Duty

I believe in this life we have two basic duties; The first duty is between man and God; The second is man to fellow man. Do we have the duty to know and obey scripture?

Definitions of the word Duty

Webster's 1828 Dictionary

DUTY, noun

1. That which a person owes to another; that which a person is bound, by any natural, moral or legal obligation, to pay, do or perform. Obedience to princes, magistrates and the laws is the duty of every citizen and subject; obedience, respect and kindness to parents are duties of children; fidelity to friends is a duty; reverence, obedience and prayer to God are indispensable duties; the government and religious instruction of children are duties of parents which they cannot neglect without guilt.

2. Forbearance of that which is forbid by morality, law, justice or propriety. It is our duty to refrain from lewdness, intemperance, profaneness and injustice.

3. Obedience; submission.

4. Act of reverence or respect.

They both did duty to their lady.

5. The business of a soldier or marine on guard; as, the company is on duty It is applied also to other services or labor.

6. The business of war; military service; as, the regiment did duty in Flanders.

7. Tax, toll, impost, or customs; excise; any sum of money required by government to be paid on the importation, exportation, or consumption of goods. An impost on land or other real estate, and on the stock of farmers, is not called a duty but a direct tax.

International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia

Duty: du'-ti (dabhar; opheilo): The word duty occurs only three times in the Old Testament and twice in the New Testament. In the Old Testament it is the translation of dabhar, which, meaning originally "speech," or "word," came to denote any particular "matter" that had to be attended to. In the two places where it is rendered "duty" (2Ch 8:14; Ezr 3:4) the reference is to the performance of the Temple services-praise and sacrifice-and it is probably from these passages that the phrase "taking duty" in church services is derived. In other passages we have different words employed to denote the priests' dues: the King James Version Le 10:13,14, hok ("statutory portion"); De 18:3, mishpat ("judgment"). In Pr 3:27, we have a reference to duty in the moral sense, "Withhold not good from them to whom it is due," ba‘-al (i.e. as in the King James Version margin, "from the owners thereof"). In Ex 21:10 we have the "duty of marriage" (‘onah), that which was due to the wife.

In the New Testament "duty" is expressed by opheilo, "to owe," "to be due." In Lu 17:10, we have "Say,... we have done that which it was our duty to do," and in Ro 15:27 the King James Version, it is said of the Gentiles with reference to the Jewish Christians, "Their duty is also to minister unto them in carnal things," the American Standard Revised Version "they owe it." In Mt 18:34 we have "till he should pay all that was due" (opheilo, "owing"), and in 1Co 7:3 the King James Version, "Render unto the wife due opheile benevolence," the American Standard Revised Version "her due."

Duty to God

When I think of duties to God I think of Commandments, Obedience and Faithfulness. Let us explore fifteen (15) duties to god.

Matthew 22:36-38 KJV: Master, which [is] the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment.

1. Fear: When we hear the word fear we can conjure up many different thoughts and ideas of things that we are afraid of. For example in the Webster's 1828 Dictionary we see Fear is a painful emotion or passion excited by an expectation of evil, or the apprehension of impending danger. The force of this passion, beginning with the most moderate degree, may be thus expressed, fear dread, terror, fright. Fear is accompanied with a desire to avoid or ward off the expected evil. Fear is an uneasiness of mind, upon the thought of future evil likely to befall us. But what does the fear of God really mean, are we supposed to be frightened or scared of God?

The Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.

• Job 28:28 KJV And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that [is] wisdom; and to depart from evil [is] understanding.
• Psa 111:10 KJV The fear of the LORD [is] the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do [his commandments]: his praise endureth for ever.
• Pro 1:7 KJV The fear of the LORD [is] the beginning of knowledge: [but] fools despise wisdom and instruction.
• Pro 9:10 KJV The fear of the LORD [is] the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy [is] understanding.

1a. Not at Slavish Fear:

Duty to our fellow man

When I think of duty to me fellow man or brethren I think of my duty as a child to my parents, a Husband to my Wife, a father to my children,

COMMANDMENT, noun

1. A command; a mandate; an order or injunction given by authority; charge; precept.

Why do ye transgress the commandment of God. Matthew 15:3.

This is the first and great commandment Matthew 22:38.

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another. John 13:34.

2. By way of eminence, a precept of the decalogue, or moral law, written on tables of stone, at Mount Sinai; one of the ten commandments. Exodus 34:32.

3. Authority; coercive power.