HAPPY PEOPLE

Deuteronomy 33:29 KJV

Happy art thou, O Israel: who is like unto thee, O people saved by the LORD, the shield of thy help, and who is the sword of thy excellency! and thine enemies shall be found liars unto thee; and thou shalt tread upon their high places.

The old patriarchal custom was that the father would, before his death, pronounce a blessing upon his children. The blessing would also include the passing of the birthright, generally to the firstborn.

• We see Isaac do that
• We see Jacob do that

But here we see an unusual occurrence of this blessing. Before Moses died, he blessed the twelve tribes of Israel just as Jacob had blessed the twelve heads of those tribes about 500 years earlier.

It is at the end of this blessing that Moses addresses the entire nation of Israel and says to them, “Happy art thou….”

Think of this:

• Moses is about to die
• A new leader is about to be called and
• Israel is about to enter into battle

They are still in the wilderness:

• They have yet to cross the Jordan River
• They own no property
• They have no crops
• They do not know what their future holds

And yet Moses says to them, “Happy art thou…”

I can imagine somebody is saying, “Speak for yourself, Moses.”

But Moses isn’t speaking for himself; he is speaking for God.

This leads me to observe, before we break into the text, that

You can be happy.

• You don’t have to be upset
• You don’t have to be down hearted
• You don’t have to be angry
• You don’t have to be jealous
• You don’t have to be mean spirited
• You don’t have to be judgmental
• You don’t have to be crabby

You can, no matter your circumstances, happy.

Sometimes we get ourselves trapped into boxes of our own creations.

Things happen that upset us, for instance, we are not able to change the things that happened so we think we are not able to stop being upset.

The reality is that we can decide to be happy. 

Unless there is something medically wrong,

We can take steps and make choices that lead to happy.

I had a conversation with another pastor this week. He had called to ask for some help counseling a person who has, what the pastor thinks, are demonic thoughts.

I showed him three passages of Scripture to help this person. I believe they are just as useful in an effort to pursue happiness:

A. I gave him a goal

2 Corinthians 10:5  

Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

In our case, we want to be happy.

So we are going to “capture” and “cast down” every thought and everything we imagine might make us unhappy.

B. I gave him a principle

Romans 6:13  

Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.

Romans 6:16  

Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?

Romans 6:19  

I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness.

The Bible tells me that I become a servant of the things that I yield or give in to.

If I give in to thoughts that tend toward my unhappiness, I become a servant to them.

This is why people who are chronically depressed, unhappy, or angry feel like there is no hope for them.

• They are in bondage
• They feel trapped
• They believe it is hopeless

On the other hand the Bible says that we can yield to thoughts that tend to our happiness and become servants of them.

Haven’t you ever noticed that some people are always happy, you can’t get them down?

It’s not because they are wired different.

It is because they are servants of something different.

Finally,

C. I gave him an action plan

Philippians 4:8  

Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

The Bible tells me exactly what things to yield my thought life to, things that are:

• True
• Honest
• Just
• Pure
• Lovely
• Of good report
• Virtuous and
• Praiseworthy

Now, if you are in bondage to the wrong sort of thinking, does it make sense that you could become free just for deciding to be free?

No.

You are going to have to pursue it.

The man in prison, who wants to be out of prison can’t just one day walk up to the warden and say, “I have decided to be a role model to society, you can let me out now.”

If he wants out, he has to: 

• Model good behavior, 
• Perhaps appeal to a parole board and then 
• Ask for his sentence to be commuted.

If we are in servitude to bad thinking we can expect that it’s not going to let us go easily.

Here is what I suggest:

Take out a set of 3x5 cards, 

• On the first one write out a verse that you know to be true (they all are, it won’t be difficult)
• on the second, write out a verse that is honest or has to do with honesty
• On the third, Write out a verse that is just or has to do with justice
• On the fourth, write out a verse that is pure or has to do with purity

You get the idea.

Write out at least one verse for each of these subjects, and carry them with you.

The next time you start to think about something that isn’t wholesome – capture that thought, cast it down and replace it with Scripture.

Start reading, memorizing and studying those passages.

When you have mastered your eight cards, write out eight new ones.

At first you will have to make yourself do this. It won’t be natural and you won’t like it.

But before long you will discover that you aren’t thinking about things that make you: 

• angry or 
• depressed or 
• upset

You will be thinking about things that lift you up and make you feel good and bring light and joy into your life.

I dare you to try it out.

