That Thou Mayest Observe To Do
By Abraham Eli
Man viewing through binoculars.
"This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success." (Joshua 1:8).
The essence of studying the word of God is not so that we can let people know how much of the bible we know; rather, it is primarily so that we may "observe to do according to all that is written therein." The essence of meditating on the scriptures is not so that we can show how good we are in memorization and recitation; but, so that we may "observe to do according to all that is written therein." And, the essence of observing to do according to all that is written therein in the scriptures is not so that we can be like the Pharisees ?becoming the self acclaimed sole custodians of the word of God and regulating for others how to live; or to be able to boast of our righteousness as a result of following the word of God; rather, it is so that we can truly be prosperous and successful in all that we do.
Please, let it be made clear that our prosperity or success is not the result of simply following the scriptures, rather, it is the proof of our act of faith, that we truly believe and take God at His. It is this act of faith that God sees and responds with His blessings upon us (Hebrews 11:6)!
So, take bible studies seriously, whether personal or corporate. Let nothing hinder your study of the word of God. Take the meditation on the scriptures seriously. Let nothing stop you from reciting them to yourself. And most importantly, constantly put to practice all that you have studied and meditated upon, so that God can see your act of faith in Him and pronounce His blessings upon you in all that you lay your hands to do; for it is the doer of the word whom God blesses:
"But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed." (James 1:22-25).
When for example when you read,
"He that withholdeth corn, the people shall curse him: but blessing shall be upon the head of him that selleth it." (Proverbs 11:26)
and you meditate on this verse of scripture, you would discover in the course of your study and meditation that "withholding corn" is the same thing as hoarding for profit, or keeping back in a time of scarcity so that one can make more profit in future when the demand is higher. You will then see that the result of such an action is a curse! This is what became of the stock market and the futures market all around the world. People were involved in speculative buying, and holding back to create artificial scarcity so that they could sell for huge profit later on. Or, coming nearer to the grass roots, we can say that, not selling fuel which people need to transact their daily business, in anticipation of a fuel price hike, so that one can make a 'kill' after the increase is one such behaviour that attracts a curse!
Take Deuteronomy 24:14-15 as another example. This scripture clearly says that one should pay one's workers their wages as at when due, because if one does not, when they cry to God (and always will), He will hear and one will be condemned for one's sinful and wicked act. Is this the reason why your business is not prospering? Are you using up funds meant for the wages of your employees for your personal and family pleasures, while your staff struggle to come to work? And when they miss work for any reason, you either give them a query, suspend them without pay, or sack them without paying them what you owe them?
Unfortunately, many Christians are caught in this kind of act, and the name of God is brought into disrepute. This is probably because these so-called 'Christians' are not studying and meditating on the word of God. It is also possible that even though they may attend bible study and may even meditate on the scriptures, they do not put it to practice. This is a sign that such individuals do not believe that God can take care of their needs without their having to resort to self-help and oppressive methods. Beloved, let us be hearers and doers of the word of God; He will see our faith in Him, and will command a blessing upon us.