Finding Lasting Joy Beyond Worldly Pleasures

Posted on by Adrian Clark

“The grapevines waste away, and there is no new wine. All the merrymakers sigh and mourn. The cheerful sound of tambourines is stilled; the happy cries of celebration are heard no more. The melodious chords of the harp are silent. Gone are the joys of wine and song; alcoholic drink turns bitter in the mouth. The city writhes in chaos; every home is locked to keep out intruders. Mobs gather in the streets, crying out for wine. Joy has turned to gloom. Gladness has been banished from the land. The city is left in ruins, its gates battered down.”
Isaiah 24:7-12 NLT

“Joy has turned to gloom”. But the preceding verses seem to indicate that the “joy” that had been lost was largely due to alcoholic beverages. No new wine is produced because the grapevines have wasted away. And without wine, there is no celebration, no “melodious chords of the harp” and the “cheerful sound of tambourines is stilled” (not sure about that one – when has such an instrument sounded cheerful? But then, each to their own). And it looks as though anarchy has become represented by mobs plundering the city, looking for any remaining wine supplies, forcing the inhabitants to keep their doors locked.

But the problem is that sinful and evil behaviour eventually steals away joy. All the celebrations, underpinned by the world’s pleasures, sooner or later, collapse into gloom and doom. Too much wine in the evening leads to a hangover the next day. Pleasure seeking may satisfy briefly, but the effects never last. The world seeks happiness but reaps a harvest of regrets and a lack of joy. Many people around the world spend their lives and resources searching for happiness, only to find nothing that lasts. It is only the joy that comes from a relationship with Jesus that has any lasting effects. You see, there is a huge difference between joy and happiness, as any believer will find. Psalm 16:11, “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore”. Jesus said, “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full” (John 15:9-11). Full joy? Is this something we pilgrims experience, or is it wishful thinking as the dawn emerges after another sleepless night? 

So, we have contrasting pictures, one of the devastated city, with nothing left of any worth, once the hedonistic pleasure seekers have no foundation for their happiness. And the other is the world of joy that is experienced by believers in God, those who have trusted Him for their future and who are totally unfazed by the collapse of the city. Joy is independent of circumstances, and although hardship caused by the world’s problems doesn’t go away, joy remains for God’s children. We pilgrims have found that our joy is a deep, supernatural sense of peace and satisfaction. It comes from God through the Holy Spirit, and unlike normal happiness, which depends on good life events, spiritual joy stays strong even during hard times and suffering. Joy is a manifestation of the Holy Spirit’s fruit, as we read in Galatians 5:22-23, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law”. We cannot manufacture joy on our own because the joy that is rooted in God can only come from Him. 

So, dear fellow pilgrims, are we full of joy this morning? Or are we struggling with our circumstances, emotionally drained and tired of battling life’s challenges? At such a time, we fellowship with those imprisoned in a foreign land for their faith, or wondering where their next meal will come from in a land of devastation like our city in today’s verses. At such a time as this, we get down on our knees and call out to God, and we feel His peace flooding into our souls. Philippians 4:7, “Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus”. God knows our difficulties, but He has the answer for each and every one of them, as we stay close to Him. And with His peace, we feel the joy of knowing the Lord start to bubble up inside of us. 

Paul wrote, “Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:35, 37-39). As we live our lives connected to Jesus, we can look up and beyond the circumstances that are holding us down. There is a two-line poem that goes, “Two prisoners looking through the bars; one saw mud, but the other saw stars”. We pilgrims are star gazers looking up into Heavenly places, assured of our salvation and because of that, we have within us an inexpressible joy.

A final word from Peter, “You love him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him now, you trust him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy. The reward for trusting him will be the salvation of your souls” (1 Peter 1:8-9). So, let’s rejoice together today, trusting in God’s love and the “salvation of our souls”. 

Dear Heavenly Father. You are the only Source of true joy. The happiness that belongs to the world will never last, and instead, we trust You for Your provision and promises. Amen.

Examining Hedonism in Isaiah 5: The Perils of Excessive Drinking

Posted on by Adrian Clark
Four empty wine bottles standing on stone steps along a cobblestone street at dusk

“What sorrow for those who get up early in the morning looking for a drink of alcohol and spend long evenings drinking wine to make themselves flaming drunk. They furnish wine and lovely music at their grand parties— lyre and harp, tambourine and flute— but they never think about the Lord or notice what he is doing. So my people will go into exile far away because they do not know me. Those who are great and honoured will starve, and the common people will die of thirst. The grave is licking its lips in anticipation, opening its mouth wide. The great and the lowly and all the drunken mob will be swallowed up.”
Isaiah 5:11-14 NLT

“Flaming drunk”? Surely a strange adjective to find describing inebriation from the New Living Translation. The words are more genteel in the NIV with “inflamed with wine” or “… Who stay up late in the night till wine inflames them!” from the Amplified. But the versions all agree, describing an occasion marked with debauchery and partying, with probably more going on than can be found in these verses today. In the ancient world, only the wealthy could afford to spend all day, every day, from early in the morning until late at night, getting drunk. These people turned pleasure and drinking into a full-time pursuit. Drunkenness and debauchery were the reasons why these wealthy people got out of bed in the morning. The constant drunkenness brought with it nightly rounds of being “inflamed,” likely indicating participation in sexual immorality.

