“His Commandments Are Not Burdensome”

4-6. (a) What is the literal meaning of the Greek word translated “burdensome”? (b) Why can we say that God’s commandments are not burdensome?

⁴ “Keep his commandments.” Basically, that is what God expects of us. Is that too much for him to ask? Not at all. The apostle John tells us something very reassuring about God’s commandments, or requirements. He wrote: “This is what the love of God means, that we observe his commandments; and yet his commandments are not burdensome.”—1 John 5:3.

⁵ The Greek word translated “burdensome” literally means “heavy.” It can refer to something that is hard to live up to or difficult to fulfill. At Matthew 23:4, it is used to describe the “heavy loads,” the man-made rules and traditions, that the scribes and Pharisees put upon people. Do you get the sense of what the aged apostle John is concluding? God’s commandments are not a heavy burden, nor are they too difficult for us to observe. (Compare Deuteronomy 30:11.) On the contrary, when we love God, meeting his requirements makes us happy. It gives us a precious opportunity to demonstrate our love for Jehovah.

12. How would you explain why it is not a burden to take in knowledge of God and his purposes?

¹² Is it a burden to take in such knowledge of God and his purposes? By no means! Can you remember how you felt when you first learned that God’s name is Jehovah, that his Kingdom will restore Paradise to this earth, that he gave his beloved Son as a ransom for our sins, as well as other precious truths? Was it not like removing a veil of ignorance and seeing things clearly for the first time? Taking in knowledge of God is not a burden. It is a delight!—Psalm 1:1-3; 119:97.

16. Explain why it is not a burden to measure up to God’s standards for right conduct and to accept his truth.

¹⁶ Is it a burden for us to measure up to God’s standards for right conduct and to accept his truth? Not when we consider the benefits—marriages in which husband and wife love and trust each other instead of marriages that are torn apart because of infidelity; homes where children feel loved and wanted by their parents instead of families in which children feel unloved, neglected, and unwanted; a clean conscience and good health instead of feelings of guilt and a body ravaged by AIDS or some other sexually transmitted disease. Surely, Jehovah’s requirements do not deprive us of anything we need in order to enjoy life!—Deuteronomy 10:12, 13.

19. Explain how we benefit from showing respect for life and blood.

¹⁹ Is it a burden for us to treat life and blood as sacred? By no means! Think about it. Is it a burden to be free of lung cancer caused by smoking tobacco? Is it a burden to escape mental and physical addiction to harmful drugs? Is it a burden to keep from contracting AIDS, hepatitis, or some other disease from a blood transfusion? Clearly, our avoiding hurtful habits and practices is in our best interest.—Isaiah 48:17.

20. How did one family benefit from having God’s view of life?

²⁰ Consider this experience. Some years ago, a Witness woman who was about three and a half months pregnant began to hemorrhage one evening and was rushed to the hospital. After a doctor examined her, she overheard him tell one of the nurses that they would have to terminate the pregnancy. Knowing how Jehovah views the life of the unborn, she firmly refused an abortion, telling the doctor: “If it’s alive, leave it there!” She continued to suffer some bleeding at times, but several months later she gave birth prematurely to a healthy boy who is now 17 years old. She explained: “Our son was told all of this, and he said that he was glad he wasn’t thrown into the garbage. He knows that our serving Jehovah is the only reason he is even alive.” Surely, having God’s view of life was no burden to this family!

23, 24. How can we illustrate that it is not a burden to serve Jehovah along with his organized people?

²³ Is it a burden to serve Jehovah along with his organized people? No, indeed! On the contrary, it is a precious privilege to have the love and support of a worldwide family of Christian brothers and sisters. (1 Peter 2:17) Imagine surviving a shipwreck and finding yourself in the water, struggling to stay afloat. When you feel that you cannot make it any longer, a hand reaches out to you from a lifeboat. Yes, there are other survivors! In the lifeboat, you and the others take turns rowing to shore, picking up other survivors along the way.