This coming week of VBS, June 5-9, we are teaching from the book of Exodus on “Moses, God’s Servant”. Part of the teaching will include the giving of the law. We will memorize the Ten Commandments using hand motions. So what is your attitude toward the law of God? I have found that the more I study the Scriptures, the more my attitude toward the law changes.
Here are some statements from the book of Psalms concerning God’s law (most are in Psalm 119) :
[Psa 1:2] But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His law he meditates day and night. (speaking of the blessed man)
[Psa 19:7a] The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul;
[Psa 40:8] I delight to do Your will, O my God, and Your law is within my heart.
[Psa 94:12] Blessed is the man whom You instruct, O LORD, and teach out of Your law,
[Psa 119:18] Open my eyes, that I may see wondrous things from Your law.
[Psa 119:72] The law of Your mouth is better to me than thousands of coins of gold and silver.
[Psa 119:77] Let Your tender mercies come to me, that I may live; for Your law is my delight.
[Psa 119:92] Unless Your law had been my delight, I would then have perished in my affliction.
[Psa 119:97] Oh, how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day.
[Psa 119:142] Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and Your law is truth.
[Psa 119:163] I hate and abhor lying, but I love Your law.
[Psa 119:174] I long for Your salvation, O LORD, and Your law is my delight.
Here might be a few of the reasons that we don’t always have the best attitude toward the law of God:
1. It does not all directly apply to us today as when it was written, such as the dietary laws (see Acts 10)
2. We want to go our own way, not God’s: [Isa 53:6a] All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way;
3. It brings a curse to all who disobey (that’s all of us!): [Gal 3:10] For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse; for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them.”
It is instructive to know that Jesus and Paul clarified the great value of the law. Jesus said, Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. [Matt 5:17] Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Paul states, Therefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good.[Rom 7:12]
So, yes, the law is good. It shows us God’s will for us and we should love it. But we don’t love it because we can keep it to get to heaven, but because it shows us our utter sinfulness and points us to the Savior, Jesus Christ. Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. [Gal 3:24] He is the one who became a curse for us (Gal 3:13-14) so that we might be made the righteousness of God IN HIM! (Rom 8:1-4)
For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. (II Cor 5:21)