This afternoon the title of our talk is "Delight in the Law of Jehovah." But, as we recite that theme, we can't help but notice that the majority of people today do not delight in God's laws. In fact, most people view God's laws as contained in the Bible, as overly restrictive, old-fashioned. They feel it stifles their freedom to do whatever they want. And for most people, God's law is nothing more than a nice conversation piece to put on the coffee table, or maybe a book to add to the bookshelf, or maybe an heirloom to pass on to the children. It rarely gets opened, much less read, or applied.

Nevertheless, to those of us who choose to observe its words, the law of God has an advantage over the laws of man. And what is that advantage? Turn to Psalm 19 in your Bibles. Psalm 19:7.

The law of Jehovah is perfect, bringing back the soul. The reminder of Jehovah is trustworthy, making the inexperienced one wise.

So, God's law is perfect. And why is that? Because God is perfect. As the Creator, God's advice is the most sensible place to turn. And as it happens, people who apply God's perfect counsel find that their lives have fewer problems, and the problems that they do have, they are able to handle much more easily.

On the other hand, man's laws are not perfect. And why is that? Because man is not perfect. In fact, man has tried for thousands of years to produce better laws, but where has it gotten them? Well, here in the United States, we have an entire branch of the government dedicated to the making of new laws. That's all that they do, those 535 men in Congress sit around all day and make new laws. And have all those laws made people any happier? No. Has it made them more honest and caring? No. Has it improved the quality of our lives? Not really. In fact, the more laws there are, the more loopholes there are, and the more the laws contradict themselves.

Human imperfection leads us to another disadvantage with man's laws, and that's corruption. It's possible that we don't realize it quite as much in this country, but the fact is that most governments never have treated their citizens very well. And even in this country, where the government is relatively honest, we still see the corruption within it. For example, if you've got a 'friend on the force,' as they say, you can go ahead and break any law you want, and never worry about getting into trouble.

Well, is God like that? Certainly not, because Acts 10:34 tells us that we "know for a certainty that God is not partial." That means that Jehovah's laws apply equally to all people, whether they choose to obey or not. And those who choose not to obey will receive equal, fair punishment at Judgment Day.

But for those of us who do obey God's laws, we don't obey them because we're afraid of punishment. Oh no! In fact, our motive is expounded quite well in the book of 1 John, chapter 5. Here, the Apostle John tells us why we obey God. 1 John 5:3.

For this is what the love of God means, that we observe his commandments; and yet his commandments are not burdensome.

We obey God because we love him. And when we obey God's commandments, we show everyone else that we love God. Obedience to God's laws is a demonstration of love. Now, in our ministry, or talking to people at work or school, when we ask them if they love God, what their answer? "Oh yes! I love God!" But when we proceed to ask them what they do to show they love God, like: 'Do you preach to others about God's Kingdom?' "Oh no! I'd never do that!" "Well, then, do you put God's Kingdom first in your life?" "Oh, no! I could never do that. But I love God!"

Now, what's the problem with that? Well, we just read that the way we show we really love God is by obedience. In fact, obedience is really the only way we can show that we love God. That requires doing something. That requires works.

An excellent example of a person who really loved God is Abraham. Now, did Abraham just sit at home in his chair and say, "I love God", and God said "Yes, you did"? No, more was involved, wasn't it? When Jehovah asked Abraham to pick up and move, he obeyed, did he not? And when Jehovah asked him to sacrifice his son, he obeyed. He went as far as having the knife in hand, ready to do away with Isaac, when God said, "Stop! Do not hurt the boy, for now I know you do love me." So Abraham obeyed and proved his love for God.

And we know that God can read hearts. So, why didn't God just read Abraham's heart and say, "Well, there's a man on love." Instead, he gave Abraham an assignment--as impossible assignment. Why did he do that? Because obedience is the only way we can prove we love God! In fact, that what Satan's challenge against Jehovah is all about. You see, Satan claims that nobody really loves God. He says that the only reason anybody serves God is to get something out of it for themselves, to get what they want. So, with that in mind, what is the only way that Satan's claim can be proven wrong? Well, it's to let people be obedient to God's law. In fact, thousands have proven Satan a liar by remaining obedient to God's law up until their deaths. And as we know, the reward of a resurrection awaits them. Likewise, when we obey God's law, we prove Satan a liar, and we also prove our love for God.

