“Fear God and keep His commandments.” Solomon says this is more than good advice. It is the conclusion of the matter. The matter is the question he originally set out to answer (and the one that has continued to puzzle mankind throughout the ages): “What is the meaning of life?” The twofold answer may seem anti-climactic: fear and obedience.


These are not very attractive concepts to us. We’d like the meaning of life to involve success, a happy life, an easy-to-follow formula. But even as we look through our sin-tainted eyes, we must come to the reality that God’s commands are for our good. Our fear of Him is an admission of His awesome holiness up against our complete inadequacy.


God’s commands to us address all of life because God doesn’t want us to miss Him in any aspect of life. His love for us conquers fear. And the perfect, obedient life of Jesus lived for us and followed by His sacrifice in our place makes right all of our wrongs.
Because of this, obedience and fear bring joy and the answer to all life’s questions.