The Lord, in His omniscience, has provided man with everything he needs through salvation and the grace that brings salvation. One might ask, “How does salvation teach sobriety?” A proper understanding of grace and salvation reminds man that he is completely inadequate in and of himself. Apart from the Lord’s intervention, man would be on a slippery slope towards the pits of hell. In his very best state, man’s righteous acts are no better than filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6). When a man meditates upon his salvation and the grace of God that gave him salvation, he avoids the snare of pride. He knows full well who he is and what God had to do to make him fit for heaven. He knows he owes the Lord a great debt and determines to be alert in his daily walk.
Rebels will not and cannot enjoy the breadth of God’s intended blessings. For those harmed by the consequences of sin, God desires to make things right. The Bible says that “he bringeth out those which are bound with chains.” God delivers those taken captive by the wicked. For this reason, the Bible says that He will be “a father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows” (Psalm 68:5). Yet, He also withholds blessings from those who rebel against His will. Rebels will instead “dwell in a dry land” bereaved of the blessings of God. Though this was no doubt intended as the literal withholding of rain, it bears a spiritual truth that rebels will miss out on the richness of what God has for them. The Lord wants men to know His joy and His peace; however, rebellion offers nothing but a dearth of God’s blessings.
Psalm 119 is filled with statements promoting the necessity of the word of God. Seven times in this psalm we find a statement declaring the writer’s desire to meditate upon the words of God. Three of these times he states emphatically that he will meditate in God’s statutes or His precepts (Psalm 119:15, 48, 78). Not only was meditating upon God’s words something that the psalmist desired to do in the future, but he had formed this habit long ago (Psalm 119:23, 99). The writer of this psalm, like other successful believers in the past, made it common practice to meditate in the words of God both day and night (Psalm 119:97; Psalm 1:2; Joshua 1:8).
Man-made religions have always unwisely taught followers to establish their own righteousness. In the garden in Eden, Adam and Eve clothed themselves with fig leaves in an attempt to cover their nakedness caused by sin. Men built the tower of Babel hoping that this device could help them reach into heaven. The Bible describes man’s righteousness as “filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6). Today's passage tells of a people who went about to establish their own righteousness by refusing to submit to God’s righteousness. Man-made religions all err in the same way. They think that some work or act of obedience can somehow establish a level of righteousness that will ultimately and eventually satisfy God. Yet, the Bible points out the repeated futility of failing to submit to the righteousness of God.
The Bible repeatedly addresses the outcomes of obedience and disobedience. It reveals that blessings follow obedience and curses follow disobedience. This truth was plainly explained to the children of Israel on several occasions. In fact, the Bible lists the curses that follow disobedience (Deuteronomy 28:15-44). The curses range from personal judgment to national judgment, but the obvious fact was that disobedience withheld blessings. For instance, disobedience drove Adam and Eve from the garden in Eden (Genesis 3:22-24). Saul's disobedience cost him his kingdom (1 Samuel 28:18). Moses' disobedience meant that he could not enter into the land of promise (Numbers 20:12). The consequences of disobedience may differ today, but every act of disobedience has negative consequences.
The children of Israel had an important decision to make: whether to obey the Lord or unwisely refuse to obey Him. The Lord assured His children that their obedience would pay off with fruitful dividends. He promised to bless their obedience and curse their disobedience. The Bible clearly lists the blessings of obedience (Deuteronomy 28:1-14). Though the blessings of obedience can vary from one person to the next, obedience always yields God's blessing. For instance, Abraham was told that all nations would be blessed in his seed because he obeyed the voice of the Lord (Genesis 22:18). Isaiah told the Israelites that, if they would obey, they would eat the good of the land (Isaiah 1:19). Jeremiah told his audience that their obedience would cause it to be well with their soul and that their souls would live (Jeremiah 38:20). Blessings received from obedience may vary, but the blessings of obedience are well worth any temporary fleshly sacrifice.
The Lord desired a special relationship with the nation of Israel choosing to bless them both spiritually and physically above all other nations. One such blessing involved bringing them safely into the land of Canaan. However, many of these blessings were dependent upon Israel maintaining the right type of relationship with the Lord. He, therefore, issued several commandments for the Israelites to carefully keep (i.e., Deuteronomy chapter 11). The Lord desired for Israel to “hearken diligently” (Deuteronomy 11:13) and “diligently keep” (Deuteronomy 11:22) these commandments. He wanted His people to carefully listen when He spoke, giving God their full attention (listening to every word). He also wanted them to attentively obey what they heard. He always desired for His people to listen to and obey Him. God speaks today through the Bible. He still wants men to diligently hear and obey.