We notice that the Bible does not condemn the drinking of alcohol, and table wine was a part of Jewish life, with their wines having a lower alcoholic content than would be expected today. In an age with uncertain water purity, wine was sometimes considered a safer option. But drunkenness was frowned upon. Paul, in his letter to the Ephesians, wrote, “Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit,” (Ephesians 5:18). There are other Bible verses, notably Proverbs 31:4-7, “It is not for kings, O Lemuel, to guzzle wine. Rulers should not crave alcohol. For if they drink, they may forget the law and not give justice to the oppressed. Alcohol is for the dying, and wine for those in bitter distress. Let them drink to forget their poverty and remember their troubles no more”. In these verses, we find that those in leadership should show restraint when alcohol is around, because the effect of the drug on a person’s thinking could lead to situations where an injustice could occur. But it is interesting to note that alcohol was suggested as an analgesic for those in distress as a form of end-of-life care, or a remedy for mental health issues. 

But the problem is that the wealthy people of Jerusalem and Judah made pleasure a way of life. They lived to feel good, which is the definition of hedonism. Because of this, they stopped recognising God for His power or what He had provided for them. They served only themselves. Does any of this sound familiar in societies on twenty-first-century Planet Earth? The way of life in Judah was less demanding than it is today. But in my lifetime, I have met people in high-powered jobs, with consequent generous monetary rewards, but with the cost of experiencing high stress levels that have impacted their mental health. Where have these people turned? To the consumption of alcohol, attempting to drown the pain of having to carry on with long, stressful working hours. But even less demanding jobs still have an element of stress, as any bus driver will testify. 

But living life God’s way avoids such debilitating problems, and rather than apply a “sticking plaster” of alcohol, masking the symptoms of stress and anxiety, it is far better to deal with the root causes, turning to God in the process. About the rich people with all their partying, Isaiah pointed out, “they never think about the Lord or notice what he is doing”. This is a poignant moment in Judah’s history because God made a covenant with these people, yet they turned their backs on Him to pursue hedonistic lifestyles. As Isaiah had previously written, Isaiah 5:11 starts with the word “Woe”. What does that mean? Well, one day will come the time when the partygoers will have to face the consequences of their actions. Verse 13 describes their fate: “So my people will go into exile far away because they do not know me. Those who are great and honoured will starve, and the common people will die of thirst”. 

If the people of Judah had repented of their sins and turned to the Lord, then I’m sure that the judgment of exile would have been averted. Their punishment would have been replaced by blessings once more. In our societies today, God is still being spurned and ignored by most. But judgment in their lifetimes is being held back by God’s grace, giving everyone time to repent. Such grace is available right up to a person’s dying moments, but, sadly, after this, God’s grace is no longer available. All that remains is the terrible time before the Great White Throne. 

So we pilgrims reach out to those around us with our testimonies at the ready. God wants everyone to be saved, and He is graciously giving everyone the opportunity to reach out to Jesus who died in their place for their sins. 

Dear Heavenly Father. We thank You that we can access the wine of the Holy Spirit in our lives, and through You, we will live in Your Kingdom forever. Amen.

Sinners and Mockers

Posted on by Adrian Clark

“Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers. But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night.”
Psalm 1:1-2 NLT

The Holy Spirit has led me back to the Psalms, the Bible’s prayer and hymn book. A rich source of living with God, communicating with Him, learning from Him and providing a framework for our whole lives, not just the spiritual.

Psalm 1 starts with a contrast between the people who are worldly, and those who follow God and all His ways. Worldly people do not believe in God, in the life-changing redemptive work of Jesus at Calvary. Hedonism, seeking pleasure, is their goal, accomplished by whatever means are possible. Worldliness also includes the thoughts and actions of those who think that they are “good” people, but who fall far short of God’s standard. And that is really the problem – worldly people do not have a compass to guide them in God’s ways because His ways of righteousness do not fit in with their chosen lifestyle. 

The psalmist starts with a selection of the way worldly people behave, starting with those who are wicked. We do not have to go far before we find a wicked person. Open a media report and one will soon be found. But there are those in this category living far closer to home. Wickedness and sinning, the second category, go hand in hand and both have the same root – evil. Simplistically, God is good, and the devil is evil, and this dichotomy is exposed as the psalmist warns God’s people to avoid the wicked and any advice they might offer, to avoid hanging about in sinful company, and to avoid being a mocker or scoffer. Anyone who has spent time in the workplace will know what these things are.

Instead of getting involved with worldly people, the psalmist advised a God-follower to “delight in the law of the Lord”. That is not just the reading of a list of rules and regulations, but acting out what they read in their daily lives. God’s people must not, however, cut themselves off from all contact with the world. We pilgrims have to work in the office, visit the marketplace, be in contact with the people around us, whether they are good or bad. But through our conduct we exemplify a different way of life – God’s way. A way of righteousness and holiness, an alternative lifestyle sourced in God Himself. 

Where better a place to start than with the Psalms, as we delight ourselves in God. He is the Source of our joy. Only He has message, through Jesus, of eternal life with Him. 

Dear Father God. Good advice from the Holy-Spirit-inspired psalmist today. We pray the prayer Jesus taught His disciples, asking for deliverance from the evil round us. Thank You. Amen.