By
Heather Smith
As
part of our daily devotional routine, my husband and I read a psalm, or a
portion thereof, before breakfast. Recently we made it to Psalm 119, and
in the week or two we spent on it, I was daily struck with its joyful praise
for the Law of God. I remember as a child being taught that Psalm
119 was “a love-song to the Law,” but this time through I was awed to realize
more deeply what this means.
I
have often encountered the reminder in regard to Psalm 119 that the term “Law”
can refer to the whole of Scriptures. That is, it can be a shorthand for
the whole of “the law and the prophets” rather than always taking on a
Waltherian “Law vs. Gospel” tinge. No doubt, the psalmist’s expansive
meditation on the Law does encompass a broad love of the whole counsel of God. Nevertheless, arguing that Psalm 119 does not
focus on the psalmist’s love of the moral law is disingenuous. Over and
over he expresses his love not simply for the “Law” or “word” of God, but for
His rules, statutes, commands, precepts, and decrees. This psalm is an astonishing serenade to
God’s righteous commandments.
Seeing
this in my recent encounter with Psalm 119 has made me wonder if Christians in
general, and Lutherans in particular, sometimes forget that “the Law of God is
good and wise” in the midst of reminding ourselves that it “dooms to death when
we transgress” (“The Law of God Is Good and Wise” by Matthias Loy, st. 1).
While it is true that sinner-saint Christians cannot escape the
condemnation of the Law against their sinful nature’s deeds, it is also true that
the more they read and understand the Law, the more their sanctified hearts
will rejoice in its goodness and wisdom.
Like the child who grows to appreciate his father’s household rules, the
Christian who learns to value the Law of God will find his love and esteem for
the heavenly Father continually deepening.
Reading
through Psalm 119 (yes, it’s the longest psalm, but it still will not take you
more than 15 minutes!), one cannot help but notice the abundance of
affectionate terms which the psalmist lavishes on God’s Law. He longs for
it (v. 20, 40), rejoices in it (v. 162), deems it wonderful (v. 129), and finds
in it joy (v. 111), peace (v. 165), safety (v. 117), favor (v. 58), sweetness
(v. 103), blessing (v. 56) and comfort (v. 50, 52, 76).