THE REWARD OF OBEDIENCE.
By C. A. Osgood
"In keeping them there is great reward." Ps. 19:11. The word "them" here means "the judgments of the Lord," or, in other words, his commandments. These are very precious to God's people. Not so with the sinner. He looks for a reward in breaking God's law. Says the thief, "I will take and use my neighbor's property, the fruit of his toil, without paying for it; all this will be clear gain to me." So he who violates the command, "Thou shalt not kill," hopes to possess a large amount of property belonging to the murdered man, and thus gain a large reward by the commission of his crime. Many a man would refrain from labor on the seventh day, the day in which God said, "Thou shalt not do any work," but he thinks he can get along with his business better, and make more money, to violate this holy commandment than to observe it. Even the minister of the gospel is afraid to keep and teach the fourth commandment, or even to examine its claims lest he should lose his salary! Oh, how little do men realize that, after this brief life, there must be a final settlement between God and themselves! What, then, will be the pay they will receive for breaking God's commands? "The wages of sin is death." Miserable reward! What will become of their ill-gotten gain then? What will the minister's salary be worth then? "In keeping them there is great reward." Yes, there is now, and will be in the future. God shows mercy to commandment-keepers—"Showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments." Ex. 20:6. Again, they have great peace. "Great peace have they which love thy law; and nothing shall offend them." Ps. 119:165. Those that love God's law are the very ones who keep it. All true obedience springs from love. Law-keepers have peace with God, and peace with their own consciences. The ancient prophet was directed to say to the people of Israel: "O that thou hadst harkened to my commandments! then had thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea." Isa. 48:18. This is a peace ever moving on as a river, deep and perpetual as the waves of the sea. God answers the prayers of those who keep his commandments. Said the apostle John, "We ask and receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight." What a glorious reward is this! What a privilege in every time of distress and need to be permitted to ask and receive of him the very things we need. Said our Saviour to the young man who came to him to inquire "what good thing he should do to inherit eternal life," "If thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments." Our Lord did not teach men that the way to gain eternal life was by breaking the commandments. No; no. He taught the necessity of repentance. "Except ye repent, ye shall all perish." To repent is to turn heartily from disobeying God's law to obeying it. "Blessed are they that do his [God's] commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city." Rev. 22:14. This is the final glorious reward of obeying God. Well might Moses "choose to suffer affliction with the people of God, rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season." "He had respect to the recompense of the reward." C. A. Osgood.