Happy is he seems to be a familiar, almost bland, if not a weak statement. Not so.
It unlocks the key to why God wants you to Transform Your Mind and Upgrade Your Life. So far, we’ve seen 7 steps.
- God created humans
- God created Earth
- God put humans on Earth to care for one another (socialization… a mess today), and master Earth’s resources (rulership… we’re plundering today)
- God allowed the Serpent and sin into the Garden because all humans must choose the right or wrong way to follow. God does not make that choice; He gave us free will to make it ourselves. We must exercise it.
- Humans made the wrong choice, and God turned them over to a reprobate mind. Today, humans apply their wisdom to solve problems which, instead, compound themselves
- After their sin, Adam named Eve, which means restore and life. In other words, God has a plan to retrieve all humans from their downfall.
- This spiritual uphill pathway means bringing them out of Babylon, back to Jerusalem, the Garden of Eden. There are three periods to accomplish this for all humans.
- The world is now in Babylon. This chapter is about happy is he, even in Babylon. Each of us can exercise our free will choice to live a physically and mentally prosperous and healthy life.
Happy is He is Not Compatible with Living in Babylon
Let’s paint a picture of our Babylonian society. It is in hard straights with socialization. Look at broken families and children. We don’t have the space here to elaborate. There’s plenty of good, but there seems to be more bad. Let’s not be duped. There’s a downslide into more disrespect, rudeness, and incivility, which leads to more delinquency, despondency, escapism in alcohol, harder and harder drugs, and more anxiety and depression.
(Transform Your Mind, Upgrade Your Life, Chapter 7)
I want the God-Intended meaning of Scripture
The question is not, why does God allow this? We’ve answered that He’s turned humans over to their reprobate, think-they-know-better minds to take socialization and rulership into their own hands.
The real question, and the reason for this book, is. In Babylon, can humans make a choice to lead a happy is he decent life? Yes. Did God provide a way of life IN Babylon for humans to survive and thrive? Yes. That way is not necessarily easy, but God equipped Adam and Eve with that happy is he way IN the Garden of Eden just before He expelled them. Just like you’d equip your brother or sister with a parachute before you helped them out of a plane before a skydive.
What is the parachute God gave each of us?
Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keeps the law (this is the parachute), happy is he.
The first vital point I want you to grasp is the audience to whom this, and indeed, all the Proverbs are addressed and with whom they are concerned: the people, he. In other words these are not converted, or even spiritual people. This is Mr. and Mrs everybody, whether they read the Bible or not. Everyone is concerned. We shall return to this capital point when we go into more detail about Proverbs. Just keep in mind these injunctions are for the general public, which is gulping down Prozac and anything else they feel might alleviate their mental illness.
Deceitful Vision
This verse describes Babylon and the antidote. Happy is he while living in this world when they keep the law… we shall see what’s involved. The first part of this verse portrays today’s shortsightedness, decisions based on upcoming elections, immediate needs, and fast-buck financial gains. Lack of purpose causes anxiety. Here’s the meaning of vision.
חָזוֹן châzôwn khaw-zone’; from H2372 (חָזָה); a sight (mentally), i.e. a dream, revelation, or oracle:
KJV – vision.
H2372
חָזָה châzâh khaw-zaw’; a primitive root; to gaze at; mentally to perceive, contemplate (with pleasure); specifically, to have a vision of:
KJV – behold, look, prophesy, provide, see.
Happy is he and she who have vision, who can contemplate the future with pleasure, who have a mental perception of being provided for, in other words, leading a fulfilled life. Consider how many people are in that situation today!
Notice the seemingly out-of-place translation prophesy. It goes straight to the heart of WHY our neighborhoods, cities, infrastructure, schools, health, and people are perishing.
Which say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy H2372 not to us right things, speak to us smooth things, prophesy H2372 deceits:
That is an assertive accusation against our seers and prophets, those who represent our scientific, political, and religious teachers today. No vision means telling us what we want to hear: smooth, flattering, positive things to make us feel good now. It doesn’t matter if they are lies and deceit, just so long as it doesn’t upset us! We want our leaders to give us the five-minute fix. Lose weight overnight, Learn a language in a week, and overcome anxiety by being in the moment. We’re treating major troubles with band-aids.
