“Exit from Mudville”
by Chris Cumming
In 1888 a man by the name of Ernest Thayer wrote a now famous poem. You might
know it as, “Casey at the Bat.” The poem is about a baseball game. The
Mudville team is behind by a score of 2-4. It is the bottom of the ninth inning
and the Mudville team is taking its last at bat. There are two outs and two men
on base. The potential winning run is at bat. His name is Casey and he is the
superstar of the team. As he came to bat, he is so full of confidence that he
lets the first pitch just fly by…Strike One.
Let us pick up the poem in the last four paragraphs:
He signaled to the pitcher, and once more the spheroid flew;
But Casey still ignored it, and the umpire said, "Strike two."
"Fraud!" cried the maddened thousands, and echo answered fraud;
But one scornful look from Casey and the audience was awed.
They saw his face grow stern and cold, they saw his muscles strain,
And they knew that Casey wouldn't let that ball go by again.
The sneer is gone from Casey's lip, his teeth are clenched in hate;
He pounds with cruel violence his bat upon the plate.
And now the pitcher holds the ball, and now he lets it go,
And now the air is shattered by the force of Casey's blow.
Oh, somewhere in this favored land the sun is shining bright;
The band is playing somewhere, and somewhere hearts are light,
And somewhere men are laughing, and somewhere children shout;
But there is no joy in Mudville — mighty Casey has struck out.
“There’s no joy in Mudville.” That’s become a common cliché these days. We
discussed the subject of joy in my recent sermon, “Cargo.” That is a sermon
about burdens and trials and tribulations and what the Bible has to say about
them. In our discussion of those subjects, I mentioned that depending on the
burden or trial, often the first thing to go is joy. So today is a follow-up
sermon to the sermon, “Cargo.”
What is joy? How can we have joy? How does one lose the element of joy in
their lives and what can we do to get it back again?
From a regular dictionary:
1. the emotion of great delight or happiness caused by something exceptionally
good or satisfying; keen pleasure; elation: She felt the joy of seeing her son's
success.
2. a source or cause of keen pleasure or delight; something or someone greatly valued or appreciated: Her prose style is a pure joy.
3. the expression or display of glad feeling; festive gaiety.
4. a state of happiness.
The idea of joy is expressed in
the Old Testament by a wealth of synonymous terms that cannot easily be
differentiated. They are variously translated as:
Joy
Psalm 30:5
For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure
for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.
Gladness
Psalm 97:11
Light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart.
Mirth
Nehemiah 8:12
And all the people went their way to eat, and to drink, and to send portions,
and to make great mirth, because they had understood the words that were
declared unto them.
To be bright
Zechariah 10:1
Ask ye of the LORD rain in the time of the latter rain; so the LORD shall make
bright clouds, and give them showers of rain, to every one grass in the field.
To shine
Proverbs 13:9,
first part
The light of the righteous rejoiceth: but the lamp of the wicked shall be put
out.
The light of the righteous rejoiceth, "literally, is bright.
Rejoice
Deuteronomy 26:11, first part
And thou shalt rejoice in every good thing which the LORD thy God hath given
unto thee,
Be Glad
Psalm 70:4
Let all those that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee: and let such as
love thy salvation say continually, Let God be magnified.
To Leap
Isaiah 35:6
Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in
the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert.
Rejoice
Psalm 2:11
Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.
Let us look at the commentary on this one. What does it mean, "rejoice with
trembling"?
Serve the Lord with fear - A general direction to
all men. Fear God with that reverence which is due to his supreme majesty. Serve
him as subjects should their sovereign, and as servants should their master.
Rejoice with trembling - If ye serve God aright,
ye cannot but be happy; but let a continual filial [fĭl'ē-əl, fē'lē-] fear [God
the father and you the child] moderate all your joys. Ye must all
stand at last before the judgment-seat of God; watch, pray, believe, work, and
keep humble. ~Barnes Notes
Rejoice exceedingly
Psalm 68:3
But let the righteous be glad; let them rejoice before God: yea, let them
exceedingly rejoice.
Now let us see how joy is expressed and rendered in the New Testament.
Joy
Acts 13:52
And the disciples were filled with joy, and with the Holy Ghost [Spirit].
Great joy
Luke 24:52
And they worshipped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy:
Good titings of great joy
Luke 2:10
And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of
great joy, which shall be to all people.
Rejoice
Romans 12:15
Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep
Rejoicing in the Holy Spirit
Luke 10:21
-Jesus our example here
In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of
heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and
hast revealed them unto babes: even so, Father; for so it seemed good in thy
sight.
