The Faithful Who Keep the Commands of the Good King

Even as he was being stoned to death, Stephen’s face was as calm as an angel’s. Solomon, once he became king, ruled his people harshly, and only when he saw himself giving way to the years did he realize that a life of obedience to God is true wisdom. Obadiah, though he served in King Ahab’s court, risked his life to hide a hundred of the Lord’s prophets in caves and so kept them alive.

The face shows the state of the heart just as it is. Solomon’s face, fierce in his pride, became gentle and radiant after he repented. The commands of God, who is King, are not to be kept only when one feels like it; and because human beings are frail creatures who can determine neither what lies ahead nor the day of their death, they must live leaning on the One to whom their life belongs.

Those who obey the Word can discern the right time and the right way, and so they do not fall into misfortune. Obedience must spring not from fear but from faith in Christ, offered freely as an act of devotion. Christians whose sins are forgiven and who have been saved need not dread the end; they are free to live wisely now, giving thanks to God.