happiness – Moment to Moment (Bible blog)

Seventh day of Christmas

When Leah’s slave Zilpah bore Jacob a second son, Leah said, “I am happy that the women call me happy,” so she named him Asher. (Genesis 30:12-13)

The name Asher means “happy.”

Leah, in trying to fill the hole in her heart, allowed her slave to sleep with Jacob. By doing so, she found “happiness.” And yet, by verse 20, you see her still trying to fill that hole in her heart with Jacob’s love.

But hundreds of years later, a descendant of Asher would learn where true happiness is found. In Luke 2:36-38, we see the story of Anna. Anna lost her husband after only seven years of marriage. But for the rest of her life, she sought God day and night. And ultimately, her hole was filled when she saw Jesus for the first time.

At that very moment, [Anna] came up and began to thank God and to speak about [Jesus] to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem. (Luke 2:38)

To whom are you offering yourself to?

Don’t you know that if you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of that one you obey—either of sin leading to death or of obedience leading to righteousness? (Romans 6:16)

As I read today’s story, I thought about these words from Paul. The Israelites offered themselves to the gods of the nations, including the gods of the Ammonites and the Philistines.

Why? We don’t know. But perhaps they thought they would find freedom and happiness in doing so. But instead, they found bondage and misery to the Ammonites and Philistines.

We may think they were foolish. But how often do we abandon God and his ways? Rather, we pursue this world’s gods of success, sex, money, and things. We think by doing so, we’ll find freedom and happiness.

But then we find out that the things that promised us freedom and happiness actually end up enslaving us and destroying us. Instead of joy and life, we find shame, misery, and ultimately death.

So let us heed the words of Paul.

For just as you offered the parts of yourselves as slaves to impurity, and to greater and greater lawlessness, so now offer them as slaves to righteousness, which results in sanctification…

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (19, 23)