Freedom and Grace

Pslam 119 is one of my favorite Psalms. Everytime I need encouragement or comfort, I turn to this Psalm. This may seem odd to some because Psalm 119 is all about the law. Yet, it is true! Recently, I was reading it in my quiet time and was struck for the first time by these words:

Psalm 119:29-32

Keep me from deceitful ways;
be gracious to me through your law.
I have chosen the way of truth;
I have set my heart on your laws.
I hold fast to your statutes, O Lord;
do not let me be put to shame.
I run in the path of your commands
for you have set my heart free.


This passage, for many modern Christians, seems to present an oxymoron: "I run in the path of your COMMANDS for you have set my heart free." I think that many seem to think that if there are commands to obey, if there is a path to follow, if obedience is required, then we are NOT free. But, this is NOT what God's word teaches us. It is the opposite of what we think: Our hearts have been set free so that we CAN obey God's commands. The other thing that struck me was the verse: "Be gracious to me through your law". Do we ever think about grace coming through the law? Of course not, but it does! Grace and peace come through Jesus Christ, who is the fulfillment of the law. Christ said that He did not come to abolish the law, but to fulfill it! Indeed, the Old Testament is not obsolete as so many Christians have been, and continue to be, taught! I was taught this! But, no! The Old Testament and New Testament are one continuous, glorious story. We don't throw out the law, and Psalms like 119 which praise the law, because we have Christ, and His abundant grace now. No. Instead we uphold the law, knowing that in Christ each of its requirements is fully met for us BY His grace.

Thus, when we read the above passage, we are able to choose the way of truth, set our hearts on His law, hold fast to His statutes, and run in the path of His commands BECAUSE our hearts have been set free! We have been set free from the slavish chains of sin. By grace we can rejoice with this Psalmist!

Obeying the law is not punishment, nor is it an intolerable burden because of Christ. No, instead it keeps me from "deceitful ways" (v. 29) and keeps us on the "way of truth" so that we can run in the path of commands! Thus, we don't reject the law, but rejoice in it! In Romans 7:12, it says, "So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous, and good." Again, I Timothy 1:8 says, "We know that the law is good if one uses it properly."

May we love God's law, not fearing it, not rejecting it while embracing grace because grace is not only our MEANS to obey the law, but grace comes to us through obedience to the law through Christ! May we embrace the path of God's statutes, according to God's faithfulness to us in Christ and His unfailing promises.

This is why Pslam 119 is so comforting to me: Through Christ, by grace, I am able to run in the path of God's commands and they PROTECT me. Through Christ, I am on the path and He will not let me stray. Thus, I am safe, secure, and kept by God until the day of my salvation! Praise God!

I read in 2 Kings 17:18 today, "So the LORD was very angry with Israel and removed them from His presence." Compare this with Romans 1:24 which says, "Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts . . . " What happens when we turn from the Lord to our idols? In 2 Kings, God sent the Assyrians, who swept through the land and carried the Israelites off into exile. In Romans, it says that God gives those who continue to choose sin over to their sin. God removing people from His presence and turning people over to their sin because of sin, rebellion, and disobedience--basically letting them have the "FREEDOM" they want is NOT freedom! The Israelites had "freely" made their choice, and in Romans Paul is speaking of people who "freely" choose sin. The punishment? Just more of what they have chosen! This is not freedom! Instead, freedom is being able to run in the path, the protection, of God's commands! Before we had Christ, we did not have this freedom! See how the law is not a burden to us any longer, but a means of grace? That is why the Psalmist says, "Be gracious to me through your law,".

Grace through the law? Yes, in Christ, we receive grace through the law. Let us embrace God's commandments and the FREEDOM they bring! For the way of what the world calls "FREEDOM" will only lead to bondage to sin. We see that when we choose something other than God, God can give us over to that thing and instead of the freedom we THOUGHT we had, we have actually become a slave.

If you are a Christian today, rejoice in your freedom and your ability now through Christ to run in the path of his commands. And if you haven't read Psalm 119 in awhile, read it again and take comfort. May we, as mothers, be diligent to teach our children the freedom that comes from obedience.

In Christ, Laura