Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of  . . .

You have put joy in my heart, more than when their grain and new wine are abundant. Psalm 4:7  NASB

Joy – You might have thought the end of the phrase should be “the pursuit of happiness,” but you will find that happiness is a rather ephemeral objective.  Why?  Happiness is that state of feeling contentment or pleasure, a sense of confidence or satisfaction.  And as we all know, happiness is a temporal condition that depends on our circumstances.  Mick Jagger summarized the human condition quite artfully: “I can’t get no . . . satisfaction.”  I am amused by the oft cited idea that the poor of the earth are really happy with their lot.  Perhaps those who think this way have never really been in the squalor of the three billion destitute.  No, happy is not one of their adjectives.

Joy, however, is entirely different.  That’s why the psalmist can oppose it to abundance.  Joy does not depend on our external circumstances.  The poorest among us can have joy even if he has nothing else.  Most of us, living as we do among the most privileged of the earth, pursue happiness only to discover that “more” is never quite enough.  We have forgotten the distinction between joy and happiness, to our detriment.  Confusing the two leads to pursuing the end of the rainbow.  Joy comes from another direction.

The Hebrew word here is śimḥâ.  When we look into its usage, we discover that joy is a full-person condition.  It’s not dependent on wealth or health, power or prestige.

The root ś-m-ḥ denotes being glad or joyful with the whole disposition as indicated by its association with the heart (cf. Ex 4:14; Ps 19:8 [H 9]; 104:15; 105:3), the soul (Ps 86:4); and with the lighting up of the eyes (Prov 15:30).^[1]

Most importantly, in the biblical context joy is determined by relationship, not possession.

. . . the Lord and his salvation are cited most frequently as the reason for joy (II Chr 20:27; Ps 5:11 [H 12]; 9:2 [H 3]; 16:9; 32:11; 40:16 [H 17]; 63:11 [H 12]; 64:10 [H 11]; 86:4; 90:15; 92:4 [H 5]). Indeed the joy of the Lord is a man’s strength (ḥedwâ, Neh 8:10). Moreover, many of these passages call upon man to share this joy. Thus Israel is called upon to rejoice at its festivals and central sanctuary^[2]

Abraham Heschel offers some important reminders:

“Something sacred is at stake in every event.”[3]

“Awe, unlike fear, does not make us shrink from the awe-inspiring object, but, on the contrary, draws us near to it.  This is why awe is compatible with both love and joy.”[4]

“We do not confess our belief in God; we adore Him.  We do not proclaim our belief in revelation; we utter our gratitude for it.  We do not formulate the election of Israel; we sing it.  Thus our liturgy is no mere memorial to the past; it is an act of participating in Israel’s bearing witness to the unity, uniqueness, love and judgment of God.  It is an act of joy.”[5]

“The prophet trembles, but he also has the power to wait on the Lord.  However, the depth of his experience lies deeper than trust and faith.  What the prophet faces is not his own faith.  He faces God.  To sense the living God is to sense infinite goodness, infinite wisdom, infinite beauty.  Such a sensation is a sensation of joy.  The world may be dismal; the wrath may turn the gardens into a desert; yet the prophet ‘will rejoice in the Lord.’  This, it seems, is Habakkuk’s personal answer to the vision: . . .”[6]

Anthony Bloom summarizes: “ . . . we could simply say, ‘ I am in God’s presence, what a joy, let us be still.’”[7]

And Zornberg adds the last details:

“The emphasis here is on Abraham’s quest for himself, for the ‘root of his own life.’  This is the literal rendition of Lekh lekha—‘Go to yourself’, only in the movement inwards is the God-joy that is true life to be found.”[8]

“What is really pleasurable about pleasure is the Jouissance [bliss, joy, ecstasy] that shines through it.”[9]

“Sensual pleasures offer themselves as substitutes, filters, defenses against that bliss [i.e., jouissance, the primordial, infinite desire for absorption, bliss joy and ecstasy].  This may be a necessary regression.  But it nevertheless represents a loss: the true wine of existence, the love of God, has been replaced by sensual pleasure, the bread and meat of life.  Love of God, or oneg with God, cannot be reduced to what usually passes for love.”^[10]

“ . . . the experience of emunah is the experience of being drawn after God, willingly, by His word alone.  This experience generates joy.  And joy in turn demonstrates the existence of emunah.  Moses is to speak to the rock, so that it will transcend its stony nature and be moved in attraction to God.  To be attracted to an object is, paradoxically, to be at one’s most free, at one’s most autonomous.”[11]

Perhaps we have been pursuing the wrong goal.  Perhaps it isn’t a pursuit at all.

Topical Index: happiness, joy, śimḥâ, presence, Heschel, Bloom, Zornberg, Psalm 4:7

^[1] Waltke, B. K. (1999). 2268 שָׂמַח. In R. L. Harris, G. L. Archer Jr., & B. K. Waltke (Eds.), Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (electronic ed., p. 879). Moody Press.

^[2] Ibid.

[3] Abraham Heschel  Between God and Man: An Interpretation of Judaism (Free Press Paperbacks, 1959), p. 52.

[4] Ibid., p. 53.

[5] Abraham Heschel, Man’s Quest for God, pp. 82-83.

[6] Abraham Heschel, The Prophets (Hendrickson Publishers, 1962), Vol 1, pp. 143-144. Cf. Hab. 3:17-18

[7] Anthony Bloom, Beginning to Pray, p. 94.

[8] Avivah Gottlieb Zornberg, The Beginning of Desire: Reflections on Genesis, p. 87.

[9] Avivah Gottlieb Zornberg,  Bewilderments: Reflections on the Book of Numbers, p. 71

[10] Ibid.

[11] Ibid., p. 229.