Teach me, O LORD, the lifestyle prescribed by your statutes,
Psalm 119:33-35 NET
so that I might observe it continually.
Give me understanding so that I might observe your law,
and keep it with all my heart.
Guide me in the path of your commands,
for I delight to walk in it.
Statutes, laws, and commands. We might recognize the necessity of them. And we might willingly obey them. But how often would we say that we delight in following them?
We often think of laws in a somewhat negative sense. If I break one, I will face some unpleasant consequences. But no one is going to reward me for obeying them.
But the psalmist is not referring here to the laws enacted by a country, but to the laws God has given. You might be tempted to think, “So what’s the difference? They are both rules that I am supposed to follow.” And that is true.
But there is a difference with God’s instructions. While there are indeed negative consequences for disobedience, there is a reward for obedience.
Under the Old Covenant, those laws were written on stone tablets and found in the Torah. Under the New Covenant, they are written on our hearts and in the words of Jesus and his apostles. But all of them are God’s instructions to us.
His commands are intended to make my life the best it can be. His commands will help me to walk with him; to live better in community with other people, especially other believers; and to develop as a follower of Jesus.
Take delight in the law of the Lord. It is more than a dry set of rules to follow. It is the way to the heart of God. Take joy in obeying. Because in obedience comes life in harmony with our creator and redeemer.