Obedience also pleases God. In fact, obedience pleases God more than anything else we could possible do. The Bible itself tells us that fact at First Samuel 15:22. It says,

In turn Samuel said: "Does Jehovah have as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of Jehovah? Look! To obey is better than a sacrifice, to pay attention that the fat of rams.

So obedience is better than a sacrifice. Why is that? Because anyone can blindly give a sacrifice. Take, for example, the Pharisees of Jesus' day. They gave sacrifices. In fact, at the temple, they put large sums of money into the contribution box. But was Jehovah pleased with the Pharisees? No. Why not? Because they were disobedient. What does that tell us today? It tells us that no matter what type of sacrifices we're able to give, whether we can help financially with the Kingdom work, or pioneer, or help build Kingdom Halls, it doesn't please Jehovah at all unless we are obedient. So obedience to God's law demonstrates love, proves Satan a liar, and makes Jehovah happy.

Another key reason why we should be obedient to God's law is that obedience is essential for salvation. How essential is it? Well, no one gets life who is disobedient. And how do we know that? Well, did Adam get life? Was he obedient? How about all the other people in the Bible who were disobedient? Will they get life? No, they will not.

Now, we have quite a bit of Scriptural backing for that statement. But we're only going to read one of these Scriptures. Please turn to John 12:50. These are Jesus' words when praying to his Father.

Also, I know that his [that is, Jehovah's] commandment means everlasting life.

So, in plain language, we've just read that salvation is only for those who are obedient to God's commandments.

Well, that means that some of us are going to have to make some changes, doesn't it? Because salvation is going to require changing our personality from independent to obedient. Now, that's hard to do, isn't it! Why? Well, what does the world say? Do they say, "Let's humbly be obedient"? No! The world says, "You can't tell me what to do! I'll do whatever I want." That's why it's so hard to be obedient to God, because humility and obedience are qualities that are looked down upon in the world.

Since obedience is required for salvation, and very few people today are obedient, what does that mean? Well, it means that very few people will receive salvation. And that is directly the opposite of what Christendom teaches. They say that all good people go to heaven. They say that all religions are just 'different roads leading to the same place.' In fact, in this permissive society, most people scorn the idea that there could be only one true religion. They say that's too 'narrow-minded'. Well, what does the Bible say? Does the Bible say that all religions are just 'different roads leading to the same place'? Well, Jesus said at Matthew 7:13, 14 that there are only two roads. And they're definitely not going to the same place! And the majority are on the big spacious road, the course of least resistance. But where does that road lead? Right into destruction!

So God's Kingdom is not a democracy. It's not a matter of 'majority rules'. Rather, those who will be admitted must measure up to God's lofty standards, and not many people today measure up. Therefore, the Bible correctly describes the road that leads to life as "narrow".

But, brothers and sisters, many of us probably don't realize just how narrow that narrow road is. Now, we don't know how many will survive the Great Day of God the Almighty, but we can take a lesson from the flood of Noah's Day. Out of the many millions of people that were on the earth at that time, how many people survived? Only eight. And out of all those who were destroyed, there were no doubt some good people there, some 'nice people'. Yet, be aware that those who died in the flood will have no resurrection. And why not? Because they were disobedient to God's law.

In order to get salvation, we have to obey God's law and become a part of Jehovah's visible organization. And there's only one. Just like there was only one ark that survived the flood. Not two or ten or thirty, but one. And notice, too, that the survivors had to be in the ark. They couldn't be sitting on the roof or hanging on the outside of the ark, could they? They had to be inside. Likewise, we have to be inside Jehovah's arklike organization, not just 'sitting on the fence' or hanging on the fringes of the organization. We have to be actively obeying Jehovah right along with the rest of our brothers. Without a doubt, there is only one true religion, and we have to obey God's law and associate with His organization in order to be saved.

But while we're stressing the importance of being a part of Jehovah's organization, we must also reiterate the need to personally observe God's laws, because we can't ride these seats into the new world.

At this time, we're briefly going to review a few of God's laws. We don't have time to mention all of them, of course, but we'd like to hit some of the high points.

