Deuteronomy 5:28-29 And the LORD heard the voice of your words, when you spoke to me; and the LORD said to me… Let us attentively consider God's earnest desires and the rewards, which are here said to be dispensed by Him upon all those who do their utmost to attain to it. The former of these is thus expressed: "to fear God, and to keep all His commandments always." "The fear of God" is a common scriptural expression for the duties consequent upon a just sense of the relation in which we stand to Him, as our Creator, Preserver, Redeemer, and future Judge. For this relation embraces two things. It regards the All-wise and All-powerful Maker of the universe as the exalted Being on whom we have to depend for every temporal and every spiritual good, and whose will it should be our pleasure to perform. And it next regards ourselves as the poor beings of a day, whose breath is in their nostrils, and the imagination of whose hearts is only evil continually, admitted by covenant to be His children. It is this view of the relation in which we stand to God that renders the "fear of the Lord" equivalent in meaning to the fullest obedience to His commandments. Let us now turn our meditations upon the powerful motive proposed by God for our "fearing Him, and keeping all His commandments always." This motive is "that it may be well with us and with our children forever." That we may value this motive properly, let us consider in what manner this blessing of God will attend His faithful and obedient servants. In its very nature, religion may be said to secure, more certainly than anything else, all the worthy objects of man's desire, and to bring with it all that properly deserves the name of blessing. Food and raiment, domestic comfort, health and safety, and length of days, are among the common temporal advantages of a religious life; that is, of a life of active labour or usefulness, recommended by honesty, temperance, humility, and innocence — in short, by the usual virtues of the Christian character. But this natural course of things, as we call it, is not that which attends every man in this life; nor does the Gospel hold out the same promises of temporal good as the law did. It often pleases the Almighty to try those that are His by a variety of, perhaps, apparently severe dispensations. And yet, in the midst of these afflictions, with respect to the principal concern of life — the state of the soul, and of their future prospects — it must be well with them; they must have higher and better joys than other men. Their views and sentiments, their hopes and desires, their feelings and ambition, have been regulated, raised, and refined. So true it is, that "all things work together for good to them that love God"; and that, although "no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous; nevertheless, afterward," etc. But whether such spiritual discipline falls to the Christian's lot or not, it is "well with him," in reality, under all the occurrences of life; and if he is not so outwardly, or makes to himself imaginary troubles, from gloomy and distorted views of religion, let it not be imputed to the Gospel or any inherent fault of Christianity. Let us proceed to enumerate a few other of the blessings which are promised by God to attend the conscientious profession of it. In the Christian dispensation, of acceptance and adoption by God, the believer is mercifully promised pardon for sin upon repentance and faith in the great Mediator of the covenant into which he has been admitted. Another blessing is this. All his prayers are heard. But it is "well with" the man that fears God in another respect. He is blest with sound judgment, and the best of knowledge, upon the great concern of life. He is made "wise unto salvation." To use the words of the Psalmist, he "understands righteousness, and judgment, and equity, yea every good path," and may, therefore, look with pity upon the many arts and devices of those who mistake the nature of real wisdom, or consider anything as worthy of all their study which has not heaven for its scope or end. The last blessing of the truly religious man which I shall now mention, is this — that it will be "well with him" hereafter. His present trust and confidence in God and His promises — his full and zealous obedience to all His commandments always — will be repaid at length by an eternity of bliss. (A. B. Evans, D. D.) Parallel Verses KJV: And the LORD heard the voice of your words, when ye spake unto me; and the LORD said unto me, I have heard the voice of the words of this people, which they have spoken unto thee: they have well said all that they have spoken. |
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