Deuteronomy 5:33, commentary and pictures

God commands His people to walk in every path He has commanded without turning aside to follow their own wishes, so that they may live and enjoy well-being and long life in the land they are to possess. Obedience is the condition of prosperity and blessing, given in love for their good, and it is a matter of life and death and the way to life. Those who walk in His ways are made holy to Him and receive blessing and love and increase, with His covenant mercy kept toward them, entrance into and possession of the land, and sickness taken away. What was spoken to Israel before entering Canaan applies just as surely to God's people now as they near the day of final review when every character is investigated and every case decided for eternity. None of His requirements, great or small, is to be neglected, for sanctification calls for perfect obedience of mind, soul, and body and steadfast loyalty to His Word even when the world rejects it.

Words and Historical Setting

The verse commands walking in every way the Lord commanded, without turning aside from any of them, so that those who obey may live and prosper and have their days prolonged in the land to be possessed. Not turning aside includes not turning aside to follow personal wishes, while life, well-being, and continued years in the land are made to depend on this complete walking in all the commanded ways. The command belongs to Moses' instruction to Israel before entering Canaan. It closes the repetition of God's law given through Moses after Israel, overwhelmed at hearing God's voice, asked not to hear Him speak directly, an attitude showing unbelief.

The chapter containing the verse is to be read carefully for the Sabbath commandment. That reading connects the command to keep the seventh day holy with God making heaven and earth in six days and resting on the seventh. The surrounding teaching presents God's commandments, statutes, and judgments as expressing His will, to be remembered, kept, and followed as the path to life and well-being. Keeping them is joined with His covenant mercy sworn to the fathers, with blessing and love and multiplication, with going in and possessing the land, and with the taking away of sickness.

The wilderness tested and disciplined Israel so they would learn to trust God's word and walk in His ways. "In all thy ways" means in all of God's ways. Christ stayed on the path of duty and carried out the work appointed to Him, so that Satan gained no advantage over Him. His example warns God's people not to accept the enemy's challenges or act presumptuously, but to obey God's commands.

Obedience Brings Life and Blessing

Walking in all the ways the Lord commands, without turning aside, is the condition on which life, well-being, and prolonged days in the land to be possessed depend, making obedience the condition for prosperity and blessing. The command was given through Moses to Israel before entering Canaan, requiring following every way commanded so they might live, prosper, and have long life in the land they would possess. That instruction to Israel applies just as surely to God's people now, who are to heed His instruction for their good. Israel's life, well-being, and continued years in the land depended on not turning aside from all the ways commanded.

Obedience to God's commands is for the people's good and is a life-or-death matter and the path to life and well-being. Those requirements express God's will and are to be remembered, kept, and followed, and on that ground children are to be taught to obey them. Walking in His ways is what God required in His commandments and statutes and judgments that His ancient people might be a holy people unto Himself. That walking brings life, that it may be well, with blessing and love and multiplication, keeping of the covenant and mercy sworn to the fathers, going in and possessing the land, and taking away of sickness.

The commandments are given in love to prevent the sorrow and misery caused by sin. Obedience fosters temperance, industry, economy, and other virtues conducive to long life, health, happiness, and peace, so that God's law is life, health, and prosperity to those who obey. Keeping God's law in family life and business conduct prepares people to regain Paradise, which was lost through disobedience. Obedience to all God's commandments brings safety, His favor, and life with prolonged days in the land He gives, so those under divine guidance are safe in the present when they obey.

Present Call to Obey

The instruction once given to Israel was not for Israel alone but reaches beyond them, and it rests just as surely upon God's people now, who are to walk in every way He commands without turning aside and to heed His instruction, since obedience brings life, well-being, and prolonged days in the land to be possessed. The same requirement stands now while approaching the day of God's great final review, when the people of this world must stand before the Judge of all the earth to answer for their deeds. That is the time of investigation when every character will have been investigated and every case decided for eternity, and these words are to be read with profit to prepare for the future eternal life, for walking in His ways in His commandments and statutes and judgments makes His people holy to Himself and brings life, well-being, blessing and love and multiplication, keeping of the covenant and mercy sworn to the fathers, going in and possessing the land, and taking away of sickness.

The chapter's special lesson is obedience to the Lord's commandments, calling for walking in all the ways God commands. None of His important requirements is to be neglected, and to neglect them is rebellion. This obedience belongs to the sanctification God requires of every person, involving mind, soul, and body, for God requires perfect obedience to His will and no excuse is accepted for disobedience to His commandments.

Walking in all the ways commanded means carefully observing all the directions He has given, from the greatest to what may seem the least, as a holy people chosen by the Lord to be peculiar above all nations. That instruction is needed by all, especially by those carrying responsibilities in sanitarium work, showing God's dealings with His people. The command that there may be life and well-being and prolonged days requires parents to take every precaution to prevent their children from growing up with objectionable traits of character, to control themselves for the sake of Christ as Creator and Redeemer, and to prepare themselves for the present and the future life so they will be admitted into the city of God. This preparation comes with the soul-temple cleansed and with piety, virtue, and godliness revealed in the home life through entire surrender of the soul, without which no service is accepted.

Obedience is the way of life, tied to well-being and continued life in the land, and it calls for walking in every way He commands without turning aside to follow personal wishes. It therefore calls for steadfast loyalty to God's Word even when the world rejects it, and for reformation in every church and family. Honoring Christ in daily life includes believing His Word and following His example by keeping all His commandments so as to live.