Jehovah your God will bless you . . . , and you must become nothing but joyful.—Deut. 16:15.
Joy is a state of great happiness. Jehovah is “the happy God.” (1 Tim. 1:11; Ps. 104:31) The Son delights to do his Father’s will. (Ps. 40:8; Heb. 10:7-9) And “the joy of Jehovah is [our] stronghold.” (Neh. 8:10) God-given joy brings us deep satisfaction when we do the divine will even in times of hardship, sorrow, or persecution. What happiness “the very knowledge of God” brings us! (Prov. 2:1-5) Our joyous relationship with God is based on accurate knowledge and faith in him and in Jesus’ ransom sacrifice. (1 John 2:1, 2) Being part of the only true international brotherhood is another source of joy. (Zeph. 3:9; Hag. 2:7) Our Kingdom hope and the grand privilege of declaring the good news make us joyful. (Matt. 6:9, 10; 24:14) So does the prospect of everlasting life. (John 17:3) Since we have such a grand hope, we should be “nothing but joyful.” w07 7/15 2:9, 10