Moses said to Israel, “Happy art thou…”

You can be happy, if you will pursue it.

Then God goes on to define why they are happy. I suggest to you that these are the characteristics of the happiest people in the world.

Happy are those people:

I. WHO ARE SAVED BY THE LORD

Deuteronomy 33:29 KJV

Happy art thou, O Israel: who is like unto thee, O people saved by the LORD, …

Somebody is going to tell you that this isn’t speaking about salvation from hell.

I want to tell you that the lesson applies.

Let me show you 1 Corinthians 15:50-58 (KJV)

Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.

Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,

In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.

O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?

The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.

But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

There is no question that passage is speaking about spiritual salvation is there?

Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God

But Christ has given us the victory

So we shall be changed into immortality

Therefor we 

• Can give thanks
• Be stedfast and
• Always abound in the work of the Lord

That sounds happy to me.

Nobody can be happy like those who are saved by the Lord.

Happy are those people:

II. WHO ARE HELPED BY HIS SHIELD

Deuteronomy 33:29 KJV

Happy art thou, O Israel: who is like unto thee, O people saved by the LORD, the shield of thy help, …

Every saved person who has ever lived has lived with the realization that he or she is not perfect.

We need help.

• We need help overcoming our sin and
• We need help whenever we sin.

1 John 2:1-2 (KJV)

My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:

And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

Whenever we sin Jesus is our advocate and propitiation.

I am not stretching the Scriptures at all to say that He is our shield.

Whenever we sin:

• The devil wants to accuse us
• The world wants to condemn us and
• Our flesh wants to shame us

But Jesus steps in as our shield. He takes 

• the shame 
• the accusations and 
• the condemnation

Not only that, the Bible says, Colossians 3:3 (KJV)

For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.

We are hid with Christ. 

Whenever God looks at you and me He only sees Jesus Christ. We are hidden in Him.

He is our shield.

Happy are those people:

III. WHOSE SWORD IS GOD’S EXCELLENCY

Deuteronomy 33:29 KJV

Happy art thou, O Israel: who is like unto thee, O people saved by the LORD, the shield of thy help, and who is the sword of thy excellency! …

I want you to notice that we have two pieces of combat equipment mentioned here:

• The shield – defensive
• The sword – offensive

God is both our offense and our defense.

I am reminded that, when it comes to my salvation, it is completely in the hands of the Lord.

• I cannot defend myself
• I cannot protect and advance myself

The proactive aspects and the passive aspects of my salvation are all of God.

Since I have done nothing to gain my own salvation I can do nothing to lose my salvation.

And that makes me very happy!

Conclusion

There is a final portion of the passage I think we ought to acknowledge

Deuteronomy 33:29 KJV

Happy art thou, O Israel: who is like unto thee, O people saved by the LORD, the shield of thy help, and who is the sword of thy excellency! and thine enemies shall be found liars unto thee; and thou shalt tread upon their high places.

• Their enemies will be found to be liars
• Their honors will be trampled by the believers 
  

I am reminded of something I read this week (and mentioned in our devotional time yesterday before visitation).

In the later 1700’s there was a Baptist pastor in America named John Gano.

Gano pastored a church of about 200 but when the Revolutionary War broke out his church disbanded so the men could fight and Gano became George Washington’s personal chaplain.

The Gano family claims that John Gano baptized Washington shortly after the war was over.

There is a story about John Gano crossing a swollen river on a ferry during a bad storm.

The ferry operator was a foul man, cursing God and swearing all the way across the river.

As Gano stepped off the ferry and paid the ferry operator he said to him, “I am glad there is a hell for sinners.”

The story says that the ferry operator was stricken with conviction of his sins and a couple of weeks after, searched out Gano to learn how to be saved.

It isn’t the most pleasant thing to think about, but neither is it a horrible truth, that those who reject salvation in Christ will one day be judged for their evil.

2 Thessalonians 1:6-9 (KJV)

Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you;

And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels,

In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:

Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;

I cannot say that I am happy about it, but I can tell you that there is comfort in knowing that God will not allow those who are opposed to Christ and His children get away free from their offenses.

I need never have a vengeful, angry, bitter heart knowing that in God’s time, he will judge them for us.

Deuteronomy 33:29 KJV

Happy art thou, O Israel: who is like unto thee, O people saved by the LORD, the shield of thy help, and who is the sword of thy excellency! and thine enemies shall be found liars unto thee; and thou shalt tread upon their high places.