To Know the Heart of the Law
Psalm 119:25-32
Verses 26-27 I gave an account of my ways and You answered me; teach me Your decrees. Cause me to understand the way of Your precepts, that I may meditate on your wonderful deeds.
Having talked yesterday about looking to God to pull us out of the pits of despair we look at one of the things that can put us in the hole in the first place, unconfessed sin.
The psalmist continues his prayer reminding God that he has listed his sins but takes it further saying that the Lord answered. The Lord had forgiven him and he knew it. This forgiveness leads the psalmist ask for Him to teach him His laws. That is proof of the sincerity of his confession. Had he only felt sorry about his sin and said he was sorry due to guilt versus confessing in repentance he wouldn't have wanted to learn the law.
The same is true for us if we don't truly repent of our sins we will never come to appreciate the law. When we are only sorry about our sins we are more likely only sorry about getting caught in them and we resent the law for pointing to them as sins. But when we confess in repentance, we see God in His holiness and therefore desire to know the law so we can live as He would have us live.
The psalmist doesn't just want to know the law he wants to understand them. This is likely a step we haven't taken too seriously in life. We take the law at face value and give it surface thought. Of course we are not saying that the Pharisee way of looking at the law is what we should strive for, as they were missing the heart of the law. The psalmist understood the need to grasp the heart of the law.
The heart of the Gospel is tied closely to the heart of the law. It isn't the law, or the obedience thereof that saves, but the One who gives the law. The law is given out of His love of His creation. He designed us for a sinless life and though we are unable to live such, we can come to love the law.
The heart of the law is that He calls us to live the life that best reflects our love for Him, just as His law reflects His love for us. This is why we should be seeking the law deeply meditating on why He gave it to us. It comes from His heart of love.
Making It Personal
Do you find yourself telling God you are sorry or repenting? Which law do you need to learn more deeply so you can forsake that sin? Does your life reflect your love of God?
Making It Personal Kids
Why is saying sorry not good enough if you don't mean it? Have you ever said you were sorry to Jesus but didn't really mean it? Can you show Jesus you love Him so much that you will stop doing things that make Him sad?
Closing Prayer
Father, we don't easily repent and yet that is what You desire from us. Give us a heart that abhors the things that You hate. In Jesus' name, amen.