Exceedingly with joy
2 Corinthians 7:13
Therefore we were comforted in your comfort: yea, and exceedingly the more joyed
we for the joy of Titus, because his spirit was refreshed by you all.
Fullness of joy - three times in John
John 15:11
These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that
your joy might be full.
John 16:24
Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your
joy may be full.
John 17:13
And now come I to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might
have my joy fulfilled in themselves.
Leap for joy
Luke 6:23
Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is great in
heaven: for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets.
Joy Unspeakable
1 Peter 1:8 Whom having not seen, ye
love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy
unspeakable and full of glory:
Glad
2 Corinthians 13:9
For we are glad, when we are weak, and ye are strong: and this also we wish,
even your perfection.
Delight
Romans 7:22
For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:
Now that we see many of terms for joy used throughout the Bible, let us now find
out the source of joy, how it works and how we may obtain it and think about it.
Joy is more than a response to a pleasurable event. Joy is a religious emotion.
It is the natural outcome of fellowship with God.
Where do we go to find the fullness of joy?
Psalm 16:11
Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy
right hand there are pleasures for evermore.
Now go back in this chapter three verses to verse 8. I will read verses 8-9.
Psalm 16:8-9
8 I have set the LORD always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall
not be moved.
9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest
in hope.
Who is the source of our joy?
Psalm 4:6-7
6 There be many that say, Who will shew us any good? LORD, lift thou up the
light of thy countenance upon us.
7 Thou hast put gladness in my
heart, more than in the time that their corn and their wine increased.
Psalm 51:10-12
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.
11 Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.
12 Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.
Joy is an aspect of divine character and calls forth this emotion.
Psalm 21:6-7
6 For thou hast made him most blessed for ever: thou hast made him exceeding
glad with thy countenance.
7 For the king trusteth in the LORD, and through the mercy of the most High he
shall not be moved.
Psalm 31:7
I will be glad and rejoice in thy mercy: for thou hast considered my trouble;
thou hast known my soul in adversities;
Does the Salvation Process [a gift of God]
bring us joy?
Psalm 21:1
The king shall joy in thy strength, O LORD; and in thy salvation how greatly
shall he rejoice!
Isaiah 25:9
And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him,
and he will save us: this is the LORD; we have waited for him, we will be glad
and rejoice in his salvation.
Now in the prophetic book of Habakkuk we read of the great wrath of God upon the
earth in the end times but notice what Habakkuk says:
Habakkuk 3:16-18
16 When I heard, my belly trembled; my lips quivered at the voice: rottenness
entered into my bones, and I trembled in myself, that I might rest in the day of
trouble: when he cometh up unto the people, he will invade them with his troops.
17 Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines;
the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the
flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls:
18 Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation.
Do God's laws and statutes bring joy?
Psalm 19:8
The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the
LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.
Psalm 119:16
I will delight myself in thy statutes: I will not forget thy word.
Psalm 40:8
I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.
Psalm 119:35
Make me to go in the path of thy commandments; for therein do I delight.
Do we delight in His judgments?
Psalm 48:11
Let mount Zion rejoice, let the daughters of Judah be glad, because of thy
judgments.
Revelation 19:1-3
1 And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying,
Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God:
2 For true and righteous are his judgments: for he hath judged the great whore,
which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of
his servants at her hand.
3 And again they said, Alleluia. And her smoke rose up for ever and ever.
Does God bring us joy even on the dark days of our lives.
Jeremiah 15:15-16
15 O LORD, thou knowest: remember me, and visit me, and revenge me of my
persecutors; take me not away in thy longsuffering: know that for thy sake I
have suffered rebuke.
16 Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy
and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts.
Talk about dark days, did David ever have any dark days? What was besetting him
in 1 Samuel 30 and what did he do about it?
1 Samuel 30:3-6
3 So David and his men came to the city, and, behold, it was burned with fire;
and their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, were taken captives.
4 Then David and the people that were with him lifted up their voice and wept,
until they had no more power to weep.
5 And David's two wives were taken captives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and
Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite.
6 And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because
the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his
daughters: but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God.
Isn't joy a fruit of the Spirit?
Galatians 5:22-23
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness,
goodness, faith,
23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
This again shows us that joy comes from God. He is the source of our joy. Joy
is the religious and real emotion that makes our forward progress in the
salvation process with all its accompanying trials and tribulations and rebukes
bearable. If we lose the joy, we could lose the desire for life itself.
Without joy, one might want to give up or quit. We cannot allow anyone or
anything to take our crown.
What did Jesus say about this idea of someone taking our joy from us?