To put it plainly, mental health, which we’re focusing on, is perishing, along with many other basics, like physical health, education, and well-being, etc., because we’re not being taught what we ought to.
The Contrast: Happy is He and She
Again, he and she mean all human beings can be happy regardless of age, race, belief, nationality, and culture; all can be happy. Does that mean full of laughs? No.
אֶשֶׁר ʼesher eh’-sher; from H833 (אָשַׁר); happiness; only in masculine plural construction as interjection, how happy!:
KJV – blessed, happy.
H833
אָשַׁר ʼâshar aw-shar’; or אָשֵׁר; a primitive root; to be straight (used in the widest sense, especially to be level, right, happy); figuratively, to go forward, be honest, proper:
KJV – (call, be) bless(-ed, happy), go, guide, lead, relieve.
H838
אָשֻׁר ʼâshur aw-shoor’; or אַשֻּׁר; from H833 (אָשַׁר) in the sense of going; a step:
KJV – going, step.
God designed humans to be happy and blessed. This state includes a number of concepts, which The Explanation will detail in this book. For now, grasp the overall picture. Again, the first point to note appears to be an incongruity guide: What has that got to do with happiness?
Hear you, my son, and be wise, and guide H833 your heart in the way.
Happy is he is the opposite of teachers with false vision. It is the teaching of a loving father to his son. And it involves guiding the heart which represents the mind. The father is teaching the proper way and encouraging his son to follow that instruction which leads to blessings. It involves going forward in the right direction, and H833 implies step-by-step progress.
Who keeps the law, Happy is He (and She)
After reading that sub-title, Is this what you’re thinking? I know the word law, especially in an Old Testament context has legalistic, sectarian, fundamentalist connotations. But please give me a chance to explain. Because it is NOT that at all. Don’t take my word for it. Here are five verses from Proverbs that give you the contours of the hard-to-bear word law, as in “he that keeps the law (H835), happy is he.”
He that despises his neighbour sins: but he that has mercy on the poor, happy (H835) is he.
Proverbs 16:20
He that handles a matter wisely shall find good: and whoso trusts in the LORD, happy (H835) is he.
Proverbs 3:18
She [wisdom] is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her: and happy (H833) is every one that retains her [wisdom].
Proverbs 9:6
Forsake the foolish, and live; and go (H833) in the way of understanding (H998).
Do you agree we should have mercy on the poor? Handle matters wisely? Trust in the Lord? Retain wisdom? Go in the way of understanding? Then, you agree wholeheartedly with the law.
Learn to do well seek judgment, relieve (H833) the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.
This is the law to relieve the oppressed, those with anxiety and depression. This is the antidote, the way to natural relief. Section 3 of this book will elaborate on step-by-step ways to reach this relief.
This chapter opens our minds to one reason why God inspired the writing of an instruction manual. To give the steps to relieve mental illness, the most prevalent disease of the 21st Century. This is God’s personal interest and involvement with each person worldwide no matter who they are. Happy is he that comes upon God’s ways.
A Final Warning About Anxiety Coaches
I’m not saying that the myriad methods, some of which I’ll cite later, are not helpful. They have light in them, which is why they draw convinced practitioners. What I am saying is that the end result will be darkness. Simply because they do not point to God’s way, in fact, most point in the opposite direction.
To the law (the practical recommendations of God in Proverbs) and to the testimony (In God’s Word, the inspired Bible): if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.
Be careful who your therapist is. Choose a Christian, Bible-oriented guide. With God’s help and guidance, you can face anxiety and replace it with relief. Stay tuned; you can transform your mind and upgrade your life.
This post is Chapter 8 from the book Transform Your Mind, Upgrade Your Life
Grasp ‘mind’ in mental health, buy the book
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