“Their heart is as fat as grease, But I delight in Your law. It is good for me that I have been afflicted, That I may learn Your statutes. The law of Your mouth is better to me Than thousands of coins of gold and silver…Oh, how I love your Law! It is my meditation all the day.” Psalm 119:70-72, 97
Having seen that the blessed life comes from pursuing the Lord and His word with our whole heart, and that such pursuit is the singular means of guarding our hearts from falling into sin, this discussion focuses on another critical element of this pursuit to make it the lifetime endeavor it must be. Sadly, our culture despises restraint, law, obedience, and other such notions. Despite the best efforts of worldly philosophers and so-called “theologians” to water down the biblical text, obedience to God’s will was, is, and forever will be necessary to maintain a right relationship with Him (Deuteronomy 4:1-2; Matthew 7:21-27; Luke 6:46; John 14:15, 23-24; 15:14; Hebrews 5:9; 1 John 5:1-3; etc.). This truth makes the anti-law spirit a serious hurdle we must overcome because it paints the Bible and its mandates as oppressive. The psalmist shows the cure for this heart disease, finding delight in the statutes, laws, rules, commandments, etc. of God.
We who embrace these tenets may assume we are surrounded almost exclusively by people of like mind in the church. The Lord’s church once did enjoy near universal agreement on this principle, but sadly we’re not in Kansas anymore Toto. I know of numerous preachers who have been instructed by their elders not to discuss certain critical biblical matters: e.g. drinking, marriage-divorce-remarriage, modest dress, etc. Some of these were fired for preaching the truth on those matters anyway, and others left without a fight. Both outcomes are simply tragic for all involved.
Thankfully, our elders support our preachers/teachers for their preaching/teaching the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, but there are brethren in our midst who balk at certain parts of God’s will being taught. I know because I was told in no uncertain terms, particularly as it pertained to the issue of modest dress. The exact quotes were, “I don’t ever want to hear another word about modesty,” and “If you preach on modesty, there are some families who may leave the congregation.” I pray that such hardness of heart may be replaced by the kind of love for the Lord’s will set forth in the psalm, especially in view of the principles set forth in the citations above.
In Luke 6:46, Jesus was clear that calling Him Lord while refusing to do His will is a contradiction of terms. He is neither the Lord (in the beneficial sense set forth in Luke 6 though He is Lord of all) nor the Savior of the disobedient (cf. Hebrews 5:9). Neither can we claim to love Him while refusing His edicts (John 14:15, 23-24; 15:14; 1 John 5:10-3). This is the very heart disease Paul warned Titus about in the defiled and unbelieving who, “…profess to know God, but they deny him by their works…” (Titus 1:16-ESV). We must not lose sight of his conclusion in this verse as he continued saying, “They are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work.” If this attitude describes you or me, we had better put it away and fast! If it describes others of which we are aware, we had better get about the effort to snatch them from the fire in hopes of saving their soul from death (Jude 23; James 5:19-20)!
David’s parallel thoughts in Psalm 19:7-11 are a fitting complement to the above: “The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul; The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple; The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes; The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, Yea, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. Moreover, by them Your servant is warned, And in keeping them there is great reward.” If this attitude consumes us, our lives on earth will be full of the joy of the Lord, and our souls will be secure for all eternity!