Transcript

Podcast Introduction

Today is Psalms Wednesday. We’ll read chapters 128-130. I do have an on this date in church history for you. I’m calling today’s episode “It’s More Than Happy.”  

Comments on Psalm 128

Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord, who walks in his ways!

Psalm 128:1 ESV

I don’t think we’ve ever really talked much about what it is to be blessed. “Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord, who walks in his ways!” What does that actually mean? I mean, that’s a pretty inclusive statement, right? “Blessed is everyone…” 

You’ve probably heard that “blessed” means “happy.” But just in my own experience, I can tell you that I have not been, nor am I always now “happy.” The human experience is never one of continual happiness. Is it? All of us have times of trial, tragedy and heartbreak. Whether or not we fear the Lord and walk in His ways. Look at Job! He feared the Lord and walked in His ways. I can’t think of any point in the first 41 chapters out of 42 that we can say, “Yes, Job should be happy now.”

So to be blessed must mean more than “happy.” But wait. Maybe we need to look at the definition of “happy.” 

* The Cambridge Dictionary: feeling, showing, or causing pleasure or satisfaction:

* Merriam-Webster: favored by luck or fortune; enjoying or characterized by well-being and contentment; GLAD, PLEASED

* Dictionary.com: delighted, pleased, or glad, as over a particular thing; to feel joy; be glad; rejoice.

So to be happy is more than just a light, giddy, feeling that comes as a result of some sort of event. A recent event in my life that made me happy was the birth of my latest grandchild. When Penny was born, I was happy that she and her mom was healthy and doing well. It makes me happy when a ls fam member sends an email or comments on the show notes page. 

But life is not just about those moments, is it? We all have times of loss, illness, disappointments. And in those times, happiness flees. 

But this verse says, “Blessed IS…” 

IS conveys the meaning of a *constancy*. An enduring state. When God appeared to Moses in the burning bush, Moses said to God, ““Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?”, God said, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you’” AM is a form of the word IS. In a very simplified way, God was saying that no matter when or where, He is there. 

“Blessed IS…”

So how can we be blessed no matter when or where? 

The Greek word *makarios” is translated as “blessed”. It means fortunate, happy, enlarged or lengthy. And it is used in connection to the kind of happiness that comes when we receive favor from God. So *makarios” can mean “favored.” In Luke 1 we are told that Mary, the mother of Jesus was “blessed among women.” She was favored by God.

Jesus used the word “blessed” many times in the Beatitudes in the Sermon on the Mount.

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

Matthew 5:3-11 ESV

These are not things that usually bring happiness, are they? What Jesus was describing was something much deeper. It was a spiritual state of well-being and even prosperity…a deep, joy-filled contentment that cannot be shaken by outward circumstances, because God is with us through them, and He blesses us in those times.

“Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord, who walks in his ways!” When we are walking with God, when we honor Him for who He is in all circumstances, He favors us with a fully satisfied soul. David wrote in Psalm 63:1-5,

“O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory. Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands.”

Psalm 63:1-5 ESV

Oh beloved, to walk with God and receive this kind a blessing is so much more than happiness! No matter our circumstance, to have a fully satisfied soul in the peaks *and* valleys of life is something that is worth more than gold. To know that God’s favor rests on you brings a joy and a peace and a contentment that cannot be taken away. 

I pray that you know this blessing, beloved. 

Today’s Bible Translation

Bible translation used in today’s episode: Ch. 128-130 ESV

Support

This a value for value podcast. There are no advertisers because advertising=censorship. If you enjoy the Lifespring Family Audio Bible, decide how much value it brings to you. Only you can make that determination. Then put a number on the value and send it to me here: SUPPORT.

Transcript

Download .txt file.

STEVE WEBB – 0:00
Yeah, he should be happy right now.

INTRO S12E308 – 0:10
Coming to you from Riverside, California, this is the Lifespring Family Audio Bible. Podcasting since 2004, I’m your OG Godcaster, Steve Webb. This is the daily show where we’re reading through the entire Bible in a year. Today is Psalms Wednesday. We’ll read Psalms 128 through 130. I’ll have a brief introduction before each Psalm and then I’ll have some comments after the reading, and I’m calling today’s episode, “It’s More Than Happy”. The show notes page for today’s episode is at lifespringmedia.com/s12e308. And my email address is st***@*************ia.com. Let’s begin.

INTRO TO PSALM 128 – 0:47
Psalm 128 is one of the fifteen Songs of Ascent which were sung by those who were making the journey to Jerusalem during one of the three feasts: Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles.

PSALM 128 (ESV) – 1:00
Psalms, chapter 128.

(1) Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord,
who walks in his ways!
(2) You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands;
you shall be blessed, and it shall be well with you.
(3) Your wife will be like a fruitful vine
within your house;
your children will be like olive shoots
around your table.
(4) Behold, thus shall the man be blessed
who fears the Lord.
(5) The Lord bless you from Zion!
May you see the prosperity of Jerusalem
all the days of your life!
(6) May you see your children’s children!
Peace be upon Israel!

