Is there a difference between joy and happiness?

Man seeks to live pleasurably, but he has no care to live happily. He would live pleasurably, or in the sunshine of favouring, flattering circumstances; but to live happily, or in the favour of God, in the light of His countenance, the sense of His love, and the hope of His presence in glory, this is not what man cares about. And it is God's work in the heart and conscience, when man is bethinking himself, and seeking to cease from living pleasurably, that he may live happily — find his life only in the greatest of all circumstances, that is, in his relation to God, having discovered, through grace, that that relationship is settled for him for ever, in the precious reconciliation accomplished in the blood of Christ.

In contrast to the paucity of reference to His sorrow, there is repeated reference to His joy. The nearer He came to the climax of His pathway at the Cross, the more He spoke of His joy. In His early ministry, joy is not such a prominent feature. But as the shadow of Calvary loomed ahead, just when the tide of sorrow judging from ordinary observation rose to its highest, His joy triumphed over the sorrow. The radiant prayer in John 17 was uttered at the close of His ministry just as the meeting with the betrayer became imminent. From whence came His joy? He rejoiced in the will of God. From the outset there was perfect acquiescence in the purpose of God. "Lo, I come to do Thy will, O God!" (Heb. 10:9). Every step in His pathway presented that quality in an unvarying way. Moreover, it was for the joy that was set before Him, that He endured the cross, despising the shame. (Heb. 12:2). The joy of the future when He would see of the travail of His soul was the final consummation to His suffering. In Scripture, happiness is presented as a tranquil quality, based on the peace consequent on realizing the value of the Lordship of Christ, and that involves doing His will. "If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them." (John 13:17). Suffering for righteousness, reproach for the name of Christ, etc., all bring happiness in their course. The Sermon on the Mount was a series of instruction in the development of real happiness.

“No, indeed, Bessie, it is not wrong to be happy; we are told in the word of God to rejoice evermore (1 Thess. 5). In believing in Christ we ‘rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory’ (1 Pet. 1:8). But trusting joy is not quite the same thing as trusting Christ. Happy feelings may and will pass away, but the Lord Jesus Christ is a real, living Person, and if I am trusting Him, the change in my feelings does not affect the ground of my peace, because I am trusting only in the finished work of Christ, and that is something altogether outside myself.

It quite naturally leads to the second as expressed in Asher, "the happy," for this man becomes when once reconciled to God by the death of His Son. As thus turned from Satan unto God, he enters the kingdom of the Son of God's love. There he enjoys fellowship with Him, finding in His shadow rapture and rest, His fruit sweet to our taste and His banner over us love (Cant. 2:3-4, New Trans.). Truly of such it can be said, as of Asher, "His bread shall be fat, and he shall yield royal dainties" (Gen. 49:20) . Jehovah's salvation brings us the bread of life, the food of the mighty. His blessing is that of living fruit, brotherly fellowship, spiritual power in walk, and divine strength, as we may learn from the blessing of Moses (Deut. 33:24-25). "It is of immense importance that the people of God should be known as a 'happy' people. If 'the joy of the Lord is your strength,' then happiness must have for the soul a large spiritual value. As a testimony to God it can be no less. One of the characteristics of the true 'circumcision,' as given by the apostle, is that they 'rejoice in Christ Jesus:' and his exhortation to the same people is, 'Rejoice in the Lord; and again, I say, Rejoice' (Phil. 3:3; Phil. 4:4). Such joy is one of the best signs that the knowledge of the gospel has reached the heart, and that the life will be governed by it. It is quite true that feelings may be put in a wrong place, as in the first quest of peace they are almost sure to be. There is plenty of need for insisting on the truth that we are not justified by feeling but by faith. Nay, it is certain that the reception of the gospel with immediate joy is made by the Lord Himself a sign rather of stony-ground hearing than of a fruitful reception of the Word (Matt. 13:20). Plowing up must be before the seed can spring up aright; repentance before God will accompany 'faith in our Lord Jesus Christ' where the latter is real and effective. This is all true; yet, on the other hand, it is no less true that the effect of the gospel — the 'glad tidings' — is to produce gladness, and that the apostle prays for believers that 'the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing' (Rom. 15:13). The third character of the 'kingdom of God' he gives, after 'righteousness and peace,' is 'joy in the Holy Ghost' (ch. 14:17) . 'The fruit of the Spirit is' said to be 'love, joy, peace' (Gal. 5:22). 'And not only so, but we joy in God, through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the reconciliation' (Rom. 5:11). These passages, of course, define the happiness which they speak of, so that it is impossible to confound it with the mere play of animal spirits, or even the happiness derivable from the hope of salvation. One might have this last, and yet in fact be unsaved. 'Joy in God through Christ' is something perfectly distinct and infinitely higher" (Joshua, Notes, pp. 145, 146). In this connection another lesson may be noticed in Asher following Dan. If Dan speaks of self-rule, self-judgment, we know this means exercise of heart and conscience, and these are essential to the maintenance of a happiness worthy of the name.

