Deuteronomy 6:25, commentary and pictures

Righteousness is observing to do all the commandments before the Lord exactly as He commanded them. The commandments are the Ten Commandments, the expression of God's will written with His finger, never to be changed, binding on all people in all ages, and the fear joined to keeping them is godly fear, not servile fear. The words were spoken by Christ Himself to Moses, to a people who had been bondmen in Egypt whom the Lord brought out with a mighty hand to give them the land sworn to their fathers, commanding these statutes for their good always that He might preserve them alive. The law was given to establish righteousness for life, happiness, health and prosperity in this life and the life to come, and only by willing obedience can men be in harmony with God and have His defense, yet obedience does not replace Christ, for men are treated as righteous for Christ's sake by obeying the law. It is the same requirement Christ gave when asked what to do to inherit eternal life, to keep the ten holy precepts with supreme love to God and love to neighbor as self, which exposes self-love and idolatry of possessions as failure to fulfill the law. Therefore parents are to have God's words in the heart and teach them diligently to children in the house and by the way, and ministers and all in responsible trust are to present the law as immutable, because the day of God's great final review is near when every character will be investigated and every case decided for eternity.

Meaning and Historical Setting

It shall be righteousness to observe to do all the commandments before the Lord exactly as He commanded. That righteousness consists in faithfully doing all God gave, doing what is right and good in His sight, diligently keeping His commandments, testimonies and statutes. The obedience described is joined to fearing God and doing all His statutes for good always and for preservation of life. Faithfully followed, this way brings well-being in this life and the life to come, including life, happiness, health, joy and preservation.

The commandments so kept are the Ten Commandments, the expression of God's will written with the finger of God on tables of stone. They are never to be changed or erased, binding on all people in all ages and countries, and God's law remains unchanged. Keeping them includes loving God supremely and loving neighbor as self, and self-love supreme is failure to fulfill the law. The young ruler's claim to have kept them was incomplete because he loved possessions more than God's service and others' good, so that wealth had become an idol.

The fear joined to this obedience is not a servile fear but a godly fear. The verse belongs to the instruction given to Israel in Deuteronomy 4-11, whose directions from greatest to least are to be carefully observed. Deuteronomy 4-8 is to be studied to understand God's requirement of His ancient people that they might be a holy people to Himself. That obedience was practiced before the Lord and linked with covenant life and covenant mercy and blessing and God's care. It presents a mutual agreement in which people give their hearts to God and study His light and teaching so as not to depart from it. Israel's wilderness experience tested whether they would keep His commandments and taught dependence on every word from God.

Its setting recalls that they were Pharaoh's bondmen in Egypt and the Lord brought them out with a mighty hand and great signs and wonders to bring them in and give them the land sworn to their fathers. He commanded all these statutes to be done in fear of the Lord for their good always that He might preserve them alive as at that day. When children ask what the testimonies and statutes and judgments mean, parents are to repeat the history of God's gracious dealings and how He wrought for deliverance that they might obey His law. This instruction was repeated in song during the wilderness journey, impressing parents and children. The whole chapter is a lesson to be studied, that children may receive correct impressions of the Lord's dealings with His chosen people.

The words were spoken by Christ Himself to Moses from the pillar of cloud.

Righteousness, Blessing, and Duty

The law was given to establish righteousness, and to fear God and do all His statutes is for human good always that He might preserve alive, bringing well-being in this life and in the life to come, including life, happiness, health, joy, prosperity and richest blessings with positive assurance, and keeping people from being led astray by Satan's deceptions. Only by obedience can people be in harmony with God, receive His wall of defense against cursing sins, have Him work for their highest good, and have evidence that they are accepted by Him. Willing obedience that delights to do His will and uses every power in His service produces temperance, industry and economy, avoids evil and preserves virtue. Obedience does not replace Christ, for the way to be treated as righteous for Christ's sake is to obey the law.

The verse gives the same requirement Christ gave when asked what to do to inherit eternal life, to keep the commandments, meaning the ten holy precepts kept with supreme love to God and love to neighbor as self, and it exposes the deficiency of those with whom self-love is supreme. Christ exposed such self-love as failure to fulfill the law, and the young ruler's claim to have kept them proved incomplete because he loved his possessions more than God's service and the good of others, so that his wealth had become an idol. Salvation thus has decided conditions requiring diligently keeping God's commandments, testimonies and statutes.

The chapter makes the law the means of education in the family, requiring parents to have God's words in the heart and teach them diligently to children from earliest years when sitting in the house, walking by the way, lying down and rising up, binding them for a sign and writing them on house and gates. Parents are to tell their sons of the Lord's gracious dealings and deliverance, how He brought Israel out of bondage in Egypt with a mighty hand and great signs and wonders to give them the land sworn to their fathers, repeating the history and meaning of the testimonies, statutes and judgments from generation to generation, an instruction repeated even in song during the wilderness journey to impress parents and children. They are to control their own conduct, walk in all the commandments, and set an example of strictest integrity, impressing obedience on tender minds and allowing little ones nothing in disregard of God's plain commandments. Teaching and requiring obedience helps children avoid evil and cherish virtue, brings Christ's saving grace to youth, and children trained to love and obey God and yield to the molding power of His Word are objects of God's special care and blessing, while neglect brings accountability before God and children's disobedience testifies to that neglect.

The same obligation rests beyond the home, for the law is the foundation of all enduring reformation, to be taught line upon line and precept upon precept by ministers in the pulpit with reliance on divine power and presented to the world as immutable. Ministers, teachers, physicians and nurses are bound by covenant to present the importance of obeying it and are distinguished as a commandment-keeping people. Men in far-reaching responsible positions must guard their ways and works with the fear of the Lord ever before them, and those who listen diligently to God's voice and cheerfully keep His commandments will see God. The lesson calls for full surrender and consecration to God, on which acceptable service and good works depend. God's professed people must not take tramplers of His commandments as counsellors, unite in politics with unbelievers, or parade political belief before the world as worldlings do, since that weakens hold on God, creates division, strife and jealousy, greatly offends God, and He cannot and will not prosper it.

The verse shows what God required of His ancient people that they might be a holy people to Himself, that their righteousness lay in observing to do all His commandments before Him. That requirement must be understood now because the day of God's great final review is near when the people of this world must stand before the Judge of all the earth to answer for their deeds. The present is the time of investigation, before that day every character will have been investigated and every case decided for eternity, and Deuteronomy 4-8 is to be studied to understand that requirement.