The Way of Happiness

Everyone wants to live a happy life. Every one of us has this innate desire to experience contentment, satisfaction and fulfillment in life.  And this desire is wired into the very soul of our existence.  It’s even recorded in The Declaration of Independence: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. But here’s our problem.  Our world is full of competing ideas as to where we can find true happiness.  All of our lives we’ve heard messages from parents, teachers, advertisers, authors, artists, athletes and actors who have tried to convince us that they know which road we must travel to find happiness. Just listen to some of the ways we’ve been told to can find happiness:

“Learn to let go. This is the key to happiness.” Buddha

“Optimism is a happiness magnet.  If you stay positive, good things and good people will be drawn to you.”Mary Lou Retton

“Choosing to be grateful earns you happiness.”  Dennis Prager

“If you want to live a happy life tie it to a goal, not to people or things.” Albert Einstein

“Happiness consists of living each day as if it were the first day of your honeymoon and the last day of your vacation.” Leo Tolstoy

Obviously, there’s some truth in these sayings. But as helpful as these may be, none of them truly deliver the happiness our souls crave.  But here’s the good news.  God’s Word does lay out a path that promises to give us the happiness we long for. And that path is revealed to us by David as he introduces the book of Psalms.  So, if you’re keen on learning God’s way to happiness, let me encourage you to open your Bible to Psalm One, where David contrasts God’s way with the way of happiness offered to us by the wicked. Let me read this passage for us and then let’s begin to unpack it together.  David writes: Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners take or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on His law, he meditates day and night. Psalm 1:1-2

That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers. Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away.  Psalm 1:3-4

Therefore, the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.  For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to destruction. Psalm 1:5-6

Now, before we look at the way to true happiness, let me unpack the promise revealed to us in this first word: “Blessed” To be blessed means to be supremely happy or fulfilled. But the way it is proposed to us here has a twist.  For to be blessed, according to God’s Word, is not something you or I can do for ourselves. We can’t produce this state of happiness. To be blessed according to God’s Word is to be the recipient of His blessing. In other words, being blessed is something God wants to give you.  He wants to pour out His abundant goodness and grace to you. He wants to multiply His blessings in your life, but there’s a catch.

Here’s the catch: If you choose to walk in the ways of the wicked, you will hinder the blessings God wants to give you. So, the way to experience true happiness begins with a warning to understand the ways of the wicked.

Avoid the Ways of the Wicked: Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners take or sit in the seat of mockers.  Psalm 1:1

• Don’t walk with the wicked

Who are the wicked?  Well, David gives us a description of them in verse 4.  He says, they are like chaff that the wind blows away. Chaff describes an empty, useless life – useless to God and useless to others. The word picture God uses here was familiar to David and his contemporaries. Every harvest they saw the grain being threshed and winnowed on the local threshing floor situated on some open, elevated site. During the winnowing, the grain that was still mixed with broken straw and husks was thrown into the wind. The wind blew away the useless chaff.

So, chaff pictures what is rootless, weightless… and useless.  This may not be who you think of when you hear the term wicked.  But chaff describes people who have no spiritual roots, no spiritual foundation, or substance. They lack anything of God that gives meaning to their existence. They care not for the things of God and have little interest in allowing God to give direction to their lives.

So, David says, “do not walk in their counsel.”  Don’t listen to their advice. They have no substance of God’s Word in their lives, so they have nothing to say to you about true happiness.  Their counsel is empty, useless and ungodly.

Where might we identify this kind of counsel today?  One source comes through advertisers – those 30 second images and or sound bites designed to get you to buy into an empty path of happiness. Eat at MacDonald’s and you’ll be loving it.  Drink coke and you’ll choose happiness.  Fly West Jet, and you’ll feed the homeless.  Use Lysol and you’ll protect like a mother.

This is also the counsel that comes through media – television and movies.  Think of how the power of media over the last 40 years has embraced the lie that promiscuity apart from marriage will make you happy.  Media pushes cohabitation before marriage, telling us that living together is like taking a car a test drive. If you don’t like it, try a different one.  And couple that with the legalization of abortion, of no-fault divorce, and the advent of apps like Tinder that promote a lifestyle of hooking up – this godless approach to finding happiness has been wreaking havoc in our society –  making a mockery of marriage, devaluing women, and destroying the life of the unborn – all in the name of the pursuit of happiness.  This is the counsel of the wicked.

