Gaieties
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Gaieties, in the context of biblical literature, refer to expressions of joy, merriment, and festivity. These expressions can be found throughout the Bible, often associated with celebrations, feasts, and moments of divine blessing. While the Bible acknowledges the place of joy and celebration in the life of believers, it also provides guidance on the nature and purpose of such gaieties.

Biblical Instances of Gaieties

1. Feasts and Celebrations: The Old Testament is replete with instances of gaieties during religious feasts and celebrations. The Israelites were commanded to observe several feasts, such as Passover, the Feast of Weeks, and the Feast of Tabernacles, which were times of joy and communal celebration. In Deuteronomy 16:14-15 , it is written, "And you shall rejoice in your feast—you, your son and daughter, your male and female servants, and the Levite, the foreigner, the fatherless, and the widow within your gates. For seven days you shall celebrate the feast to the LORD your God in the place He will choose, because the LORD your God will bless you in all your produce and in all the work of your hands, and your joy will be complete."

2. Weddings and Personal Celebrations: Weddings in biblical times were significant social events marked by gaieties. The wedding at Cana, where Jesus performed His first miracle by turning water into wine (John 2:1-11), is an example of a joyous occasion. This event underscores the appropriateness of celebration in the context of marriage and community.

3. Spiritual Joy: The Bible also speaks of spiritual joy as a form of gaiety. The Psalms frequently express joy in the Lord as a response to His goodness and faithfulness. Psalm 100:1-2 exhorts, "Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth. Serve the LORD with gladness; come into His presence with joyful songs."

Guidance on Gaieties

While the Bible acknowledges the place of gaieties, it also warns against excess and the potential for such celebrations to lead to sinful behavior. Proverbs 21:17 cautions, "He who loves pleasure will become poor; the one who loves wine and oil will never be rich." This highlights the importance of moderation and the dangers of indulgence.

Furthermore, the New Testament encourages believers to find their ultimate joy in the Lord rather than in worldly pleasures. Philippians 4:4 instructs, "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!" This joy is rooted in a relationship with Christ and transcends earthly circumstances.

Gaieties in the Life of Believers

For believers, gaieties are to be expressions of gratitude and worship. They are opportunities to celebrate God's blessings and to foster community and fellowship. The early church, as described in Acts 2:46-47 , exemplified this: "With one accord they continued to meet daily in the temple courts and to break bread from house to house, sharing their meals with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people."

In summary, while the Bible embraces the concept of gaieties, it emphasizes that such expressions of joy should be rooted in righteousness, gratitude, and a focus on God’s glory.
Library

Corinth
... their gross immorality. They seemed to have little thought or care beyond
the pleasures and gaieties of the hour. In preaching the ...
//christianbookshelf.org/white/the acts of the apostles/lesson 24 corinth.htm

To Monna Colomba in Lucca
... Then, as it enters into reason with itself, it will rebuke the memory which has
held in itself the gaieties and pleasures of the world, and has nor held nor ...
/.../benincasa/letters of catherine benincasa/to monna colomba in lucca.htm

Christmas and the Aesthetes
... In the round of our rational and mournful year one festival remains out of
all those ancient gaieties that once covered the whole earth. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/chesterton/heretics/vi christmas and the aesthetes.htm

The Form and Spirit of Religion
... to do but to get greased at last with holy oil, and off I go to heaven with all
my sins about me." Says another, "We can have all our gaieties and frivolities ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 4 1858/the form and spirit of.htm

A Divided Heart
... very lowest class. He begins at once to plunge into its gaieties, with the
most evil intentions. He is at once observed. The right ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 5 1859/a divided heart.htm

The Prodigal and his Brother.
... that when we hear men of this world acknowledge, as they sometimes will do, when
they are wearied with this phantom chase of life, sick of gaieties and tired ...
/.../robertson/sermons preached at brighton/xx the prodigal and his.htm

Jeremy Taylor -- Christ's Advent to Judgment
... actions, He makes sudden breaches, and tears some of us in pieces, and of others
He breaks their bones or affrights their hopes and secular gaieties, and fills ...
/.../various/the worlds great sermons vol 2/jeremy taylor christs advent.htm

The Honoured Guest
... accounted vulgar. Not in sportive gaieties, but in pensive solitudes do
penitence and contrition find room for exercise. Ridiculous ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 61 1915/the honoured guest.htm

Mental Prayer.
... subjects and persons, your efforts to attract the looks of sinners and to please
those who displease God; your hankerings after worldly gaieties and luxuries ...
/.../newman/parochial and plain sermons vol vii/sermon xv mental prayer.htm

The Youth of Count Zinzendorf, 1700-1722.
... William, Prince of Orange, paid flying calls at Brussels, Antwerp, Amsterdam and
Rotterdam, and ended the tour by a six months' stay amid the gaieties of Paris ...
/.../hutton/history of the moravian church/chapter i the youth of.htm

Thesaurus
Gaieties (1 Occurrence)
... Multi-Version Concordance Gaieties (1 Occurrence). Luke 8:14 That which
fell among the thorns means those who have heard, but as ...
/g/gaieties.htm - 6k

Yield (78 Occurrences)
... That which fell among the thorns means those who have heard, but as they go on their
way, the Message is stifled by the anxieties, wealth and gaieties of time ...
/y/yield.htm - 30k

Gaiety (4 Occurrences)

/g/gaiety.htm - 7k

Gai (1 Occurrence)

/g/gai.htm - 7k

Anxieties (5 Occurrences)
... That which fell among the thorns means those who have heard, but as they go on their
way, the Message is stifled by the anxieties, wealth and gaieties of time ...
/a/anxieties.htm - 8k

Stifled (2 Occurrences)
... That which fell among the thorns means those who have heard, but as they go on their
way, the Message is stifled by the anxieties, wealth and gaieties of time ...
/s/stifled.htm - 7k

Message (222 Occurrences)
... That which fell among the thorns means those who have heard, but as they go on their
way, the Message is stifled by the anxieties, wealth and gaieties of time ...
/m/message.htm - 34k

Wealth (340 Occurrences)
... That which fell among the thorns means those who have heard, but as they go on their
way, the Message is stifled by the anxieties, wealth and gaieties of time ...
/w/wealth.htm - 40k

Nothing (769 Occurrences)
... That which fell among the thorns means those who have heard, but as they go on their
way, the Message is stifled by the anxieties, wealth and gaieties of time ...
/n/nothing.htm - 40k

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Concordance
Gaieties (1 Occurrence)

Luke 8:14
That which fell among the thorns means those who have heard, but as they go on their way, the Message is stifled by the anxieties, wealth and gaieties of time, and they yield nothing in perfection.
(WEY)

Subtopics

Gaieties

Related Terms

Gaieties (1 Occurrence)

Gaily (2 Occurrences)

Joy (422 Occurrences)

Gai
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