Psalm 119:92

Psalm 119:92

The serious side of the law

There are a number of ways that we can treat the law of God. The most obvious, popular among the majority, is to ignore it. Many believe that it has no relevance to modern-day life, it is outdated and best consigned to our less educated ancestors who lived at a different time with different rules and priorities. The fact that God’s law has been the foundation of many cultures and societies for over 4,000 years is of no interest to such people.

Then, there are those in our world who view God’s law with an element of respect, but they become very selective about what parts should be obeyed. We might all agree that the rules about sacrifices and priests and the Tabernacle etc. were for a different place and different people in a different time, but the moral and behavioural laws, have these lost their relevance too? The doubters sit on their fences and pick and choose what they think should be obeyed, what laws apply to them and what applies to someone else. Each man or woman has his own standard, and his or her moral code is rarely attributed to the law of God.

The psalmist was none of the above, for him the law was his absolute delight. He revelled in it and he meditated on it endlessly and in so doing he discovered that it had preserved his life! If he had lived any other way, his afflictions would have overcome him and he would have perished. Can any of us reflect on our lives and admit that God’s law has saved us? Not in the sense that Christ has saved us but, if we’re honest, can we say that if we had continued down a particular pathway, it would have ended in disaster? It was only the protection of the Word of God that kept us and helped us to turn around. If so, then let’s acknowledge this and give thanks to God for His law and may it be our constant delight. 

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