Rejoice not, O Israel, for Joy, as other people.
Unreliable joy
All are not Israel who are of Israel. The merely nominal Christian is not to rejoice as the true Christian should.
I. Merely nominal professors have great cause to mourn. These words suggest a vast number of Israelites preparing for the songs of those that triumph, the shout of those that feast. To them the prophet says, “Rejoice not.”
1. The first reason why Israel should not rejoice is that they had turned aside from the Lord. In leaving the Lord we leave all true happiness behind.
2. Because they were at ease in Zion.
3. Because they were heaping up to themselves wrath against the day of wrath.
4. Because they were without hope in the world.
5. Because they were under sentence of condemnation. To every merely nominal Christian God sends this message, “Rejoice not for joy, as other people.”
II. God’s people ought to be a rejoicing people.
1. Christ’s atonement should make them happy.
2. The Triune God has made with them a covenant, ordered in all things and sure.
3. The joy of the Lord is their strength.
4. The rest of God shall be theirs.
5. The Lord God omnipotent reigneth. The Lord reigneth, then your lot in this world will be controlled by the King of kings. Then your sorrows, disappointments, crosses, losses, and all the events of your life are controlled by His sceptre. Then the affairs of the home, and the joys and friendships of life are in the bands of the infinitely wise and good, and you may well rejoice. (A. Clayton Thiselton.)
The miseries of sin
The doctrine of this chapter relates to a time wherein Israel flourished much by reason of outward plenty, victories, and confederacies with their neighbours; and therefore did harden and please themselves in their sins, whatever the prophets said to the contrary. Therefore the whole chapter contains a large description of the miseries that were to come upon them for their sins, which may be branched out in four parts.
1. There is a description of the desolation to come upon them, to silence their presumptuous and carnal joy; wherein he declareth they had no cause to be insolent, thinking to prosper in sin as other nations, seeing their sin (idolatry) was more heinous than the sins of other people.
2. This desolation is declared to be near, whereby, the Lord would discover the folly of their false prophets, and their sin in procuring such at God’s hands who, whatever they pretended to, were but snares to the people and causes of God’s anger.
3. They are charged with the sins, of their fathers, whom they imitated, hereby provoking God to call them to an account, particularly with ingrate forsaking of God, for which they are threatened that God would cut them off without hope of prosperity and abandon them,
4. Their superstition and idolatry, wherein their princes had chief hand, is again laid to their charge; for which they are threatened with God’s anger, and rejection; and exile, and with cutting them off root and branch. Such despisers of God’s Word should be rejected, and made to wander in exile. (George Hutcheson.)