The One Who Makes Wonderful Law

Your laws are wonderful!

That’s why I guard them.

(Psalm 129:1)

The One Who Makes Wonderful Law

Good Day Family,

Sometimes, I read a passage of scripture with familiar language like this and realize again how far removed the sentiment can be from common thinking. I think of law as a means of regulating and prescripting practices and boundaries to maintain right relationships among, within, and beyond the community. Laws often are designed to protect against harm, such as requirements to wear seatbelts or masking during the height of the pandemic. Other laws keep disputes from rising up or settle them when they due, such as restrictions on private and public property use.

Some laws are not written with good intentions, such as Jim Crow laws that restricted voting with poll taxes and literacy tests. Even laws written to bring equality can be manipulated by those who see a way to benefit themselves or marginalize others. Human laws are flawed because our intentions, design, and implementation are subject to not just our best but also our worst.

That’s not how God’s Law works. The first five books of the Old Testament are called the Torah, or the Book of the Law. It is mostly written as a narrative—a story of a people in relationship with their God. It’s not a pretty story; it’s complex and at times concerning—much like our own lives. There is something wonderful in the unfolding of that hard story. The more you study the Bible as a series of stories, the clearer it becomes that no one was perfect, and no one was beyond redemption. They all struggled on their journey, and God abided with them through it all. And that’s simply wonderful!

With Wonder,

Be well,

Pastor Cheryl

Let us encourage one another. Let us love our neighbor. Let us be the church.