A Prepared Bride 9 - Loving God Emotionally

On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. "Teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?"

"What is written in the Law?" he replied. "How do you read it?"

He answered: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'"

"You have answered correctly," Jesus replied. "Do this and you will live."
Luke 10:25-28 NIV

What is the significance of loving God with all of our soul?

Though there are many definitions and descriptions of the soul, the one that I would like to focus on is the soul as the seat of our emotions, that place from which our emotions flow.

As teenagers, we were told to not get emotionally involved with the people we were dating. That is like telling the ocean to stay away from the beach! Not so much any more but for a long time men were taught that to show emotion, except at a football game, was less than manly. Church pews are filled with people who cannot, will not or may not show emotion during worship. If any one breaks down crying or breaks out in laughter, they are ushered out of the service or at the very least looked upon with distain. God forbid that we demonstrate the same level of emotion during worship as we do for the latest episode of “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition”. As Mr. T would say, “I pity the fool" who would actually show the same fervor for God that we show for our local professional sports teams.

Scripture, however, paints for us a very different picture.

Israel had an emotionally response when the Egyptians were defeated in the Red Sea.

When Pharaoh's horses, chariots and horsemen went into the sea, the LORD brought the waters of the sea back over them, but the Israelites walked through the sea on dry ground. Then Miriam the prophetess, Aaron's sister, took a tambourine in her hand, and all the women followed her, with tambourines and dancing. Miriam sang to them:

"Sing to the LORD,
for he is highly exalted.
The horse and its rider
he has hurled into the sea."
Ex 15:19-21 NIV

There was some singing and shouting and dancing about!
David got a little emotional when the Ark of the Covenant returned to Jerusalem.

As the ark of the LORD was entering the City of David, Michal daughter of Saul watched from a window. And when she saw King David leaping and dancing before the LORD, she despised him in her heart. 2 Sam 6:16 NIV

Michal paid a price for her criticism of David’s joy. She became barren.

The references in which we are commanded to shout to God are to numerous to list but here are just a few.

Clap your hands, all you nations;
shout to God with cries of joy.
Ps 47:1 NIV

Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD;
let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.
Let us come before him with thanksgiving
and extol him with music and song.
Ps 95:1-2 NIV

Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.
Worship the LORD with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs.
Ps 100:1-2 NIV

David writes in Psalm 150 that we are to praise God with all sorts of instruments and dancing. The prophet Zephaniah proclaimed,

The LORD your God is with you,
he is mighty to save.
He will take great delight in you,
he will quiet you with his love,
he will rejoice over you with singing."
Zeph 3:17 NIV

The phrase “he will rejoice” in the Hebrew is:

giyl (gheel); or (by permutation) guwl (gool); a primitive root; properly, to spin round (under the influence of any violent emotion), i.e. usually rejoice...:*

God spins around with violent emotion over you with singing!

Other passages in the Old Testament that use this same word include:

Serve the LORD with fear and rejoice with trembling. Ps 2:11 NIV

Rejoice in the LORD and be glad, you righteous;
sing, all you who are upright in heart! Ps 33:1 NIV

This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. Ps 118:24 NIV

Paul exhorts us to:
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Phil 4:4 NIV

But then he also encourages us to:
Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Rom 12:15-16 NIV

In Ecclesiastes, we are told that there is a time for everything and a season for every activity under the sun including “a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance…” Eccl 3:4 NIV

Jesus said, “Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh.” Luke 6:21 NIV

Paul spoke of the anguish of his soul over his lost countrymen.
“I speak the truth in Christ-I am not lying, my conscience confirms it in the Holy Spirit- I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, those of my own race, the people of Israel. Rom 9:1-4 NIV

David also wrote of sorrow and weeping.
“…weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.” Ps 30:5KJV

We find the full gambit of human emotions expressed in our relationship with God. He, too, reciprocates those emotions because He created them. There will be sorrow – godly sorrow that leads the repentance.

Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. 2 Cor 7:10 NIV

But there will also be great joy, jubilation, shouting and singing and dancing about. We need to get the practice in here because once we stand with the host of heaven, there is going to be a great sound, as the rushing of many waters, to declare His glory!

After this I heard what sounded like the roar of a great multitude in heaven shouting:

"Hallelujah!
Salvation and glory and power belong to our God…”
Rev 19:1 NIV


*(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright (c) 1994, Biblesoft and International Bible Translators, Inc.)