yet I will rejoice in the LORD;
Habakkuk 3:18
I will take joy in the God of my salvation
Despite the world falling apart around him, Habakkuk decides he will rejoice in the Lord. What does it mean to rejoice? How can we do that today?
Types of Rejoicing
There are several words in Hebrew which carry the concept of rejoicing. Two of them appear in our verse. The first line uses the word alaz, which is most often translated “exult”. The second is gil, which most often is translated “rejoice”. A few other words bear mentioning: samach (to rejoice or be glad), sus (to delight or rejoice), and ranan (to rejoice, cry out, or shout for joy). Hebrew has a lot of words around joy and gladness! Additionally, nouns and adjectives related to these words carry the ideas of joy or gladness.
We find a plethora of examples of the ideas of rejoicing throughout the Bible. Here are a few which intermix these various words.
The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad (sus);
Isaiah 35:1-2
the desert shall rejoice (gil) and blossom like the crocus;
it shall blossom abundantly
and rejoice (gil) with joy (gilah) and singing (ranan).
The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it,
the majesty of Carmel and Sharon.
They shall see the glory of the LORD,
the majesty of our God.
Let the heavens be glad (samach), and let the earth rejoice (gil);
Psalm 96:11-12
let the sea roar, and all that fills it;
let the field exult (alaz), and everything in it!
Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy (ranan)
Rejoice (samach) with Jerusalem, and be glad (gil) for her,
Isaiah 66:10
all you who love her;
rejoice (sus) with her in joy (masus),
all you who mourn over her
Sing aloud (ranan), O daughter of Zion;
Zephaniah 3:14
shout, O Israel!
Rejoice (samach) and exult (alaz) with all your heart,
O daughter of Jerusalem!
When God Rejoices
People are not the only ones rejoicing. Even God rejoices when he delivers and restores his people.
For behold, I create new heavens
Isaiah 65:17-19
and a new earth,
and the former things shall not be remembered
or come into mind.
But be glad (sus) and rejoice (gil) forever
in that which I create;
for behold, I create Jerusalem to be a joy (gilah),
and her people to be a gladness (masos).
I will rejoice (gil) in Jerusalem
and be glad (sus) in my people;
no more shall be heard in it the sound of weeping
and the cry of distress.
The LORD your God is in your midst,
Zephaniah 3:17
a mighty one who will save;
he will rejoice (sus) over you with gladness (simchah);
he will quiet you by his love;
he will exult (gil) over you with loud singing (rinnah).
Rejoicing in Suffering
While it’s easy to rejoice when good things happen, remember Habakkuk’s circumstances. He rejoices after hearing that God’s judgment was coming. In a similar way, Peter tells us that we should rejoice in our sufferings: “But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed” (1 Peter 4:13). We don’t have to like suffering. Rather, we rejoice because God is still in the throne and will save his people. Habakkuk rejoices “in the God of my salvation,” bringing full circle his initial complaint that in the midst of the violence and oppression that God does not save (Habakkuk 1:2; see notes).
To Ponder…
What does it look like for you to rejoice? What brings joy and gladness to your heart? Are you able to rejoice during both the good and bad times?