Have you ever wondered where to find the path to a blessed life?
The two-fold secret is outlined in this Psalm: “PRAISE the LORD! Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, Who delights greatly in His commandments.” (Ps 112:1, NKJV)
As outlined above, the first step is to fear God, and the second is to delight ourselves greatly in God’s commandments.
But just what, exactly, does this entail?
Basically, fearing God is to honor and respect Him, to give Him the awe that He deserves. Though we’ve heard many sermons preached on this, it isn’t an easy concept to comprehend; but I would like to suggest that Ps 112 also gives us a clue as to how to fear God: by delighting ourselves greatly in His Commandments!
And just how do we delight ourselves greatly in His commandments? The Complete Jewish Bible* uses the Hebrew word “Mitzvoth” in place of the English word “commands:” “How happy is anyone who fears Adonai, who greatly delights in his mitzvoth…” (Ps 112:1, CJB). When you look up the definition of “Mitzvoth,” you see that though it is translated literally as “command,” or “commandment,” a broader definition of this Hebrew word is: “general principle for living, good deed.”*
Thus, keeping God’s commands is more than keeping 10 little rules given to us in the Old Testament (Ex. 20). It is more than keeping God’s two commandments of the New Testament (Matt. 22:37-40). It is keeping God’s general principles for living! It is participating in good deeds!
Will this “blessed life” really bring us happiness?
It’s interesting that this is exactly how the CJB translates this verse: “How happy is anyone who fears Adonai…” Thus, fearing God and taking pleasure in His general principles for living will not only bring us blessing, but will also bring us happiness! It’s a win/win situation!
There are some out there who have already tried this, however. You already awe and respect God, and you feel that you already keep His commandments; nonetheless, you continue to feel that the promised happiness eludes you.
I found myself in this place this morning. I wasn’t experiencing peace, yet I was unaware of any part of my life where I was purposefully living outside of God’s will. I came to my prayer closet, Bible in hand, and was I ever surprised when I was overcome with the idea that I needed to read Jude. It was while reading this little book that God began to reveal to me that I had let an element of compromise into my spirit, and now this demon was wreaking havoc.
I wasn’t sure what God was referring to, but when He then directed me to Exodus 32, the story of the Golden Calf, I realized that God was very, very serious. I prayed, and God immediately brought to my memory something that had happened two days earlier, and how I had been tempted to contemplate sin. With this memory came the realization that I had begun to routinely contemplate this particular sin in many areas of my life. I renounced this and put it under the blood of Jesus. Happiness and peace immediately flooded my heart.
I urge each of you to spend some time soul-searching. Before you open your Bible, ask God to open your heart to His Spirit. Ask Him to tell you where to go in your Bible, and when you go there, believe that there is a message there for you. If you don’t immediately see it, pray and ask God to reveal it to you. Read it over again and meditate upon it until God begins to reveal what part of your life still needs to be surrendered to Him, or where you are at risk of stumbling. Then be prepared to submit this part of your life to Him, for when you do, you will have found the key to happiness and peace and blessing: Fearing God and keeping His general principles of right living!
In His love,
Lyn
Lynona Gordon Chaffart, Speech-Language Pathologist, mother of two, Author — “Aboard God’s Train — A Journey With God Through the Valley of Cancer”, Author and Moderator for The Nugget, a tri-weekly internet newsletter, and Scriptural Nuggets, a website devoted to Christian devotionals and inspirational poems, with Answers2Prayer Ministries. Follow Lyn on Twitter @lynchaffart.
* The Complete Jewish Bible, Jewish New Testament Publications, Inc, Clarksville, Maryland, 1998 by David H. Stern, p. 1583