BLESSEDNESS-Psalm 144

Blessedness: “Blessed [happy] is the people of whom this is true; blessed [happy] is the people whose God is the Lord” (Ps 144:15).

The first sermon in our study of psalms is titled Happiness from Psalm 1-2. Psalm 144:15 is also about happiness, but titled blessedness. Don’t all people just want to be happy?

• The word “happy” appears in the Bible about 20-30x, depending on the translation. The word “joy” appears in the Bible over 300x.
• Happiness is never found by direct pursuit. Happiness is a byproduct of pursuing something else (Mt 6:25ff).

What you need to be blessed and happy (How can you a a blessed, happy person?):

1. Training (Ps 144:1). Praise and thank God who trains me.
2. Protection/Security (Ps 144:2-4). Thank God who protects me.
3. Intervention (Ps 144:5-8). Thank God who miraculously intervenes on my behalf.
4. Renewal (Ps 144:9-11). Thank God who renews my life day by day.
5. Prosperity (Ps 144:12-15). Thank God who prospers my children and descendants.

Reasons for happiness are because of:

1. Life’s conflicts (Ps 144:1-2, 5-8, 11).
2. Your commitment (Ps 144:9-10).
3. God’s care (Ps 144:3-4).
4. God’s character (Ps 144:11-150).

Psalm 144 is a royal psalm where the king praises God for his warring activity on behalf of his kingdom. God is the king’s Protector and guards the community.

Psalm 144, 145 join 146-150 as songs of praise to conclude the Psalms. They are also linked with 140-143 by their Davidic titles and by the links between 144 and 18 (Ps 144:1; 18:34, 1; 144:2; 18:2, 47; 144:5; 18:9; 144:6; 18:14). A difference is that in Psalm 18 David thanks God for saving him, while in Psalm 144 David requests God to save him. Also, Psalm 18 marks the end of Saul’s persecution, so after the deepening darkness of 140-143, 144 heralds the long awaiting morning.

Protector [Fortress, Stronghold, Deliverer, Shield]: “He is my loving God [hesed] and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer [rescuer, savior], my shield, in whom I take refuge, who subdues peoples under me” (Ps 144:2). [Knowing God, facing life, taking aim. The Lord is my warrior. A king’s song. A mere breadth. War and peace. Genuine health and wealth. And there was morning. My rock and my fortress. A psalm for the day of battle.]

1. Past salvation (Ps 144:1-4). The strong and the fragile. My protector (Ps 144:1-2; 18:34, 2, 47); what are human beings? (Ps 144:3-4)
2. Present deliverance (Ps 144:5-11). A pattern of rescue. Come down, Lord (Ps 144:5-8; 18:5-15); a new song (Ps 144:9-11).
3. Future prosperity (Ps 144:12-15). A people at peace. Then we will be blessed.

Does God want you to be happy? [God wants to make you happy (Ps 144:15). Skip Heitzig.] Reasons for happiness:

1. [You experience happiness] BECAUSE of life’s conflicts, NOT in spite of it (Ps 144:1-2, 5-8, 11). Suffering, conflict, adversity, troubles shape and deepen our character, AND we become happier people (Prom 5:3; Jas 1:2; Mt 5:3-10, 11-12). We think happiness is the absence of conflict, troubles, difficulties, adversities, etc. But in conflict you get clarity. Conflict deepens your character. Hardship makes you holy, which then makes you happy. Troubles can make you tranquil. Adversity gives you an adventure [and maybe anorexia as well, which may be a good thing for those who eat too much!]. Imagine if your life had no conflict—Without conflict you would be shallow, spoiled, bored, entitled and very unhappy. Conflict deepens your roots strengthens your dependence on God and contrary to what most people think actually makes you happy. Could the worst possible thing become the best thing (Lk 15; birth; “cancer free”; paul singing songs of praise in prison)?
2. [Happiness comes from] Because of your commitment; it is a choice, NOT a feeling (Ps 144:9-10, 2). Benjamin William Hastings – That’s The Thing About Praise. More than a conqueror (Rom 8).
3. Because of God’s care (Ps 144:3-4). God provides for all your needs does not mean that God provides for all your greeds. You won’t be happy if all your greeds are met, because greed is a bottomless pit; it causes you to want more and more, and the more you get the more unhappy you become. What God wants for you is far more than transitory bliss or good feelings.
4. Because of God’s character (Ps 144:11-15). Consider: God is a happy God, a God of joy (Gen 1:31), not primarily an angry, jealous God. In the Garden, God filled it with everything that man needed to be happy (Gen 2:9, 15, 16). But they bought into the lie that they could only be happy if they got everything they wanted (Gen 2:17). Every since, humanity has been trying to regain that happiness in the Garden. God-shaped vacuum–Augustine. The only way to be happy (Ps 128:1-2; 146:5). God always wants you to be happy, but do you know what that should look like?

If you pursue anything and everything that gives you temporary momentary emotional pleasure–entertainment, vacations, hobbies, drug addict, alcoholic, sex addict, food addict, etc–you WILL be unhappy. To sum up: happiness is a great result but a poor goal. Declaration of Independence gives you certain unalienable rights, including “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” But the Bible says that happiness is the result of the pursuit of God (Mt 6:33). Happiness requires you to surrender yourself to an alien will–he calls the shots.

According to the Beautitudes, the 1st step of happiness is brokenness-poor in spirit [spiritually bankrupt], mourning, hungering, thirsting, so repent (Mk 1:15). Mt 7:21 should keep everyone up at night. No one will ever be happy until you’re in a right relationship with God.

Psalm 144 celebrates God’s strength and protection (Ps 144:2), focusing on the relationship between divine sovereignty and human leadership. It is a prayer of a king (David) seeking God’s help in both personal and national challenges, emphasizing divine intervention in military and political struggles.

1. Praise of God‘s Strength and Guidance (Ps 144:1-2). David acknowledges God’s role in preparing him for battle (Ps 144:1) with God as his rock, fortress, and deliverer (Ps 144:2), his constant support and protection.
2. Human Frailty and Divine Majesty (Ps 144:3-4). Human weakness cf. God’s greatness. Human mortality and insignificance, brevity and transient nature of human life.
3. Petition for Divine Intervention (Ps 144:5-8) for deliverance from enemies and foreign threats; for God to intervene dramatically. Imagery of God’s power in natural phenomena (bending heavens, touching mountains)
4. Anticipation of Divine Blessing (Ps 144:9-15). Promise of praise & worship. Prayer for national prosperity, of a blessed nation under God’s protection, for productive children (Ps 144:12), abundant agricultural yields (Ps 144:13), and a society without breakdown or distress and safety from external threats (Ps 144:14).

Application (How to handle life). What you need:

1. God to train and prepare you for life’s battles/adversities/hardships (Ps 144:1).
2. Depend on God for protection (Ps 144:2) and care (Ps 144:3) because we are frail (Ps 144:4).
3. God’s miraculous intervention (Ps 144:5-8) from lying, deceitful enemies (Ps 144:10-11).
4. A commitment to sing, praise and worship God (Ps 144:9).
5. Confident of God’s blessing on our progeny (Ps 144:12), both materially and physically (Ps 144:13-14).

Psalm 144 reveals a profound theological truth: human effectiveness is entirely dependent on divine empowerment, and true success comes from alignment with God’s purposes.