I think I’m finally starting to get it.

How can the psalmist love the law so much? Just listen to this:
Ps. 119:97, “Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long.”

That’s just one verse. He goes on and on about how he delights in the law, how he thinks about it day and night!

The way I used to think about the law – the instruction manual on how to live – is totally inadequate. I can never get excited about reading instruction manuals. Can you?

So, God’s law must be more than just instruction manual on how to live or how to stay out of trouble.

I believe to the psalmist, God’s law was God’s communicating of his love and care for His people.

God’s law tells us the way the world should be as it was originally designed. If sin has not made such a mess of the world, we would all be abiding by His laws. But we decided that there might be something better than the world God has created. And so we have created an alternate world where we are gods and we get to decide on our own laws.

Some of the laws we created are:
– Our worth is determined by success, reputation, beauty, possession.
– You are only responsible for yourself.
– No one can tell you what is right for you.
– Believe in yourself.
– There is no greater love than loving yourself
(Notice how everything is about the self?)

And look at the result of creating our own alternate world with our own laws.
Emptiness.
Loneliness.
Numbness.
Depression.
Desperation.
Disease.
(God left us all ALONE as we wished!)

But the psalmist saw the goodness of the Lord in the laws. He saw God’s care and love to prevent all these things from happening. He saw the evil of this world and saw how God provided His laws to show us the way.

But we didn’t want it. We ignored Him and insisted on our own ways just like a rebellious teenager.

And what does God do? He sends His Son to die for us!!!

Are you kidding me? I got mad and disciplined youth out of my anger when I was a youth pastor. But for me to sacrifice my girls for those who are irritating me even though I’m doing something good for them? Unthinkable!!!!

When we see God’s love, we will love His laws. We will see His love and care.

I love my girls and that’s why I tell them how to live…

Meditate on Jesus, the embodiment of God’s laws, day and night.

PH