We need to be careful who we are listening too, or like frogs in the kettle, little by little, we will be drawn away from the right path God intends for us to walk. That’s the first warning:  Don’t walk with the wicked.  Here’s the second:

• Don’t stand with sinners

This term sinners speaks of a chosen lifestyle – a way of life.  Sinners are not just those who commit an occasional sin.  Sinners are those who allow their lives to be dominated and shaped by their sinfulness. They identify with their sinfulness and want you to approve of their actions and affirm their lifestyle.

At the core of their being, sinners stand on the opposite side of God’s will. Instead of taking a stand for God, they take their stand with those who oppose God.  Pursuing sin is their chosen path for happiness, and sinners become their partners on this path.

So, even though God calls us to love those who oppose Him, we need to be careful of hanging out with this crowd.  Because they will try to pull you away from the path of righteousness by dragging you down to their level.  Their endgame is to get you to defy God’s will with them.

Now, where do we see this lifestyle of opposing God at work today?  This where most of the LGBTQ community stands.  They refuse to affirm how God made them and now want you to affirm their lifestyle.  They don’t see their lifestyle as sinful. Instead, they openly oppose God’s will, and vilify you if you don’t agree with them.  And the Psalmist warns us: if you’re standing with those who openly oppose God, you’re heading down the wrong path in life: you won’t find happiness.  You’ll only find ruin.  That’s the second warning: Don’t stand with sinners.  Here’s the third:

Don’t sit with fools “mockers” describes the self-sufficient who pridefully say, “I don’t need God; I will live my life my way.” Mockers laugh at and look down on those who live for God. They don’t just oppose God but are openly hostile to God and anyone who claims to follow Him.

This warning calls us to not get cozy with those who hate God and despise God’s people.  Now you can try to love them and reason with them.  But those who are openly hostile to God won’t reason with you, and they are not going to listen to you. For they refuse to believe in God.  So be careful to not throw your lot in with them. You may care about them, but they will not care for you.  For they see themselves at war with you because you follow God.  Listen to how Asaph describes this category of the wicked in Psalm 73, Pride is their necklace; violence covers them as a garment.

Their eyes swell out through fatness; their hearts overflow with follies.
They scoff and speak with malice; loftily they threaten oppression.
They set their mouths against the heavens, and their tongue struts through the earth. Psalm 73:6-9

There will always be people who want little to do with God, who stand opposed to God and who are openly hostile to God.  And God wants us to know, you will not find happiness if you throw your lot in with them.  God does not want you to be deceived.  He wants you to see wickedness for what it is.  It’s empty, it’s rebellious and dangerous for anyone who seeks to walk the path their way of life offers.

Okay, so if we are to avoid the ways of the wicked, what way should we take?  That’s what David reveals next.  He calls us to Pursue the Ways of God  But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on His law, he meditates day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers. Psalm 1:2-3 David spells out two ways we can put ourselves on the path to happiness.

The first has to do with our attitude towards God’s Word.  He calls us to Delight in God’s revelation   In contrasting the way of the wicked with the way of the righteous, David describes the heart that follows God’s path: But his delight is in the law of the Lord.  The Hebrew term for the law of the Lord is The Torah.  The torah is the general word for any revelation that comes from God.  So, what David is describing is the pure joy in one’s heart, that God has revealed Himself to us through His Word.

I get this.  The greatest thing about receiving the mercy of Jesus Christ, is that Jesus brings you into a relationship with God. Jesus makes the Father known to us.  His greatness, goodness and love are no longer theological concepts, but living realities. This is what your heart was made for.  You were made to know God and be known by God.  And once you realize God has come to reveal Himself to you through His Son, Jesus, there’s nothing better.  There’s just something in us that explodes in delight knowing that you are loved by the very One who created you.  And once you realize God has revealed His heart to you in His Word, well, what could be better?

For now, when you open God’s Word, you get a private audience with the author and creator of life.  He reveals His will for your life. He reveals His way to love.  He has His truth sets you free. No more trying to figure out life on your own.  No more looking to others to give you meaning or purpose in life. Having God’s Word is like being given a map to all the treasures of life. It’s a love letter from God. It’s food for the soul.  A light to our path.  Who wouldn’t take great delight in that?

