Psalm 1

1 Blessed (straight, honest or shown favor) is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners (morally bankrupt) , nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.(scoffers)

2 But his delight is in the law (Torah) of the Lord; and in his law (Torah) doth he meditate day and night.

3 And he shall be like a tree (upright, moral, strong) planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf (countenance) also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

4 The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff (unneeded portion) which the wind driveth away.

5 Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment (the place of privilege), nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.

6 For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish. (be completely destroyed)

The statement was made by a preacher that the word “blessed” is defined here is synonymous with the word happy. The human being will find happiness in life by focusing on the Word of God (v.2). The pastor went on to say that people were drawn to Jesus because of His happiness and that he couldn’t imagine a time when Jesus did not display this happiness.

Being foremost a literalist when it comes to the written word, moreover, the ancient texts were scribed purposefully. They used words specifically to address and identify distinct groups based on tribal, clan or family membership.

Webster’s defines the following……

joy : the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune or by the prospect of possessing what one desires

happiness: the state of being happy, a pleasurable or satisfying experience

blessed: having a sacred nature, connected with God, held in reverence

Being designed by God solely for the purpose of relationship, the only way I can possess true joy is to fulfill that purpose. Being outside of his design, unaware of what joy is, one must seek happiness to avoid anger, hatred, depression and suicide.

About Jesus being a beacon of happiness, in considering this I will admit to a bit of a bristle. I retracted it, the bristle, almost as fast as I did it, in that, he would have the radiance of God’s glory as it says in Hebrews and thus people could see his joy (relationship).

In defense of the bristle I called to mind the righteous anger when he cleared the temple, and the sorrow of Lazarus death and the grieving in the Garden.

In a comedic vain I can see him rolling his eyes in disbelief when they woke Him to calm the storm. I can almost hear him say “really guys it’s a little rain!”

To my point:

1. I believe it is possible to possess joy independent of happiness.

2. I believe real happiness cannot be found without the source of joy.

3. The pursuit of happiness absent of joy is the single most contributing factor to the demise of humanity.

4. We were designed for relationship and when we live antithetical to our design we cause unhappiness, strife and discord.