Closer Look: God Rejoices

(5-8 minutes, easy set-up)
Learners will examine the biblical concept of God’s joy.

(5–8 minutes, easy setup)

Read Psalm 104:31. Note that the psalmist connected God’s rejoicing in His works to His enduring glory (specifically His wisdom and power) revealed through His works.

Share the following theological support for this statement:

God did not create in order to satisfy a ‘happiness’ or a ‘glory’ need in Himself, since, in the fellowship of the Trinity, God eternally experiences perfect joy, love, and satisfaction.
God intends for His creation to reveal His excellence and He rejoices when His creation praises Him.
[Information was adapted from Grudem, Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine, pp. 440, 1006]

Discuss: Have you ever created something that brought you joy? In what way was the joy you experienced in your creation related to self-expression? Conclude that the joy we feel in creative self-expression is only a tiny taste of the joy God feels in his own self-expressive works.