Deuteronomy 4:5 Behold, I have taught you statutes and judgments, even as the Lord my God commanded me, that you should do so in the land whither you go to possess it. 6 Keep therefore and do them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations, which shall hear all these statutes, and say, Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.
The persons in question should view God’s laws from a beneficiary perspective, in that they stand to gain greatly by obedience, and for this reason, they are eager to obey, and serve God with joy, having an intelligent understanding of His goodness, made manifest in His character. It is worthy of note that the persons being referred to in Malachi chapter three, view their walk with God as being a great disadvantage, and as they look out of their windows at the ungodly, they conclude that the disobedient are better off than those who obey, and this view sours their relationship with The Lord.
So, here’s a question for you, is it true that serving and obeying God puts you at a disadvantage to the ungodly? And if so, are we obeying Him just because of a fear of negative consequences? Or do we truly enjoy obeying The Lord, because of an intelligent appreciation of His goodness? Let’s break it down, and bring the matter closer to home in the most literal sense. If men, women and tweenagers were to refrain from adultery, as the seventh commandment states, merely because they are afraid of contracting STDs and HIV-aids, this will constitute obedience from fear.
In this scenario, persons might be chomping at the bits, and drooling over the prospect of sex outside of marriage, but the fear of STDs keeps them in the obedience lane. Again friends, this is not the type of obedience God is looking for. Here’s a question for you: If persons were to have guarantees that the adulterer would never contract any sexually transmitted disease, would persons still obey God? And would folks be happy doing so? In other words, without the threat of STD’s, will we still view His law on marriage as being good, or as being too restrictive?
Deuteronomy 4:40 Thou shalt keep therefore his statutes, and his commandments, which I command thee this day, that it may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee, and that thou mayest prolong thy days upon the earth, which the Lord thy God giveth thee, for ever.
May God add His blessing to the study of His word. “Good night” and God bless!