One important law that merits our attention is that we should not lie. And being truthful people takes in a wide range of activities. It means that we will honestly pay our taxes, it means we will tell the truth even when it would be easier to lie. For honest people, there's no such thing as a 'little white lie'. Because a lie is a lie. And people who lie usually can't tell just one lie, can they? No, because they have to tell another lie to cover up the other one, and so on. So how much better it is simply to obey God's law and be truthful!

Another law that we'd like to look at focuses on young people. And it's found at Ephesians chapter 6, verses 1-3. Please open there, especially if you're a young person living at home.

Children, be obedient to your parents in union with the Lord, for this is righteous: "Honor your father and your mother"; which is the first command with a promise: "That is may go well with you and you may endure a long time on the earth."

Be obedient to your parents. Honor your father and your mother. Today's television dramas and situation comedies feature children, but would you consider them as obedient and respectful? On the contrary, they feature rude children ordering their parents around and using shocking, disrespectful speech. And sad to say, that type of behavior has rubbed off onto some of the children and teenagers in our organization. And in Jehovah's eyes, that's simply unacceptable. This law has a promise associated with it. If you obey your parents along with the Lord, you will live a long life, in other words, forever. However, the converse also applies. If you do not obey and respect your parents, you're not obeying God's law, and you will not live a long life on the earth. What a joy, though, to see the majority, many thousands, of the young people in God's congregation who do obey their parents! Those of you who are respectful are a delight to your parents, to all of us, and to your God, Jehovah!

A third law that merits our attention is that we should not drink alcohol excessively. And why not? The Bible itself tells us why, at Proverbs chapter 23, verses 29 through 35. Let's read that together.

Who has woe? Who has uneasiness? Who has contentions? Who has concern? Who has wounds for no reason? Who has dullness of eyes? Those staying a long time with the wine, those coming in to search out mixed wine. Do not look at wine when it exhibits a red color, when it gives off its sparkle in the cup, when it goes with a slickness. At its end it bites just like a serpent, and it secretes poison just like a viper. Your own eyes will see strange things, and your own heart will speak perverse things. And you will certainly become like one lying down in the heart of the sea, even like one lying down at the top of a mast. "They have struck me, but I did not become sick; they have smitten me, but I did not know it. When shall I wake up? I shall seek it yet some more."

How true those words are! Those who drink excessively have problems, just as this account says. It causes woe, contentions, pain, family problems, economic problems, not to mention the chronic physical illnesses it can cause. When taken in moderation, alcohol does little harm. In fact, it can even be beneficial. But when taken in excess, alcohol can permanently damage the body and the mind. And more importantly, it damages a person's relationship with God. But please be informed, brothers, that we're not talking about drunkenness. The Bible condemns that, too. But you don't have to falling over drunk in order to be breaking God's law. How is that? Well, if we drink enough alcohol to impair our thinking skills or body functions, then we're drinking too much. And we should be able to tell when we've had enough. So, be careful, and don't fall into the snare of overdrinking.

Another one of God's laws that we should pay attention to is found at Matthew 28:19-20. Let's turn there. It's a familiar scripture.

Go therefore and make disciples of people of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the holy spirit, teaching them to observe all the things I have commanded you. And, look! I am with you all the days until the conclusion of the system of things.

So Christians must preach and teach, making disciples. This is a law that is binding on all Christians, not just the elders or some special "clergy class", as Christendom tries to do. If you have a basic understanding of the Bible, then you are under obligation to preach the good news of the Kingdom. So, do you preach? Really, though, instead of viewing the preaching work as an obligation, why not view it as a privilege? And what a privilege it is to be personally used as messengers of God! And even though the people we talk to may not treat us right, "Get out of here!", every time we share in the preaching work, by our obedience we're proving we love God. And we're proving we love our neighbor, too, even though they householders may not realize it at the time. But that's their problem, isn't it? Our job is to be about the business of preaching and teaching. So let's keep on obeying God's law with regard to the public ministry.

Well, these are just a few of God's laws. There are many more, but what every one of God's laws all have in common is that they are all perfect, and our lives will be improved if we choose to obey them, which is much more than what we can say of man's laws, which only bring about corruption and confusion.

