Ya’ oughta just be happy yore gettin’ a chance fer sumpin’ special. Thar ain’t no guarantees ’bout nuthin’ in this hyar life.”
–B.N. Rundell (To the Cache La Poudre)
“The Lord your God is in your midst, A victorious warrior. He will rejoice over you with joy, He will be quiet in His love, He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy.”
–Zephaniah 3:17(NASB)
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“If you’re happy and you know it — clap your hands…!” Remember the old Sunday School song? Jesus is teaching us in the Beatitudes what true happiness is. Remember, “blessed” means more than just ‘happiness.” William Barclay tells us, “Blessed describes that joy which has its secret within itself, that joy which is serene and untouchable, and self-contained, that joy which is completely independent of all the chances and changes of life.”
Man seeks to fill the void in his soul far too often with superficial happiness. Man strives to find happiness in external worldly things–but whether he wants to acknowledge it or not he has a soul, he is a spiritual being destined for eternity. Thomas Watson says, “The soul is a spiritual thing; riches are of an earthly extract–how can these fill a spiritual substance?”
There are a couple of translations that help in understanding “blessed.” Since we have seen that it is hard to define with one word these two translations help in our understanding.
“Happy, to be envied, and spiritually prosperous–with life-joy and satisfaction in God’s favor and salvation, regardless of their outward conditions.” –Amplified
“Blessed, that is, fortunate–fully satisfied–joyful and spiritual prosperous.” –Henry A. Harbuck
Thomas Aquinas calls being blessed the “ultimate end.” To be blessed then is to be fully satisfied in the spiritual state. The term “occurs when someone is indwelt by Christ and the Holy Spirit, because the light of God has come.” (Harbuck)
The things of and in the world: material goods, riches, wealth, power, fame, etc. can only bring temporary happiness but not true blessedness. Man seeks happiness but blessedness eludes him. “Blessedness is the perfection of a rational creature. It is the whetstone of his ambition, the flower of his joy. Blessedness is the desire of all men.” (Watson) This blessedness given by the indwelling Spirit is the declaration of what is truly the best kind of life to live.
In the coming weeks, as we study the Beatitudes it is important to keep the meaning of blessedness in mind. This blessedness, this joy cannot be taken away by the world; therefore, a gloomy Christian is unthinkable! This blessedness–“the joy and fortune for the believer are found in Christ” (Edward A. Starks) And think–the fullness of blessedness lies in the future. We only have a touch, a fragment of it now.
Come on then, “If you’re blessed and you know it — clap your hands…. If you’re blessed and you know it — stomp your feet”!