Rejoicing in the Law

KEY VERSE: “Thy testimonies have I taken as an heritage forever; for they are the rejoicing of my heart.” —Psalm 119:11

SELECTED SCRIPTURE: Psalm 119:105-112

THIS psalm gives wonderful expression of David’s admiration and love for the law of God. His meditations upon its testimonies, he stated, gave him more understanding than all his teachers. (vss. 97-99) “How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!” (vs. 103) Few indeed can find such beautiful and meaningful words to express the feelings of the heart toward God’s law. But how aptly the great talent of the psalmist touches our thoughts, for we also love God’s law, and make it an object of daily meditation.

We understand the word ‘law’ to mean a rule of conduct prescribed by a supreme authority. From whatever angle we consider any part or action of the universe, we come to the conclusion that its creation and its activities are the result of laws made by divine power. Without divine guidance, without divine laws, the universe and life could not have been developed nor continue to exist.

Man can plan profitably because of the dependability and constancy of these laws; he can rely on the uniformity of the material with which he works. He cannot change these natural laws according to his fancy. He can accomplish things only by complying with and taking advantage of these laws. He can build bridges or skyscrapers because he knows that a steel girder of a certain size and quality will support a certain weight, and any other girder of the same material, size, and quality will support a like weight. Man cannot violate these laws without harmful consequences.

It is quite evident, therefore, that if man wishes to make the best of life, he must learn these laws of the Creator and use them as his guides. Do we not see here a wonderful illustration? Here are the laws of a great Creator, of our God, and all things are the result of his wisdom and his power. His laws and rules extend even to man and his behavior; and only the acceptance of these laws will bring the blessings man so much desires, eternal life and happiness.

Matter performs only in conformity with certain fundamental laws and rules made by the Creator. All forms of life on earth (lower than man) similarly have implanted within themselves a certain amount of instinct causing them to perform all the functions necessary to preserve life according to the will of God, and to carry out the purpose of God.

Man is the supreme creation in the material world of the universe. He was made in the image of God. He is as superior to the solar system as he is to the atom, because he possesses life and conscious purpose, the ability to think. He alone is a free moral being, having the privilege of doing good or evil, the privilege to keep the law of his Creator or to disregard it. The fearful conditions existing on this earth are convincing proof that mankind has chosen not to live in harmony with the law, the principles of God, his Creator. As a result man is reaping the consequences of his disobedience—death. “The wages of sin is death.” “Dying thou shalt die.”—Rom. 6:23; Gen. 2:17, Margin

We might ask the question: What is this law of God which man has failed to observe? Plainly and simply stated, it is love for God—love for his Creator. Our Lord himself summed up God’s law, saying, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.”—Matt. 22:37

We read in Psalm 89:14, “Justice and judgment are the habitation of thy throne.” In these qualities are reflected and mirrored all of God’s attributes: his love, his wisdom, his justice, his power. It is of utmost importance, as well as of great interest, that we as members of the divine family have a good understanding, a thankful appreciation, and an admiration for his law as it relates to all his works. For, as we increase in our discernment of the ways of our God, our love for him increases and with it our desire to walk more fully in the path of his light. Let us dwell, therefore, upon God’s law as it exhibits him; his law as it relates to man; his law as it rules the universe. All these things God has testified to in his Word. They have become our law, the heritage of the New Creation, and they are a rejoicing of our hearts.

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