Deuteronomy 28:45 Moreover all these curses shall come upon thee, and shall pursue thee, and overtake thee, till thou be destroyed; because thou hearkened not unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which he commanded thee. 46 And they shall be upon thee for a sign and for a wonder, and upon thy seed for ever. 47 Because thou served not the Lord thy God with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart, for the abundance of all things.
[2] If one were to obey God the right way, there will be a deep-down joy and peace that cannot be easily disturbed by external circumstances. Persons in this second scenario look on the brighter side of life and they tend to praise God in good times and bad.
Psalms 100:1 Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all you lands. 2 Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing. 4 Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. 5 For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endures to all generations.
In the first scenario we have persons who obey God, but they are not happy doing so, because they view His requirements and laws from the prohibitory side yet they will obey, because it is the right thing to do. There is no real joy, or pleasure to such persons in obedience, for their view is that God’s instructions are an encroachment upon them, but, because of a fear of consequences, they will comply. In this way, one’s service to God descends into a cold formality that becomes devoid of delight.
Malachi 3:15 And now we call the proud happy; yea, they that work wickedness are set up; yea, they that tempt God are even delivered.
May The Lord add His blessing to the study of His word. God bless!