God’s Perfect Law

October 10, 2010

Background Scripture: Psalm 19
Lesson Passage: Psalm 19:7 – 14

What is it about God’s law that it so captivates us? For one thing, it is perfect. Until the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh, man had not witnessed physical perfection in something. Man observes beauty, harmony, and balance in many occurrences throughout nature. But, no matter how beautiful, harmonious, or balanced a thing may be, the critic can always discover imperfection in it upon closer inspection. God’s law is not so. God’s law is perfect and it shows contrast with man’s inner nature. No matter how closely one may inspect or examine God’s law, all you will find is perfection. God’s law is a reflection of his holiness. How it affects us is easily experienced yet difficult to comprehend. God’s law instigates conversion in us. In other words, when we come into the knowledge of God’s law, we are convicted by it because we see that we have fallen short and our desire to be made complete motivates us to turn from our ways and turn to God in repentance. Besides God’s law, there is nothing else that will create a stir in us to cause such a life-changing reaction. The law of God is indeed a spiritual mirror that man looks into. The more perfect the mirror is, the truer will be the reflection it provides. The mirror does not add or detract from an object. It only reflects an image of what is before it. God’s law is a perfect mirror. Even those who are considered simple are made wise through the word of God. God’s word can give joy, fear, warnings, and the promise of reward for obedience. (If all of this is manifest through knowing and receiving just the word of God, how could we possibly bear to be in the very presence of God’s glory? We can barely contain ourselves as we examine his law; surely the presence of his glory or shining greatness would be unbearable to the natural or carnal man.) Our human limitations cause us to be ignorant of some of our own faults. Some faults are buried deep within us. God’s law is a revealer of secret faults. Paul said that he would not have known about the sin of covetousness except that the law of God revealed it. It was always there it was just not made manifest without the law. This passage of scripture reminds me of my own observation of physical mirrors. I know immediately when I have come before a mirror of superior quality. Strands of hair on the top and sides of my head that are out of place become evident to me. (I find certain ones that will absolutely not be tamed or manipulated to my desire no matter how I brush.) Likewise, I see the small pock marks, blemishes, and discolorations within my face. None of these things are new. They are always there. But with the right mirror and lighting, what is unnoticed—indeed almost invisible to the unaided eye—from day to day, become obvious and brought to the front and center of the stage. The mirror does not change me. It does not add or detract. What appears to be new is just made manifest by a superior mirror. God’s law does not make me a sinner nor does it change my ethical or moral behavior. In its perfection, God’s law gives a true reflection of what has always been there and sometimes it has been unnoticed from day to day as I observe myself in the mirrors of public opinion and peer comparison. Public opinion and peer comparison average the good with the bad and leads us to contentment with mediocrity. God’s law, however, is not an average of good and bad; neither does it compare one individual with another. God’s law is perfect.

Robert C. Hudson
September 22, 2010