The path to happiness begins here: By delighting in the treasure of God’s revelation to us.  But it doesn’t end there.  We don’t just relish this gift – we get to do something with it that will pour happiness into our lives.  And what’s that? We are too…

 Meditate on God’s instructions “and on His law he meditates day and night.”

To meditate on God’s Word is to simply chew on it, stew on it, and digest it until it becomes part of who you are.  To meditate means “to think over something by talking to oneself.”  This is not just “doing your morning devotions.”  It’s taking the time to carefully ponder and weigh the truths of God’s Word throughout the course of your everyday life, so you’ll begin to understand how to apply it to your everyday life.  And what will happen if we do this?  Listen to Joshua’s promise, This book of instruction must not depart from your mouth; you are to meditate on it day and night so that you may carefully observe everything written in it. For then you will prosper and succeed in whatever you do. Joshua 1:8

If there’s one application from this passage today, it’s this: that we recapture the practice of meditation.  Rather, then allowing ourselves to be constantly distracted by social media, television, or always occupying our days with pickle ball, mahjong, golf or whatever else may be your passion – why not rediscover the art of meditating on God’s Word.  Write out a truth about God and think about what it means to you, and do it all day, until it comes to mind without thinking.  Meditate on who God is until it becomes part of you. Or read the same book of the Bible every day for a week. When I was a new Christian at Western Baptist College, we read the book of Romans every week for six weeks, each week in a different version. This was life changing. God’s Word came alive for me.  It gave me joy, purpose, meaning.

Think of what a difference it can make, if you start meditating on God’s Word.  Don’t just rely on your Pastor’s teaching.  Don’t just rely on your devotional reading. Chew on God’s Word until it becomes part of you and see what happens IN you. And what might happen in you?  David tells us: That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers. Psalm 1:3

I don’t know about you, but wouldn’t you like to be “that person?”  This is a beautiful word picture of “a thriving life.”  A tree planted by streams of water is a symbol of prosperity.  Not prosperity like great wealth and possession, but a prosperity of the soul: a soul that thrives, a soul that bears fruit, a soul that never dries up. This is what God wants for you. He wants you thrive.  He wants to produce His fruit in you.  The fruit of the Spirit: of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.  Blessed is the person who delights and meditates on God’s Word!

David says that such a person is like a tree “planted” by streams of water.  This is the picture of God blessing us with life, well-being and satisfaction with His living water.  It’s how British Theologian Peter Craigie describes God’s blessing to us. He says: “The state of blessedness of happiness is not a reward; rather, it is the result of a particular type of life. Just as a tree with a constant water supply naturally flourishes, so too the person who avoids evil and delights in Torah naturally prospers, for such a person is living within the guidelines set down by the Creator. Thus, the prosperity of the righteous reflects the wisdom of a life lived according to the plan of the Giver of Life.”

This is the way to happiness.  God didn’t just leave us here to figure out the way to happiness on our own. He’s given us access to the way of life He created us to enjoy.  And it’s all found in His love letter to us.  You can know happiness with God, if you delight in His Word and meditate on its truths.    

That’s the choice David lays before us.  Everyone wants to be happy.  But most think they can find happiness in what the world offers us.  But God doesn’t want you to be deceived.  He lays the choice before us.  You can choose the way of the wicked, or the way of the righteous.  And David writes this psalm in hopes that you will chose wisely.

Choose the Way of the Righteous Look at how he concludes this Psalm:  Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away. Therefore, the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to destruction. Psalm 1:4-6 Choosing the way of the wicked leads to nothing.  The way of the wicked is like chaff, empty, meaningless and useless.

Choosing the way of the wicked leaves you with nothing to stand on before God.  You will face His wrath on the day of judgment because you stood against Him in this life.

And choosing the way of the wicked is choosing the road to ruin.  As Solomon wrote:  There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death. Prov. 14:12

But God promises to watch over the way of the righteous.  Because He knows who chooses to walk in His way.  And those who choose to walk in His way know the happiness He gives because they trust in Him.  So, let me ask you this day: What way will you follow?  Let’s pray.