Who is Happy?

Who is Happy?

Good Morning Friends,

Sometimes I wake up with a question and this one is a stumper. It is not a complex question. It is not about an ethical issue or a nuance of theology. The question is, who is the happiest person in the Bible? Ok, I could press the easy button and answer Jesus, but if Jesus is the happiest, he might also be the saddest. So let’s set that choice aside for the time being and scroll through the characters…and think about what it really means to be happy. Adam, Eve, Noah…no, no and no. Abraham (maybe), Isaac, or Jacob; Sarah (well she did laugh), Rebekkah, Rachel, or Leah…no not really. Maybe some of their kids? Well Asher, Leah eighth kid, his name means happy. He deserves more study. Joseph or Moses…hmm no. Caleb… I like Caleb but no. Esther now there is a contender but no too much drama. How about Ruth? No, too much loss. Boaz he was pretty happy. The Judges, no, too severe. The prophets, no too dour. Isiah had his moments of joy though. The Kings, no too unstable…Even David…no…Even Solomon…no not him. And just forget about Job. John the Baptist… I do not think so. Mary, now there is a thought. Or maybe some of the people Jesus healed. Or the Good Samaritan or Prodigal Son but then are they real people? The disciples? Again no…not even John. Paul (now there is one joyous man but the thorn…no), Timothy, the Ethiopian eunuch? I give up. I am a bit stumped. Maybe it is the wrong question. Maybe the question should be: Are we happy and if not why? So, Who is Happy?

Scripture: ¹Happy are those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or take the path that sinners tread, or sit in the seat of scoffers;² but their delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law they meditate day and night.³ They are like trees planted by streams of water, which yield their fruit in its season, and their leaves do not wither. In all that they do, they prosper.

Psalm 1:1-3 (NRSV)

²⁴And of Asher he said: Most blessed of sons be Asher; may he be the favourite of his brothers, and may he dip his foot in oil.

Deuteronomy 33:24 (NRSV)

You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit–fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.

John 15:16 (NIV)

³⁰For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’

Matthew 11:30 (NRSV)

The prodigal’s father said, “This son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found!”

Luke 15:24 (NRSV)

Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD, O my soul! I will praise the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God all my life long. Do not put your trust in princes, in mortals, in whom there is no help. When their breath departs, they return to the earth; on that very day their plans perish. Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD their God, who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them; who keeps faith forever; who executes justice for the oppressed; who gives food to the hungry. The LORD sets the prisoners free; the LORD opens the eyes of the blind. The LORD lifts up those who are bowed down; the LORD loves the righteous. The LORD watches over the strangers; he upholds the orphan and the widow, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin. The LORD will reign forever, your God, O Zion, for all generations. Praise the LORD!

Psalm 146 (NRSV)

Message: The happiest man is perhaps the one God chooses. The Beatitudes aside, in Psalm 1 verse 2 a happy people is defined; “but their delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law they meditate day and night.” Friends, to the happiest man the law is not a restriction on his rights, but a joy. It is instruction in God’s word that brings wisdom, and therefore blessings. Pondering the law, meditating on all its implications in every circumstance, engenders a unique and unconquerable happiness, joy, with its own secret source of nourishment and strength. Now of course many people in the Bible experience episodes of happiness to be sure. They fall in love and get married, they have children, they amass fortunes, they experience victories of all sorts…but is there any single character in the Bible that embodies happiness. Maybe not exactly, but in the end, we find that Asher as an individual and community of people received many great blessings from God. Having received a blessing, they were expected to obey the Lord’s commands. In this they sometimes succeeded and sometimes failed. We, too, have been blessed by God and the Lord expects us to obey His commands. Just as Asher received a prophetic blessing from Jacob, God’s children have received this promise for plans to give us hope and a future. No we cannot buy our way to health, wealth, happiness and success. The way to happiness is not in being set free from what is difficult and hard but in having the right attitude and identity outside ourselves that submits to taking God’s advice for living. Being happy is a corporate reality.

Pray we have the Bible’s happiness in us. Pray
we have the special honor of seeing our children and those who are connected to us be a source of blessing for others. Pray we respond to God’s call. Pray we have a contrite heart before God. Pray we are not strangers to God’s covenants. Pray we discover the happiness in fellowship with other Christians.
Pray that we commit to be holy over happy. Pray our faith is renewed each day. Pray our love grows. Pray we realize that what God has ordained in heaven will become reality here on earth…it is just a matter of time.

Blessings,

John Lawson