Moreover, by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.
Psalm 19:11 ESV
Do you feel a little Lord-of-the-Rings/fantasy vibe when you read this passage?
Or, is it just me?
Like you and your buds just found a secret scroll and are about to head off on some epic journey to fulfill your destinies?
I came across this in my reading the other day and just had to share it with it. I LOVE fantasy adventure flicks. The hopefulness. The newness. The invitation to come outside myself into a character. To imagine how brave, timid or fierce I would feel out there on my quest. Would I have a sword? Armor? Or just me in my sandals out here walking (you tend to do a lot of walking) wearing simple clothes carrying everything I own in a burlap sack? This scripture gave me all the feels. And, it gave me all these feels about God.
Here’s the complete section for context:
The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes. The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever. The decrees of the Lord are firm, and all of them are righteous. They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the honeycomb. By them your servant is warned; in keeping them there is great reward.
Psalm 19: 7-11
“By them your servant is warned.”
Warned of what?
To keeps God’s commandments.
Originally in the Old Testament, there are 613 commandments (give or take.) I don’t know about you, but that’s a lot to remember.
Let’s combine those into the ten most of you may be familiar with. They are found in Exodus 20: 2-17 and 40 years later (after a long walk in the desert) as a reminder in Deuteronomy 5:6-21. And, with my best Price Is Right spokesmodel gesture, here they are:
This list of ten was further chiseled down into two:
Love God. Love everyone.
Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
Matthew 22: 37-40
There are a lot of promises in the Bible about obedience, and I am a big fan of them. God promises over and over that if we listen to his wisdom–and obey– we will reap a reward.
All the commandments are here to do is to make our lives easier. They are here to help us understand why and how we need a Lord and Savior in Jesus Christ. We cannot possibly not break a commandment–none of us. I’ve broken all of them. We can try and try but our flesh will still in get the way. That is why we need Jesus. To know that in Him our sins are washed away. It’s that easy. Believe that Jesus sacrificed himself for your sin and all of your sins are now forgiven and you are a new creation in Christ walking forward and not looking back.
Here are some scriptures that I love as reminders of his promises.
Where there is no prophetic vision the people cast off restraint, but blessed is he who keeps the law.
Proverbs 29:18 ESV
But he said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”
Luke 11:28 ESV
If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.
John 13:17 ESV
But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.
James 1:25 ESV
There is great reward in keeping God’s commandments, his rules, his precepts. A great reward of blessing.
I love going on this journey with God. I don’t know where it will end, but I am hopeful and excited and ready. I’m ready to unroll that scroll, go on my quest and unleash my destiny.
Let the adventure begin.
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