Happy Are Those

Wednesday night we had our Ash Wednesday service and started a sermon series titled “Selah (suh-laa): Life in a Minor Key”. Selah is word found at least seventy times in the book of Psalms. Outside of the book of Psalms it is only found three times in the Old Testament and that’s in Habakkuk. While used a number of times in Psalms, the lack of use in other books and literature, makes it a hard word to define. Where Selah appears in scripture we can give a rough meaning to this word and based on this biblical scholars have come up with it being a word that suggests a shift, pause, break, or interruption. It suggests exhaling or resting from routine activities.

As I read the description of Selah, my first thought was Sabbath. Resting or taking a break from the daily routines. But, Selah is more of a pause with and intended shift. A change that comes after the pause or break. Selah has no prescribed time while Sabbath is viewed as a day. There are difference in the two but the both deal with God. Sabbath is a commandments and spiritual discipline. Selah can be viewed as a spiritual discipline but it is not talked about very often.

But what does all this have to do with Lent a time of repentance and forgiveness? What does Happy are those have to do with pausing? Is it possible to be happy during this season? Well, let’s turn to our text for the day and find out. Turn with me to and hear the words of the Psalmist, King David.

Psalm 32 NRSV

Of David. A Maskil. Happy are those whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Happy are those to whom the Lord imputes no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit. While I kept silence, my body wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. Selah Then I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not hide my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” and you forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah Therefore let all who are faithful offer prayer to you; at a time of distress, the rush of mighty waters shall not reach them. You are a hiding place for me; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with glad cries of deliverance. Selah I will instruct you and teach you the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you. Do not be like a horse or a mule, without understanding, whose temper must be curbed with bit and bridle, else it will not stay near you. Many are the torments of the wicked, but steadfast love surrounds those who trust in the Lord. Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart.

“Happy are those”, sounds familiar doesn’t it. Sounds a lot like the scripture we just finished using for our social Issues sermon series, when we looked at the Beatitudes that Jesus proclaimed prior to his sermon on the Mount. Many of us are used to hearing Blessed are those from Beatitudes and that word can be used here as well. The issue is the word David uses here and Jesus uses in does not really line up well with one English word but when you define them they have similar meaning as multiple words and probably more depth.

But, it is really interesting talking about being happy during this time of the year, especially at the beginning of Lent. When Lent comes to an end, happiness is abound as we celebrate the risen Savior but why happy now? I think an even better question is what does happy mean to you. Let’s get 5 people to answer that, who wants to offer how they define? I love those answers. I think happiness is different for each of us and we would define it differently throughout each phase of life. There is a saying in the U.S. “We believe in life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”

A lot of times when we think about that saying and happiness in society today we think about material items. We turn to the things that we purchase that bring us happiness. We turn toward those items that we have desired for so long that when we have them in our hands we are happy. For some, it is their car, others its their house and property, for younger generations it is their gaming systems or electronics. Material items and money tend to be the first thing people turn to in order to find happiness.

What if the psalmist is telling us what real happiness is in ? Maybe the psalmist is preparing us to find true happiness through Lent. How can that be? I mean Lent is a time to repent and look at our spiritual disciplines in order to grow closer to God. Again, those don’t sound like happy things based on how we typically define happy. But, they are areas that we find true happiness. How you may ask? Well, let’s look at to find out how.

Just in verse one we find a lot of information. , “Happy are those whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.” (NRSV) Wow! Think about that feeling, knowing you transgression or sin has been forgiven and not part of it but all of it. That right there is worth rejoicing. Forgiveness like that should bring you a happiness that every person desires. Then the psalmist says in verse 2, “Happy are those to whom the Lord imputes no iniquity, and whose spirit there is no deceit.” (NRSV) I mean to have the Lord not punish you but to offer forgiveness without any deceit. The psalmist just keeps building up our happiness through the reconciliation that is possible with our God.

David knew what it meant to commit a grave sin. He was no where near being a sinless man. I mean we all know he slept with a married woman, had many put to death, he did not keep his house in order the way Jews were supposed to, I mean the list goes on and on. But, in our Psalm today he talks about being happy because of the opportunity for reconciliation with God. It is amazing if you think about it. Not a single one of us sit here this morning blameless and sin free. But that does not mean we cannot be forgiven.

But, in order to be forgiven we must first repent. Repent of you sins and receive forgiveness from God. We can be forgiven because of the work of Jesus Christ and what he has done for us on the cross. As I was thinking about this and reading the information offered by the UMCdiscipleship.com website, there was a quote from the hymn, “Balm in Gilead”. The quote is “There is a balm in Gilead, to heal the sin-sick soul. There is a balm is Gilead, to make the wounded whole.” That balm is like Neosporin that we use to put on cuts but with more fragrance to it. A balm helps to heal a cut or abrasion on the skin. But, the balm is the hymn isn’t just talking about an ointment, no it is talking about something greater and bigger. The balm is Jesus. When we turn to Jesus and seek him we find the balm that heals us.

Let me close with this. Lent is a journey. It is 40 days long, so it takes some time. So is our healing. We cannot just snap our fingers and be healed from the sins we have committed. There will be times you will feel as the hymn says “Sometimes I feel discouraged and think my work’s in vain.” You will feel discouraged but be encouraged as you realize the great happiness that waits at the end of the journey.