Psalm 89:15—”Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: they shall walk, O Lord, in the light of thy countenance.”
-Happy are those who have learned to praise God and to hear the joyful call to worship, via trumpets. (Blowing of trumpets and other glad noises were used to worship Jehovah, and also the joyful shouts of his happy people.)
-Blessed are those who not only hear but ‘know’ the sound of this truth – God’s incomparable might, His righteousness and justice, and His mercy and truth.
-Happy are those who truly ‘know’ the joyful sound of the Gospel, to obey it; who experience its power upon their hearts, and bring forth fruit of it in their lives. (We Believers are nothing in ourselves, we only have all in Christ Jesus.)
They walk in the knowledge and wisdom from the presence of God. They think of God all day and get their glory from God’s strength and favor. They enjoy the favor and fellowship of God’s face and rejoice in the name, character, and nature of the incomparable God. They will walk (live) in the light from God’s face (where God is), where God is good or where God is showing the way.
-In this verse, it is presumed that we have intelligence to decipher “the joyful sound.” For there is knowledge, not merely of what is said and their meanings; but the sense and substance, the thought and feeling that they convey. Christ also said, “My sheep hear my voice, and they follow me; and a stranger will they not follow, for they know not the voice of strangers.”
-“they shall WALK in the light of thy countenance.” What is walking? It is a progressive motion from one point to another. And what is that holy walking which God’s Spirit enables all his people to observe? It is a continued, progressive motion from sin to holiness; from all that is evil, to every good word and work.
When we give God our ear and hear the joyful sound, God will show us His face and make us glad. When the Lord smiles on us, we live without grief to our souls.
In whatever way we choose to understand this scripture, the simple underlying truth is that we desire to walk in the path that is lit by God’s countenance, by God’s grace and favor, the straight and narrow path, the path that leads to eternal life – the final joyful sound!