INTRO TO PSALM 129 – 1:36
Psalm 129 is another Song of Ascent and commentator Derek Kidner wrote of this one, “Whereas most nations tend to look back on what they’ve achieved, Israel reflects here on what she has survived. It could be a disheartening exercise, for Zion still has its ill-wishers. But the singers take courage from the past, facing God with gratitude and their enemies with defiance.”

PSALM 129 (ESV) – 2:03
Psalms, chapter 129.

(1) “Greatly have they afflicted me from my youth”—
let Israel now say—
(2) “Greatly have they afflicted me from my youth,
yet they have not prevailed against me.
(3) The plowers plowed upon my back;
they made long their furrows.”
(4) The Lord is righteous;
he has cut the cords of the wicked.
(5) May all who hate Zion
be put to shame and turned backward!
(6) Let them be like the grass on the housetops,
which withers before it grows up,
(7) with which the reaper does not fill his hand
nor the binder of sheaves his arms,
(8) nor do those who pass by say,
“The blessing of the Lord be upon you!
We bless you in the name of the Lord!”

INTRO TO PSALM 130 – 2:46
Psalm 130 is also another Song of Ascent. And this one begins with a remembrance of God’s rescue from the darkness of guilt, and then it rises a step at a time to a place of encouraging a trust in God. This is one of the seven penitential songs, the others being Psalm 6, 32, 38, 51, 102 and 143. These are psalms that speak of sin and the assurance of forgiveness. James Montgomery Boice wrote of this one,

“On the afternoon of that same day, which his heart was strangely warmed, and he truly trusted in Jesus for salvation, John Wesley attended a Vespers service at St. Paul’s Cathedral. In the course of which Psalm 130 was sung as an anthem. Wesley was greatly moved by the anthem and it became one of the means God used to open his heart to the gospel of salvation.”

PSALM 130 (ESV) – 3:41
Psalms, chapter 130.

(1) Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord!
(2) O Lord, hear my voice!
Let your ears be attentive
to the voice of my pleas for mercy!
(3) If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities,
O Lord, who could stand?
(4) But with you there is forgiveness,
that you may be feared.
(5) I wait for the Lord, my soul waits,
and in his word I hope;
(6) my soul waits for the Lord
more than watchmen for the morning,
more than watchmen for the morning.
(7) O Israel, hope in the Lord!
For with the Lord there is steadfast love,
and with him is plentiful redemption.
(8) And he will redeem Israel
from all his iniquities.

COMMENTS – 4:26
Well, Beloved, let’s talk for a bit about Psalm 128. Verse 1 says, “Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord, who walks in his ways!” You know, I don’t think I’ve ever really talked much about what it is to be blessed. The verse said, “Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord, who walks in his ways.” Well, what does that actually mean? I mean, that’s a pretty inclusive statement, right? Blessed is everyone.

Well, you’ve probably heard that blessed means happy, but just in my own experience, I can tell you that I have not been, nor am I always, now, happy? The human experience is never one of continual happiness, is it? I mean, all of us have times of trial, tragedy and heartbreak whether or not we fear the Lord and walk in his ways. Perfect example is Job. He feared the Lord and walked in his ways, but I can’t think of any point in the first 41 out of 42 chapters that we could say, “Yeah, he should be happy right now.”

So to be blessed must mean more than to just be happy. But wait a minute, maybe we need to look at the definition of happy. Well, the Cambridge dictionary definition of happy is “feeling, showing or causing pleasure or satisfaction”. Merriam-Webster says, “favored by luck or fortune; enjoying or characterized by well-being and contentment, glad or pleased.” Okay. And let’s do one more. Dictionary.com says “happy” is “delighted, pleased or glad as over a particular thing, to feel joy; be glad; or rejoice.”

So from these we can say that to be happy is more than just a light, giddy feeling that comes as a result of some sort of an event, right? A recent event in my life that made me happy was the birth of my latest grandchild. When Penny was born, I was happy that she and her mom were healthy and doing well. It makes me happy when a Lifespring family member sends an email or comments on the show notes page. That makes me happy when you do that.

But life is not just about those moments, is it? We all have times of loss, the illness, disappointments, and in those times, happiness is nowhere to be found.

But the verse says, “Blessed IS…”

Now “is” conveys the meaning of constancy, an enduring state of being. When God appeared to Moses in the burning bush, Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they asked me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?” And God said, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” Well, “am” as in I AM is a form of the word “is”. In a very simplified way God was saying that no matter when or where, he is there. I am. He is. Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord and walks in his ways.

So how can we be blessed no matter when or where?

The Greek word “makarios” is translated in the New Testament as “blessed”. It means fortunate, happy, enlarged or lengthy. And it’s used in connection to the kind of happiness that comes when we receive favor from God. So you could say “makarios” can mean “favored”. In Luke 1 we’re told that Mary, the mother of Jesus was “blessed among women”. She was favored by God.

Jesus used the word “blessed” many times in the Beatitudes in the Sermon on the Mount. Let me read the Beatitudes for you, Matthew 5:3-11.