John 16:20-22
20 Verily, verily, I say unto you, That ye shall weep and lament, but the world
shall rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into
joy.
21 A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but as
soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for
joy that a man is born into the world.
22 And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart
shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you.
For some time now I have been speaking to you about having the 10,000-year
perspective or seeing yourself already 10,000 years into the Kingdom of God as a
spirit being and now looking back at all the trial, tribulation and rebuke.
Jesus says in the verses I just read that once the hour of travail is passed,
she no longer remembers the sorrow. That is the way we are to be now...10,000
years into the Kingdom and seeing that all these dark days are behind us now.
Matthew 6:33
But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these
things shall be added unto you.
Notice the commentary on this:
But seek first the kingdom of God -Meaning either the Gospel, and the
ministration of it; in which sense this phrase is often used, see Matthew 21:43 and
which is diligently to be sought after, and into; to be constantly attended on,
and to be preferred to our necessary food, to raiment, or riches, or any
enjoyment of life: or else the kingdom of glory, which is prepared by God, and
is his gift; for which he makes his people meet here, and will introduce them
into it hereafter. ~John Gill
It is actually both of these things. Seek the gospel now, while you are a human
in the Salvation Process and, at the same time, keeping your eye on the glorious
Kingdom as all problems are over then.
Knowing they are over then makes them bearable now.
Notice another dark day of David. Was there not sorrow all around him? Did he
wish to quit and even tell God he was ready to quit? What was his prayer?
Psalm 38:15-22
15 For in thee, O LORD, do I hope: thou wilt hear, O Lord my God.
16 For I said, Hear me, lest otherwise they should rejoice over me: when my foot
slippeth, they magnify themselves against me.
17 For I am ready to halt, and my sorrow is continually before me.
18 For I will declare mine iniquity; I will be sorry for my sin.
19 But mine enemies are lively, and they are strong: and they that hate me
wrongfully are multiplied.
20 They also that render evil for good are mine adversaries; because I follow
the thing that good is.
21 Forsake me not, O LORD: O my God, be not far from me.
22 Make haste to help me, O Lord my salvation.
So we have hope for the Kingdom and hope bringeth forth joy and gladness.
Notice:
Romans 5:1-2
1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord
Jesus Christ:
2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and
rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
Romans 12:12
Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;
Hebrews 3:6
-rejoicing in hope to the end
But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the
confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end.
1 Peter 4:12-14
12 Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you,
as though some strange thing happened unto you:
13 But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when
his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.
14 If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of
glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on
your part he is glorified.
Is having joy not our duty before God?
Philippians 3:1
Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things
to you, to me indeed is not grievous, but for you it is safe.
Philippians 2:17
Yea, and if I be offered upon the sacrifice and service of your
faith, I joy, and rejoice with you all.
Philippians 4:4
Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.
1 Thessalonians 5:16
Rejoice evermore.
Notice the commentary on this one:
Rejoice in the Lord alway - see the notes at Philippians 3:1. It is the privilege of
Christians to do this, not at certain periods and at distant intervals, but at
all times they may rejoice that there is a God and Saviour; they may rejoice in
the character, law, and government of God - in his promises, and in communion
with him. The Christian, therefore, may be, and should be, always a happy man.
If everything else changes, yet the Lord does not change; if the sources of all
other joy are dried up, yet this is not; and there is not a moment of a
Christian’s life in which he may not find joy in the character, law, and
promises of God. ~Barnes Notes
So we see from all these scriptures how joy works, how we obtain it and that God
is the source of it. I now want to leave you with a few scriptures that will
fill you with both hope and joy and help you with that 10,000-year perspective.
Luke 10:20
Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject
unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.
Matthew 5:12
first part
Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven.
Romans 15:13
Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing,
that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost [Spirit].
1 Peter 4:13
But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings;
that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.
Revelation 19:7
Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage
of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.
So the question now is, “Did joy ever return to Mudville?”
“Casey at the bat was written in 1888 by Ernest Thayer. At least one writer
could not leave the story there. Somehow joy had to return to Mudville. In
1906 one Grantland Rice wrote the poem, “Casey’s Revenge.” Casey’s team is down
three runs by the last of the ninth, and once again Casey is standing there with
two strikes—with the bases loaded this time. However, he connects and hits the
ball so far that it is never found. The final stanza of the poem reads…
Oh! somewhere in this favored land dark clouds may hide the sun; And somewhere bands no longer play and children have no fun; And somewhere over blighted loves there hangs a heavy pall; But Mudville hearts are happy now--for Casey hit the ball.