Jer
31:2-5 (ESV) Thus says the Lord:
"The
people who survived the sword
found
grace in the wilderness;
when Israel sought for rest,
3 the
Lord appeared to him from far away.
I have loved you with an everlasting love;
therefore
I have continued my faithfulness to you.
4 Again I will build you, and you shall be
built,
O
virgin Israel!
Again you shall adorn yourself with
tambourines
and
shall go forth in the dance of the merrymakers.
5 Again you shall plant vineyards
on the
mountains of Samaria;
the
planters shall plant
and
shall enjoy the fruit."
NOTE: So, what is
God's definition of joy? Where is purpose and happiness found? Is it ever found
in this physical life? Other passages make it clear that joy, purpose, and
happiness involve a relationship with God as the supreme objective. But the
sublime is not without joy or purpose or happiness. In this passage, God
promises Israel that a time is coming when she will be rebuilt and there will
be music, dance, and wine, as a fulfillment of God's faithfulness toward
Israel. So, the answer to the question is not always spiritual, but there are
physical aspects as well, not just now but even in the future. Those things
appeal to us, not because they are poor substitutes, but because we are
designed to enjoy them. And we shouldn't feel guilty for enjoying what God
gives.
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