Today, we've seen the superiority of God's law. Maybe now you'd like to know how each one of us can personally come to know and love God's law. Well, that's what we're going to discuss now. We're going to examine, verse-by-verse, most of Psalm 1. The first Psalm basically tells us how to be happy, and it focuses specifically on how God's Word makes us happier people. Please keep your Bibles open there, because we're going to study the first three verses.

Notice verse one:

Happy is the man that has not walked in the counsel of the wicked ones, And in the way of sinners has not stood, And in the seat of ridiculers has not sat.

So our choice of associates will determine our level of happiness, to a large degree. If we mingle with people who ridicule and insult and degrade and bring down, we're not going to be very happy people. And we've seen examples of that. For instance, there are some who leave Jehovah's organization for one reason or another. And so they've spend time outside of God's fold with people who ridiculed and insulted and degraded. Many of these people have come back to the organization, and many of them have said, "Whenever I was out of Jehovah's organization, I never was happy." And so it's true.

But on the other hand, if we do associate with those who love God's law, we will be truly happy. But what exactly is involved in 'associating with God's people'? Well, several things. It involves associating on a social level with God's people. But that's not all. It also includes studying God's Word with them, attending their meetings. It means actually becoming a part of God's happy people. So if we associate with ones who love God's law, we will come to love God's law, too.

We can read of another way to love God's law in verse 2 of Psalm 1. It says,

But his delight is in the law of Jehovah, And in his law he reads in an undertone day and night.

Now, this is talking about reading God's Word. But it says to read it "day and night." Since we only have meetings a few times a week, this verse evidently is telling us that all of us need to have a personal time to read the Bible, not just at congregations when others are reading the Bible.

But is this verse just talking about reading the Bible? Well, consider this: At the time this verse was written, most people did not have a personal copy of God's law. The king had his own copy, because he was required by law to make his own copy. But the average person wouldn't have the Bible, as a printed publication, for another 25 centuries, when the printing press came alone.

So how could the average person 'read God's law' is they didn't have a personal copy of it? Was Jehovah asking something impossible from his followers? Well, hold your place here in Psalms, and turn over to Proverbs 3:1-3. It says,

My son, my law do not forget, and my commandments may your heart observe, because length of days and years of life and peace will be added to you. May loving-kindness and trueness themselves not leave you. Tie them about your throat. Write them upon the tablet of your heart.

So did you notice that God's law was to be 'written on their hearts'? And so, although most of them didn't even have God's Word in printed form, they knew what it said. And day and night, they could 'read' it by recalling its message to mind. They could meditate on God's law, no matter where they were.

Well, we have the complete Bible available to us today, in written form. And we all have a personal copy. So we should endeavor to actually read it every day, should we not? But, the fact is, we don't always have our personal copies of the Bible with us, do we? But this verse is telling us that even when we don't have the Bible physically with us, we're still carrying it with us, on our hearts. And we can still 'read' God's Word, that is, meditate on God's law, think about it, and that will be a protection for us. Even though we can't literally read the Bible all the time, it should be on our minds 'day and night', all the time. So when we're asked to make a decision, we can consult God's Word, even if we're all alone and don't even have a Bible in hand. And, really, that's a comforting thought, that no matter what type of persecution we face, no one can take God's Word, God's message, away from us.

Really, whenever we are faced with a question or problem, we should always turn to God's thinking on the matter first. Psalm 119:105 says that the Bible is a 'lamp for our feet and a light to our roadway.' Now, when you enter a dark room, what's the first thing you do? You turn on the light! Even if you've been in that room a thousand times before. But why? Because you don't want to stumble over something. Likewise, we should consult God's Word even when we're faced with a problem we've had before. Reading and meditating on the Bible will help us make the right decisions.

Jehovah promises eternal blessings for those who love his law, and make it their way of life. What blessings does he promise them? Please follow along with me in Psalm 1:3:

And he certainly become like a tree planted by streams of water, that gives its own fruit in its season and the foliage of which does not wither. And everything he does will succeed.

Unceasing productivity. Lasting happiness. Never-ending success. Eternal life. These blessings can and will be yours if you continue to delight in the law of Jehovah.