203. Prosper in all you do
1 Kings 2:3 And keep the charge of the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, to keep his statutes, and his commandments, and his judgments, and his testimonies, as it is written in the law of Moses, that thou mayest prosper in all that thou doest, and whithersoever thou turnest thyself.
David is dying and giving this charge to his son Solomon. Included in this blessing to his son is a common Biblical promise, which applies to all people as well. It is a conditional promise: If you keep the charge of the Lord, walk in His ways, keep His statutes, commandments, judgments and testimonies as written in the Word, then you will prosper in whatever you do and wherever you go. This general conditional promise permeates the Word of God: obey the Law of God and you will do well. This is actually true for all people, believers and unbelievers alike. Even God-hating atheists and heathen who would live by the Ten Commandments will prosper in their life and work.
The truth, of course, is that no one is righteous and perfectly keeps the Law, so the promise cannot come into effect. However, it is also true that the closer one’s life comes into line with God’s will and His laws the better his life will be. And it is also true that Christ has kept the Law perfectly in our place, and for Christ’s sake God has granted believers His righteousness (perfect Law-keeping) by grace. Two things are at stake: 1) Eternal rewards are consequent upon faith in the perfect Law-keeper; 2) Temporal rewards are closely correlated with the degree that our actual lives and behaviors (and thoughts) align with the laws of God.
Everyone has been given a charge to keep, like Solomon as King; it may be your role as husband, father, vocation, employer, employee, etc., etc., and each will discharge his/her responsibilities and fulfill his/her role better when he/she obeys the Law than when he/she disobeys. We don’t always see the connection, but we believe there is a cause and effect correlation. For instance, just keeping one Commandment, like the Fifth (being kind) or the Sixth (honoring marriage) has its reward of making life a whole lot better.
So, if you are going to be a king or a cobbler ask for God’s wisdom and help that you may prosper. Hear the Law and do it. Listen to the Gospel and believe it. Then enjoy life to the full.