96. Be Well with Them
Deuteronomy 5:29 O that there were such an heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever.
The repeated conditional promise that it will be well with those who keep His Commandments is given here as a wish, or even a dream, of the Lord. God knows everything, of course, and here He knows that if His created humans will keep God’s Moral Law inscribed in the Ten Commandments it will be well with them. It is a positive consequence of doing the right thing, but it is also a promise that life will go well and be much better and kinder to us when we obey the Law of God. This promise should encourage us to fear and love God so that we will do these things according to God’s ideal plan for living well.
When family, marriage, property, reputation, bodily life, mental health, and etc. is preserved and protected life is better for everyone. It will be well with you if everyone else in your world kept the Law, for then you could live safely, securely, comfortably and well. And it will also be well with you if you yourself would keep the Law. In other words, if other people didn’t sin your life would be better; if you didn’t sin your life would be better. We can only dream of the wonderful, ideal life we could all live if everyone perfectly obeyed the Law of God. Imagine!
God also dreams of such a life for all His creatures. “O that there were such a heart in them.” The people had promised that they would hear and do the words of the Lord. God’s response: “if only that were so.” But God plans on making His dreams come true. He executed His plan by sending His Son to the earth and the Holy Spirit into the hearts. He is working all things out together for good in the end. And He will finish the job. God promises it will be well with you and you children forever. Trust Him to do it. Believe that God’s life is the best. Believe that He gives that life to you. With faith in Christ we can confidently say, “Life is good!”