1911 279 The thesis of this Psalm is the blessedness of the godly man, in contrast with the certain doom of the sinner whenever the time may come for judgment to be executed. Blessedness is a preferable word to happiness, inasmuch as the former attributes to God who blesses, what the latter word, as used by man, assigns to fortune or chance. Still the word blessed is to be understood as meaning what is usually implied in the word happy. The psalm is thus an answer to the almost universal inquiry of mankind after happiness. It shows us where true happiness — real blessedness — is to be alone found.

To begin with, our joy must be in the Lord. “The joy of the Lord is your strength.” Not rejoicing in our circumstances, but in the Lord. If we rejoice in our circumstances we shall lean on a broken reed; for circumstances change, but the Lord does not. He is “the same yesterday, and today, and for ever.”

The circumstances of the inspired writer were such as to give great weight to his exhortation, for they certainly yielded no joy. Four years in prison, chained to a soldier, such was Paul’s lot and certainly this was not calculated to make a man cheerful. Yet the letter written by him to the Philippians is filled with joy and rejoicing. Joy in circumstances, after all, would only be natural joy, whereas rejoicing in the Lord is spiritual. May the reader keep this exhortation ever before him, as much, if not more, on bright days as cloudy days, for dark days drive us to the Lord, whilst bright ones may allure us fom Him. It is easier to carry an empty cup than a full one.

Moreover the joy of which the Lord speaks is not only a joy that remains, but He can say to His disciples it will be "in you." Being in us it is not like the joy of this world, dependent upon outward circumstances. The Psalmist could say "Thou hast put gladness in my heart, more than in the time that their corn and wine increased" (Ps. 4:7). Earthly joys depend on the prosperity of outward circumstances, the gladness of the Lord is in the heart. In His outward circumstances the Lord was an outcast Man and lonely — the Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. In His pathway of perfect obedience to the Father's will, He abode in the constant realization of the Father's love and in that love He found the constant spring of all His joy. We too, in as far as we walk in obedience to the Lord, shall abide in the realization of His love, and, in the sunshine of His love we shall not only find His joy, but, a fulness of joy that leaves no room for grieving over the failure of all things earthly.

Many new things bring joy at their reception or beginning, and afterwards the joy is displaced by distresses that eat like a canker. But Christianity is very different. Having saved us from our sins, God brings us into His kingdom. This kingdom is characterised by "Joy in the Holy Spirit," and in order that we may possess the joy constantly, God has given us the source of it by shedding His love abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which He has given to us. One of the precious fruits of the Spirit as delineated in Gal. 5:22, is joy.

The joys of nature are dependent on circumstances. If a man's circumstances are grievous, his joy disappears. But the joy given by the Lord is independent of circumstances, and therefore persists in seasons of trial and sorrow. Although the Lord Jesus on earth was "A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief" it is written of Him "He rejoiced in spirit." His joy was from communion with His Father, in spite of His rejection by men. The apostle Paul following in the steps of His Master, shared His rejection and sorrow but knew the blessedness of His Master's joy, and commended this joy to others. In his epistle to the Philippians more than once he says "My joy," and he exhorted them to "Rejoice in the Lord alway."

What ought to characterise us is joy (ver. 4). The scenes around ought not to affect our joy in the Lord. We ought to be superior to all that is passing around. Paul, in prison at Rome, and chained to a soldier, you would have thought to be the one who needed comfort, but he is the one who is ministering joy to those in more favourable circumstances than himself. With the Christian joy and sorrow go together. The Man of sorrows is the Lord Jesus, but He was the happiest Man that ever walked the earth. "The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places, yea, I have a goodly heritage."

Everything changes here — there is nothing to rest on. But we have stability and unchangeable blessings in our Lord Jesus, so whatever we are pressed with here we should always rejoice in the Lord. Of the world we may say they enjoy "the pleasures of sin for a season," and it is possible for a child of God who is indifferent to communion with the Father and the Son to be less happy than a worldling. He is spoilt for the world, and has not got the proper Christian enjoyment in Christ.

But Asher is happy nevertheless, for happiness really is much less dependent on outward circumstances than we are apt to think. It "does not consist in strength, or Myro and Ofellius would have been happy; nor in riches, or Croesus would have been so … Why should Socrates go to Philip, when he had all he wanted at Athens, "four measures of wheat flour for an obolos, and abundance of good spring water for nothing"? Why, indeed! All Diogenes wanted from Alexander was for him to get out of his sunshine; and Diogenes content with his kennel and crust was a happier man than Alexander weeping for other worlds to conquer. Then observe how happiness is ever connected with fruitfulness; "Let Asher be blessed with children." Whatever person or community is fruitful in gospel work is sure to be characterised by a rejoicing spirit: the words "rejoice" and "fellowship in the gospel" characterise the epistle to the Philippians, and the Philippian spirit everywhere.