It's the Law!

This past weekend I was talking with a group of friends about God's Law. The 10 commandments! The much dreaded 10 commandments, with its list of thou shall nots! How could such a loving God, as He claims Himself to be, put such restrictions on His children? We must obey or else... 

It's actually incredible how often God's Law is used to justify our judgmental attitude towards fellow human beings. Yes, because if the Law has such a bad reputation, is not because of God, but because of us who like to put our hand into everything!

Jesus once said that if we love Him, we'll keep His commands (John 14:15), and that all the Law can be summarized in loving God with all our hearts and our neighbor as ourselves. (Matthew 22:37,38.) It seems to me then that the Law is not a bunch of heartless rules, but a manifestation of God's love towards His children.

Here's what I think about God's law: it's awesome!!!! Only a God full of wisdom and love could come up with such incredible guidance for His kids.

Those of us who are parents, do we have rules in our home? If there are no rules, what happens? One word: chaos! So we have rules. And why do we have rules for our children? I believe we all agree that we have rules because we love our children and want what is best for them. "Thou shall not touch the stove while its hot" is a pretty good rule. Why? Because our children can get seriously hurt if they touch a hot stove. So that rule prevents not only our children from feeling pain, but may avoid a trip to the ER or even a stay at the hospital complimented with a chunky bill to pay.

What about "Thou shall not drink and drive or get in the car with someone who's drunk?" Do we agree that's a good rule for our kids? My rule is more like, don't even look at an alcoholic drink, don't smell it, don't come near it! But why do we think this is a good rule? Because of so many reasons. Driving while intoxicated can have serious consequences from a life wasted in jail, to a life wasted inside a coffin. Loss of friends, loss of health and mobility, and so many other things. 

If we think the rules we make for our children are good, why do we think that God's rules for His children are bad? It doesn't make much sense, does it? Let's explore just a few.

"You shall not commit adultery." (Exodus 20:14) Hmmm... I wonder if I'll save myself a lot of trouble by staying faithful to my spouse. I wonder if I'll avoid quite a bit of pain not only to myself, but to my children, spouse, family and whoever else may be involved. So many families are destroyed and hurt for generations to come because of an act of lust. God wanted to save us from a lot of trouble when He told us not to go after what is not ours to begin with. 

"You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor." (vs. 16) Most often than not a lie is uncovered. Some people can go years without revealing the truth, but sooner or later the truth will come to light. Just watch the news and you'll learn about people guilty of embezzlement who had been stealing for years, building what they thought was a solid and rich life, to end in misery in jail. And even the little lies we may tell and the little seemingly innocent not truths we may say about others can have uncomfortable consequences. How much stress can we avoid by just being truthful. Just this past week we have the example of the 2 DJs from Australia who called an hospital in England, pretending to be the Queen, and asking about Kate. We know the results. One nurse has committed suicide and the 2 DJs have lost their jobs. Isn't it great that God wants to save us from all of this and much more by requesting us to stay truthful in every circumstance? 

"Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy." (vs. 8) I love this one! God is telling us to take a weekly rest. He knows us. He created us. He knows we can't just go, go, go all the time. So He gives us a day of rest a week to recharge not only physically, but spiritually and emotionally too. Wow! Tell me this is not love! 

We could look at all the commandments in God's Law and learn that every single of one of them is written for our own good and happiness. God doesn't want to restrict us. He wants to set us free! In His Law there is freedom. Freedom from pain, suffering, heartache, and so many other bad things. Isn't it great?

My prayer is that we'll join king David in saying, "oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long." Psalm 119:97

"I have chosen the way of faithfulness; I have set my heart on your laws. I hold fast to your statutes, Lord; do not let me be put to shame. I run in the path of your commands, for you have set my heart free. "

Psalm 119:30-32

"But those who look intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continue in it - not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it - they will be blessed in what they do."

James 1:25