God loves us and wants us to be truly happy. Just read Psalm 128. It tells us how to be happy in Him and some of the tangible things that He gives us along the happy path of life.

Verse 1 says “Everyone who honors the LORD, who walks in God’s ways, is truly happy.”(Common English Version)

Happiness begins with honoring the LORD and walking in His ways. I like this version of the Bible, CEV. I believe that God loves us and wants us to be happy, and twice in the first two verses the Psalmist uses the word happy. This Psalm also uses the words bless and blessed, which in the Old Testament mean the happy condition of those who revere the Lord and do his will and put their trust in him and live under the guardianship and faithful care of the gracious Lord of life.

Verse 2 says “You will definitely enjoy what you’ve worked hard for – you’ll be happy; and things will go well for you.”

We enjoy life when we are able to eat the fruit of our labors. Most of the O.T. people lived in an agricultural society and they depended on the goodness of God to have good harvests. In Deuteronomy, Moses gave a list of blessings and curses. He said that if you obey God, you will have good harvests, but if you disobey his commands, then he will not send the rains to make the crops grow, or he will send locusts to eat the crops or enemies to take the food away.

A few years ago, our family went from Mexico, where we live, to Colorado, to visit my family. They live in an agricultural area where lots of wheat and corn are grown. One day they had a big hail storm. The next day we went for a drive and saw that many of the crops in large fields had been destroyed. The farmers who owned those fields were not able to enjoy the fruits of their labors. How sad to work hard for something and then not get the reward for the labor put in. How happy we are when see and enjoy the benefits of our investment of time and hard work.

Verse 3 says “In your house, your wife will be like a vine full of fruit. All around your table, your children will be like olive trees, freshly planted.”

Nothing God has given me brings me more pleasure and joy than my wife and children.

Verse 4 says “That’s how it goes for anyone who honors the LORD: they will be blessed!”

Another way to put it is that God loves us so much that if we honor Him we will receive blessings galore!

Verse 5 says “May the LORD bless you from Zion. May you experience Jerusalems goodness your whole life long.

The person who enjoys a happy life will be blessed by God from mount Zion, from Jerusalem. Before verse one of this Psalm, we read that it is a song of accent. This was a song that people would sing as they made their way up to Jerusalem to attend the three great festivals that God commanded the people to attend each year. They would go to Jerusalem and offer sacrifices at the temple. God’s presence was most powerful in the temple. That was the House of God. The idea was that from there his power radiated out to the city of Jerusalem, then to the region of Judah, then to all Israel, and then to the whole world. So any blessings that people received from God came initially from the temple. People were especially blessed by God when they worshiped him at the temple in Jerusalem. And they would see and experience the well being of God no matter where they lived as the blessings of God would flow to them from Mount Zion. Jesus is now the temple and rich gifts like grace, mercy and joy flow from His love out into the whole world.

What encouraging and inspiring words from Psalm 128. Surely we live in a “happy condition” because we are able to trust in the LORD and live under his faithful care. Our natural response is to honor him, walk in his ways and be truly happy.

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