Deuteronomy 6:18, commentary and pictures

To do what is right and good in the sight of the Lord is to keep diligently and carefully all that He commanded, even His smallest directions, rather than substituting what people judge acceptable. In its setting this means loving Him with all heart, soul and might, keeping His words in the heart, teaching them diligently to children at all times, fearing and serving Him alone without going after other gods or tempting Him, and remembering Him who brought Israel from bondage when enjoying abundance not of their own making. The promise joined to this obedience is welfare, prosperity and long life, and entrance to possess the good land sworn to the fathers with enemies driven out. The same obedience is required now, for the time of final review before the Judge of all the earth is near and character is now being investigated for eternity. That faithfulness is from a right and surrendered heart, shown in unity with brethren, putting away self-will, doing daily work sincerely before God though no eye sees, and in parents training children from infancy to form characters approved by God and fitted for the city of God.

Meaning in Context

To do what is right and good in the sight of the Lord is to keep diligently and carefully all that He commanded — His commandments, testimonies, statutes, judgments and directions, even those that seem least. It means obeying His specified statutes as given and applying His words in daily life, rather than setting them aside to follow what people themselves judge acceptable. That careful keeping is what brings well-being and opens the way to possess the land promised to the fathers.

The charge stands within the careful-obedience instruction of Deuteronomy 4–11, and within Deuteronomy 6 it stands with loving the Lord with all heart and soul and might, keeping His words in the heart, and teaching them diligently to children when sitting in the house and walking by the way and lying down and rising up. It stands with binding them for a sign upon the hand and as frontlets between the eyes, and writing them upon the posts of the house and upon the gates. It stands with fearing and serving the Lord alone and swearing by His name without going after other gods, and with not tempting Him as Israel tempted Him at Massah. It stands with remembering, when brought into the land to receive cities not built and houses and wells and vineyards and olive trees not made by Israel and eating and being full, to beware lest the Lord who brought Israel out of Egypt out of the house of bondage be forgotten; the whole chapter is a lesson to be studied with godly fear and not with servile fear.

The promised result is that it shall be well with Israel — welfare and prosperity, life and long life — and that they shall go in and enter and possess the good land sworn to their fathers. Their enemies would be driven out as God had spoken. By keeping His commandments and statutes and judgments in this way they would be a holy people unto Himself.

Present Duty and Application

The same careful keeping of commandments, statutes and judgments once required so Israel might be a holy people, live well, and enter the good land promised to their fathers is required now. Those words are to be read with profit now because the world is nearing the day of God's great final review. In that day all must stand before the Judge of all the earth to answer for their deeds. The present is the time of investigation when every character will have been investigated and every case decided for eternity.

Doing what God counts as right and good means carefully keeping His commandments, testimonies and statutes. It includes coming into unity with brethren and putting away differences. It requires breaking down self-esteem, self-confidence and selfish determination to have one's own way. It calls for correcting weakness of character and becoming fitted for service so the enemy does not rule. Such obedience still brings well-being and entrance to possess the good land promised.

That faithfulness brings well-being and long life to those who do what is right in the Lord's sight. It means diligently keeping God's commandments and applying His words in daily life. People are not free to replace what God has commanded with what they judge acceptable. It is obeying from a right heart rather than merely following rules outwardly. It is doing daily work sincerely, wholeheartedly and faithfully before God even when no human supervisor is watching.

Parents are to understand this instruction and speak to their children words that give correct impressions of the Lord's dealings with His chosen people. They are to teach the commandments to their children. They are to train children from infancy to form characters that meet God's approval, taking every precaution to prevent objectionable traits of character. They are to control themselves for the sake of their Creator and Redeemer and to prepare themselves for present and future life in order to be admitted into the city of God. God will not accept the most splendid service unless the one who offers it is first consecrated by entire surrender of the soul, for unless the root is holy there can be no acceptable fruit.