Topical Encyclopedia
The Law of God, as revealed in the Holy Scriptures, is a divine guide for righteous living and a reflection of God's holy character. The blessedness of keeping God's law is a recurring theme throughout the Bible, emphasizing the spiritual, moral, and sometimes material benefits that come from obedience to God's commandments.
Old Testament FoundationsThe concept of blessedness in keeping God's law is deeply rooted in the Old Testament. In the Pentateuch, the law is presented as a covenantal framework given to the people of Israel.
Deuteronomy 28:1-2 states, "If you fully obey the LORD your God and carefully follow all His commands I give you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. And all these blessings will come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the voice of the LORD your God."
The Psalms frequently extol the virtues of adhering to God's law.
Psalm 1:1-2 declares, "Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, or set foot on the path of sinners, or sit in the seat of mockers, but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on His law he meditates day and night." This passage highlights the inner joy and stability that come from a life oriented around God's statutes.
Psalm 119, the longest chapter in the Bible, is a profound meditation on the beauty and benefits of God's law. Verse 1 begins, "Blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the LORD." The psalmist repeatedly affirms that adherence to God's commandments brings understanding, peace, and protection.
Wisdom LiteratureThe wisdom literature of the Old Testament also underscores the blessedness of keeping God's law.
Proverbs 3:1-2 advises, "My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments; for they will add length to your days, years and peace to your life." Here, the keeping of God's commandments is directly linked to longevity and tranquility.
Prophetic WritingsThe prophets, while often calling Israel back to obedience, also speak of the blessings associated with keeping God's law.
Isaiah 48:18 laments, "If only you had paid attention to My commandments, your peace would have been like a river, and your righteousness like waves of the sea." This imagery conveys the profound peace and righteousness that flow from obedience.
New Testament AffirmationIn the New Testament, Jesus Christ affirms the importance of God's law. In
Matthew 5:17-19 , He states, "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them, but to fulfill them. Truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not a single jot, not a stroke of a pen, will disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. So then, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do likewise will be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever practices and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven."
The apostle Paul, while emphasizing salvation by grace through faith, also acknowledges the role of the law in guiding believers. In
Romans 7:12 , he writes, "So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous, and good."
Practical ImplicationsThe blessedness of keeping God's law is not merely theoretical but has practical implications for daily living.
James 1:25 encourages believers, "But the one who looks intently into the perfect law of freedom, and continues to do so—not being a forgetful hearer, but an effective doer—he will be blessed in what he does." This passage suggests that the law, when internalized and acted upon, leads to a life marked by divine favor and effectiveness.
In summary, the blessedness of keeping God's law is a multifaceted theme that spans both the Old and New Testaments. It encompasses spiritual fulfillment, moral integrity, and the promise of divine favor, underscoring the enduring relevance of God's commandments for those who seek to live in accordance with His will.
Torrey's Topical Textbook
Psalm 119:1Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the LORD.
Torrey's Topical TextbookMatthew 5:19
Whoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
Torrey's Topical Textbook
1 John 3:22,24
And whatever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.
Torrey's Topical Textbook
Revelation 22:14
Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.
Torrey's Topical Textbook
Library
Of the Difference Between the Hirelings and the Faithful Servants ...
... himself better than God, and he loves blessedness wholly for ... is the beginning of
wisdom and is a law to the ... from that very hour in which, with God's help, he ...
/.../john/the adornment of the spritual marriage/chapter vi of the difference.htm
Keeping and Kept
... desires, which take no heed of any law but their ... than a door has, but all its
blessedness depends on ... there is no effectual guarding unless God guards; there is ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture g/keeping and kept.htm
A Doer that Worketh Shall be Blessed in Doing
... that looketh into the perfect law, the law of liberty ... and in doing the will of God
that the believer enters fully into the truth and blessedness of deliverance ...
//christianbookshelf.org/murray/working for god/xxvii a doer that worketh.htm
A Covenant God
... if God was to do it in harmony with the law of man's ... If God indeed be nothing but
a very fountain of goodness and glory, of beauty and blessedness, the more ...
//christianbookshelf.org/murray/the two covenants/chapter i a covenant god.htm
Note F. --Chap. xviii the Whole Heart
... the Psalm of the way of blessedness: "Blessed who seek ... I shall keep Thy law, yea
I shall observe it ... my whole heart." Praise and prayer; seeking God and keeping ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/murray/the two covenants/note f chap xviii the whole.htm
God's Offspring
... This is the blessedness of Christmas-day ... fearful thing to despise the mercies of
the living God; and when ... to fall back under the terrors of His law, in slavish ...
/.../kingsley/sermons for the times/sermon xvi gods offspring.htm
Its Basis
... 8 we read, "David also describeth the blessedness of the ... is, Whose "righteousness"
is it that God imputes or ... by our Surety, that obedience to the law which was ...
//christianbookshelf.org/pink/the doctrine of justification/4 its basis.htm
The Bread of God
... to them as to us, is the condition of all blessedness. ... The letter of the law for
the manna is not applicable to us who gain our bread by God's blessing on ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture k/the bread of god.htm
God's Covenant with Abram
... will not impute sin,' and of the blessedness of the ... and then, by daily appropriation
of the law of the ... Because God's gracious dealings with men are one-sided. ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture k/gods covenant with abram.htm
The Christian Idea of the Position of Hades; the Blessedness of ...
... Idea of the Position of Hades; The Blessedness of Paradise ... Scriptures was buried."
[1801] With the same law of His ... have to lay down your life for God, as the ...
/.../tertullian/a treatise on the soul/chapter lv the christian idea of.htm
Resources
What is the spirit of the law? | GotQuestions.orgWhat does it mean that Jesus fulfilled the law, but did not abolish it? | GotQuestions.orgWhat is natural law? | GotQuestions.orgLaw: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.comBible Concordance •
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