In our society today, almost everyone desires to do only that which will pay. So, we often hear the question: “Will this pay?” In this article, we examine if it pays to keep the Ten Commandments, the Law of God.

To a person without the presence of Jesus abiding in him, speaking of the law of God to him is to speak only condemnation. It is the sound of a death knell upon him. If so benumbed by the pleasures of sin, he may for a time or longer be insensible to its claims; nonetheless, it still demands his life! “Sin is the transgression of the law.” 1 John 3:4. And, “the soul that sinneth, it shall die.” Ezekiel 18:20. It is also plainly said: “For the wages of sin is death.” Romans 6:23

If nothing is done, the transgressor must die for his sin according to the law. In the world, there is only one remedy for sin. The law is good for it leads the condemned to that remedy—Christ, through His blood. It is the great compass, pointing us back to where life is, in the Holy Scriptures; it is said to be our school master. “Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster [to bring us] unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.” Galatians 3:24. “In this scripture, [Galatians 3:24] the Holy Spirit through the apostle is speaking especially of the moral law. The law reveals sin to us, and causes us to feel our need of Christ and to flee unto Him for pardon and peace by exercising repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.” –The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 6, p. 1110

Now we know that to be in Christ, and to have Him in us, we must receive Him into our heart by faith, believing His word. Repentance and confession then follow. Immediately a new life begins! Condemnation has ended. The new man stands in front of the holy law and is not afraid, for he is justified, forgiven. When the Holy God looks at him, He only sees the righteousness of His Son. He has moved from death to life (John 3:18 first part). “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” Romans 8:1. Ah! What a wonderful spectacle!

Already we seem to have gotten ahead of the story! The law triggered us to seek a way to obtain an important asset, the asset of peace. PEACE is a short word. It has only five letters. Yet the world is spending billions in money to try to have it—external peace. The results show they have radically failed and are disillusioned. Even great peace think-tanks hold little or no hope of peace. They seek it in the wrong way! The only true way to have both inner and external peace has been stated above. Those in Christ, along with the psalmist, are able to say: “Great peace have they which love Thy law: and nothing shall offend them.” Psalms 119:165

Not long ago, I asked Jesus if He had any words for me, as His child. I prayed that since He speaks to us through His word, I will open the Bible with my eyes closed, not knowing where I am to open it, so that it should be Him to show me where to listen. I did this to be sure the passage I will open is His voice to me. When I opened the Bible, it turned out to be 2 Samuel. 6:9–12. It is an inspiring instance, depicting how our dear God moves to bless all those who are very exact on keeping His law. “And David was afraid of the LORD that day, and said, How shall the ark of the LORD come to me? So David would not remove the ark of the LORD unto him into the city of David: but David carried it aside into the house of Obed-edom the Gittite. And the ark of the LORD continued in the house of Obed-edom the Gittite three months.” (verses 9–11, first part)

The ark of God had long been at Kirjath-jearim. King David purposed to bring it to Jerusalem, his city, as a symbol of the divine presence. But, when it smote Uzzah on the way, David’s personal heart assessment revealed that he could not live near it or else it would cause great devastation in the presence of any impurity. But the man, Obed-edom, had a clear conscience; it was not at variance with the claims of the law. So the ark was taken to his house. What a wonderful privilege! For three full months he and the whole family gazed at it with reverence. Doubtless, now and again, they were renewing their vows to obey its precepts. Young children get anxious to know when something new is in the house. Imagine his young children asking to know what the box was. “Dad, what is that beautiful box?” He may have answered in a sweet tone: “It is the ark containing the Holy Law of God, the transcript of His character. It contains the binding claims of which I have been teaching you all along.” Had Obed-edom been cherishing a rebellious spirit toward the Ten Commandments or practicing known sins, his fate could have been similar to that of Uzzah, being smitten to death.

With keen interest, the whole of Israel waited to see what would become of this Gittite for taking upon himself such “risk”. Then inspiration leaves us with the following record of results: “and the LORD blessed Obed-edom, and all his household.” (verse 11, last part)

What followed? “The favor shown to the house of Obed-edom led David again to hope that the ark might bring a blessing to him and to his people.” –Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 706. The news spread far and near, even unto king David of how the Lord had done bountifully with Obed-edom, His commandment-keeping servant. “And it was told king David, saying, The LORD hath blessed the house of Obed-edom, and all that [pertaineth] unto him, because of the ark of God. So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom into the city of David with gladness. (verse 12)

The Lord, through His servant Jeremiah, speaks of His people, in the latter days, who will have the law written in their hearts. He writes: “Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers. . . . But this [shall be] the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put My law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be My people. . . . they shall all know Me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD; for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” Jeremiah 31:31–34. To have the law in our inward parts means more than memorizing the Decalogue. It implies a strong conscience to discern evil and a strong will against sin. Actually, it means living out its principles, as did Obed-edom.

Now let us conclude in this way: Our dear brother of old, Obed-edom, was privileged to dwell in the physical presence of the Holy Ark right in his house. To us, that chance has not been given. Instead the law is engraved in our hearts. Despite this difference, the results of living it are the same. A free flow of blessings from above will follow all those that are exact keepers of His law in this life, together with their household and all that they have. When the perfect image of the Creator is wrought in us, the news will be spread far and wide of His blessings upon us. As our neighbours, with deep interest, seek to discern the secret of our success, the law of God will be presented to them as a condition for their prosperity. Many will come to know the Lord! More than this, Christ speaking to the revelator, in the spirit, looking down the ages to the time of eternal deliverance, talks of the characteristic of those that will have the right to the tree of life and enter in through the gates into the city when he writes: “Blessed are they that do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.” Revelation 22:14. So, does it pay to keep the Law of God? With all confidence we respond in a sweet but loud tone: “Yes, it pays!” Amen.

Joel Msiska