. No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God
and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him.
They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.
There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp
or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And
they will reign for ever and ever.”
The freedom to
play, celebrate, and use our creative abilities are gifts of God's
goodness to us. The are part of coming to life. Creating, singing, playing and celebrating are gifts that were given as image bearers of God. They reflect Him.
I love the way one
children's author writes of God in the scene of creation,
“Dance!
In the beginning, God sang everything into being -
for the joy of it- and set the whole universe dancing.
God was in the center, at the heart of everything...”[1]
The author refers
to Job 38:7, “The morning stars sang together, and the sons of God
shouted for joy.”
In a children's Bible this author writes about God creating the earth, “'Hello trees!' God
said. 'Hello grass and flowers!' And everything everywhere burst into
life. He made buds bud; shoots shoot; flowers flower. 'You are good,'
God said. And they were.” [2]
Zephaniah
3:17 gives us a picture of a joyful and playful God, “The
LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will
rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he
will exult over you with loud singing.”
In
Jeremiah 31:4 (NLT) he tells the people who were experiencing God's judgment, “You will again be happy
and dance.”
Lord,
I long for the day that creating, singing, dancing, rejoicing, festivities,
playfulness and joy are fully restored to your people. Help
us to live in this joy, celebrating and rejoicing now right where we are at.
1. Lloyd-Jones, Sally. Illustrated by Jago. Thoughts That Make Your Heart Sing. Zondervan, Grand Rapids, MI. 2012.
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