(3) Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
(4) Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
(5) Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
(6) Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
(7) Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
(8) Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
(9) Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
(10) Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
(11) Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. (12) Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Well, I think we could say that these are not things that usually bring happiness are they? What Jesus was describing was something much deeper. It was a spiritual state of well-being and even prosperity, a deep joy-filled contentment that cannot be shaken by outward circumstances because God is with us through them. And he blesses us in those times.

Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord and walks in his ways. When we’re walking with God, when we honor him for who he is, in all circumstances, he favors us with a fully satisfied soul. David wrote in Psalm 63:1-5,

(1) O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you;
my soul thirsts for you;
my flesh faints for you,
as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.
(2) So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary,
beholding your power and glory.
(3) Because your steadfast love is better than life,
my lips will praise you.
(4) So I will bless you as long as I live;
in your name I will lift up my hands.

Oh, Beloved, to walk with God and receive this kind of blessing is so much more than happiness. No matter our circumstance to have a fully satisfied soul in the peaks and valleys of life is something that is worth so much more than gold. To know that God’s favor rests on you brings a joy and a peace and a contentment that cannot be taken away. I pray that you know, this kind of blessing, Beloved.

What do you think? Do you have thoughts on this? Go on over to lifespringmedia.com/s12e308 and let me know your thoughts. Tomorrow is Poetry Thursday, and we’ll read Ecclesiastes 5 and 6.

Boost!

DISTINGUISHED PRODUCER SHOUT-OUT – 11:04
Our Distinguished Producer today is Lifespring Family Berean, Brother Paul of Seattle, who came in with his monthly $20 donation. Thank you, Brother Paul. You know, I appreciate you. Thank you so much.

And hey, I’m sorry about the problems with the show not downloading on Monday, the Fourth of July, Independence Day. I wasn’t aware that it wasn’t working until mid-morning when I saw an email come in from Brother Paul of Seattle a couple of hours earlier. The Lovely Lady LeeAnn and I were working around the house preparing for the get-together we were having for family here to celebrate Independence Day, so I hadn’t checked my email like I normally do first thing in the morning. Well, when I got that email from Brother Paul, I quickly fixed the problem. But for some reason the fix didn’t stick when I did it. Well, that afternoon, I got an email from Sean of San Pedro saying that he couldn’t download the show. And that’s when I found out that there was still a problem. Well I finally got the fix to stick at that point. So if you gave up on trying to get the show on July 4th, please rest assured that it is now working and you can listen to it. And please know that when you have a problem, it isn’t a bother if you sent me an email saying, “Hey, Steve, I can’t get it.” I honestly do welcome those emails.

ON THIS DATE IN CHURCH HISTORY – 12:20
On this date in church history, July 6, the year 1054, the medieval church suffered a permanent fracture when the four Eastern Patriarchates, Constantinople, Alexandria, Jerusalem and Antioch broke fellowship with a Western patriarchate in Rome, marking the beginning of the Great Schism between the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches.

And on this date in church history, July 6, 1905, Harold J. Ockenga was born. He was the American Congregational minister and Evangelical leader who served as the first President of the National Association of Evangelicals. And he was co-founder of Fuller Theological Seminary right here in California. It’s in Pasadena just 57 miles west of me.

CLOSING PRAYER – 13:18
Let’s pray. Our loving heavenly Father, oh Lord, we do praise you and we worship you. We do want to walk in your way and we hunger and we thirst for your blessing which you freely and abundantly lavish on us when we have placed our trust in Jesus as our Savior. We’re so thankful Lord, for the Holy Spirit who lives in us and comforts us in times of trial. I can think of no better place to be than in your loving hand. Hallelujah, Lord. If there are any listening right now who don’t know Jesus is the Lord and Savior, I pray that you would soften their heart and open their eyes, and that they would accept him now and experience your blessing. I pray this in Jesus name, amen.

If you have a prayer request or a praise that you’d like to share with the Lifespring family, please do go to prayer.lifespringmedia.com.

OUTRO S12E308 – 14:16
I’d like to hear your comments on the show today. What do you think about blessing? Let me know at lifespringmedia.com/s12e308. Or send me an email at st***@*************ia.com. Thanks to Kirsty, Sean of San Pedro and Denise. They’re the team that helped me to get everything together for the show. Kirsty sends out the newsletter. Sean of San Pedro does the chapters that you can see on one of those new Podcasting 2.0 apps that you can get at newpodcastapps.com. And Denise corrects the transcripts that I get from Otter AI. I post transcripts on every show notes page and it takes a day or two for Denise to get the corrected transcripts done and I post them there, but transcripts are available as soon as the show’s published. And most Podcasting 2.0 podcast apps show transcripts as well. Thank you, Beloved, for inviting me into your life today. It truly is a joy to be a part of your life. Support the show, if you would, at lifespringmedia.com/support.

And until tomorrow, may God bless you and I mean that in the richest sense. May he bless you richly. My name is Steve Webb, I’ll see you tomorrow.

Bye.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai
Corrected by Denise