Jonathan Edwards, in his Resolutions, writes, “Resolved, to endeavor to obtain for myself as much happiness, in the other world, as I possibly can, with all the power; might, vigor, and vehemence, yea violence, I am capable of, or can bring myself to exert, in any way that can be thought of.”
How does that land on you? What do you think of Edwards’ resolve to pursue for himself as much happiness as he possibly can? Several thoughts may pop into your head. “Well, Edwards, happiness is fleeting; it’s momentary. What you really ought to pursue is joy. Right? Happiness is less than joy, so why should we even pursue happiness at all? Isn’t joy what we really need?”
You might also think of that classic platitude: God wants you to be holy, not happy. God doesn’t care about your happiness; he cares about your holiness. Really?
When we turn to the Scriptures, we find that God actually has a good deal to say about how to pursue happiness for ourselves. It can be hidden in some of our English translations. Our English word blessed, translated from the word ʼesher in Hebrew and makários in Greek, can also be translated as happy. So, if we reread certain texts in our Bibles, we can begin to develop a biblical and rightly-ordered view of what pursuing our own happiness actually looks like:
Psalm 1:1–2 – Happy is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.
Psalm 32:1 – Happy is the man whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.
Psalm 128:1–2 – Happy is the man who fears the Lord, who walks in his ways! You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands; you shall be happy, and it shall be well with you.
I encourage you to search the Scriptures for other examples. Clearly, the biblical understanding of happiness is not characterized by fleeting or temporary pleasure. It’s not merely a quick hit of dopamine. Happiness is rather a state of living under the blessing of God. Happiness is achieved by avoiding counsel with the wicked and meditating on God’s law. Happiness is attained by confessing your sins before the Lord and receiving the assurance that your transgressions are forgiven and that your sin has been covered. Happiness is yours if you would fear the LORD, if you would turn toward him and walk in his ways.
This is what Edwards was getting at. This is the happiness that he resolved to pursue with all the power, might, vigor, vehemence, and even violence he was capable of. Let us be encouraged to do the same.
