BLESSED, HAPPY, AND WELL
Psalms 128:1-2 NKJV
1 Blessed is every one who fears the Lord,
Who walks in His ways.
2 When you eat the labor of your hands,
You shall be happy, and it shall be well with you.
How about that title for clickbait? Who doesn't want to be blessed, happy, and well? But there is a catch.
I like to read from different translations as they will often give a broader perspective as to the meaning of a passage. So here are these verses in some different translations.
"How joyful are those who fear the LORD—all who follow his ways! You will enjoy the fruit of your labor. How joyful and prosperous you will be!" NLT
"How happy is everyone who fears the Lord, who walks in his ways! You will surely eat what your hands have worked for. You will be happy, and it will go well for you." CSB
"Blessed [happy and sheltered by God's favor] is everyone who fears the LORD [and worships Him with obedience], Who walks in His ways and lives according to His commandments. For you shall eat the fruit of [the labor of] your hands, You will be happy and blessed and it will be well with you." AMP
" O the happiness of every one fearing Jehovah, Who is walking in His ways. The labour of thy hands thou surely eatest, Happy [art] thou, and good [is] to thee." Young's Literal Translation
Here are four different translations that use different verbiage, but we see the same themes carried through each version. There are good things that are in store. But are these good things, being happy, blessed, joyful, prosperous, and well, available to everyone? The short answer is yes and no. I realize that sounds like a politician, but it's an accurate answer. These blessings are available to everyone who fears, reverences God, and walks in His ways. These are conditional promises. They belong to everyone who keeps the conditions.
I like how the Amplified Bible expands verse one. The person who fears the Lord and worships Him with obedience. The person who walks in His ways and lives according to His commandments. This is the person who will be happy and blessed, and it will be well with them. And I appreciate that the CSB version says in verse two that you will surely eat what your hands have worked for. To work hard and lose what you gained is not being blessed. But the person revering the Lord and walking in His ways is not going to be working hard for nothing. Reverencing the Lord and following Him, obeying Him opens the door to His involvement in our lives. When, out of a fear of God, we obey Him and walk in love toward others, it makes a difference in our relationships. When we obey Him with our tithing and giving, we are walking in His ways, and He gets involved with our finances. The blessings come from God, so we want to do everything we can to cooperate with Him.
These two verses shed light as to the path that leads to blessings, happiness, and well-being. That path begins with our heart for God to respect and honor Him and live inside the parameters He has revealed to us in His Word and by His Holy Spirit.
PRAYER
Dear Father God - I am grateful that You want me blessed, happy, and for things to go well with me. I choose to honor and respect You and live inside of Your revealed plan and design for my life.