“Blessed is the man” in Psalm 1. The blessed, or happy man negatively lives in a world such as ours and with a nature such as ours, no small part of religion consists in avoiding evil. A negative religion is not sufficient, God’s Word is, “Cease to do evil, learn to do well.” A man may “not swear,” but does he “pray”? He may not rob, but does he relieve the poor? Therefore we have the blessed man described.” William Jay says, “His delight is in the Lord, day and night our thoughts ever follow our affections.” A greater loss in ourselves and the consciousness of God’s love to us can make us happy. Many people go through life from childhood to youth, from youth to manhood, from manhood to aged, and the lines of care deepen in their faces, the silver bell of happiness never rings out in their life, because all the while they are getting further from God, and there is no consciousness of that Divine Love which alone can give perfect happiness and peace to the human heart. “O the happiness of that man!” If ever a man pursued happiness under the most favorable conditions it was King Solomon; yet this was his conclusion of the whole matter, “Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.” Quaintly John Trapp said, “The Psalmist hath said here more to the point respecting happiness than all the philosophers; for while they beat the bush, he hath put the bird into our hand.” The happy man possesses a right estimate of the importance of the Word of God. The outcome of this happy life is fruitfulness. “Like a tree” his life is rooted well, its leaf shall not wither. The leaf shows the character of the tree. The man whose soul is full of the truth and righteousness of Christ need not be saying perpetually, “I am a Christian,” for his walk and conversation declare it. He bringeth forth fruit in his season. We shall be ever doing good as we have opportunity. There is a very beautiful story told of a king who, when he came to his throne a young man, had a silver bell made and placed in a high tower of his palace. Then the announcement was set forth that whenever the king was happy his subjects would know it by the ringing of this bell. It was never to be rung except when the king was perfectly happy, and then by no hand but his own, days passed into weeks, and weeks into months, and months into years; but no sound of the bell rang out either day or night to tell that the king was happy. At last the king, grown old and grey in his palace, lay on his death bed. His weeping subjects gathered around him; and then he was happy, and in his joy, with dying hands, he rang out the silver bell: how many years of wasted happiness because the king did not come to know and appreciate the love of his people. The story may suggest to us a still greater loss in ourselves. Only the consciousness of God’s love can make us perfectly happy. “He so loved us that He gave His life for us.” ~~Terry Worthan, 1938-2022
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