'The OT Law Makes Me Sing'

The Law in the Bible’s Old Testament (OT) usually sprouts negative sentiment. This is not only true because we sometimes misunderstand the New Testament writers—we too readily assume they bash the OT Law or pigeon-hole the Law by thinking its only use was to show us our sin—but, for Americans, we who were derived by a spirit of gun-slingin’ freedom and large plots of open land, there is an even greater frown, for laws mean burdens, burdens which get in the way of progress.

So what do we make of Psalm 119? This, the largest chapter in the book of Psalms, celebrates the Law of God, the Law of the Old Testament. The Psalmist asks to be taught the law, he asks to be fed the law, to walk according to the law; he says he will never forget the law because they are a good guide to him; he will willingly and gladly declare the law; he's happy about the testimonies of God AS IN GREAT RICHES; he clings to the law; with his whole heart he will obey the law; he wrote this very long song about the law.

Few, I think, can be found today who have such great joy with regard to the OT testament law as the writer of Psalm 119. The Psalms are songs, poems composed by individuals who were well known and some who were never known. These were not forced writings but truthful, genuine, and full of feeling.

So what the heck is THIS writer so happy about? Doesn’t Paul put the kaputs on the Law when he wrote to the churches in Rome? There either must be something wrong with this guy writing Psalm 119 or something wrong with us and our understanding of the Law. I think the problem is a current one.

Sure, you can conceive of the Psalmist as some over-zealous religious koo-koo who maybe like some superstitious monk felt if he did not write songs about the Law was going to get the heavenly bolts of lightning sent down on his being… or we could understand the OT Law for what it is and what it brought to the people at the time.

We must remember that prior to God giving the Law to the people of Israel the individual could never approach God in worship—this was left for Moses and maybe Aaron--that’s if he wasn’t melting gold into the image of a calf. But now, with the giving of the Law, the poor farmer with 20 kids can bring a turtle dove or some grain to the Lord who brought his family out of the bondage of slavery in Egypt and gave them the good land he freely lives in and on and personally partake in WORSHIP TO HIS GOD! This is amazing! Joe shmoe, this nobody schmuck who schleps around Israel--much like you and I--, can worship the God who Created all things and bring offerings willingly and joyfully to Him!

Secondly, God is expanding His holiness with the Law. A person becomes unclean before God when he sins or is defiled in various ways but with the sacrifices the unclean can be made clean again and the formerly unclean can partake in the holiness of God. This is gracious and kind of God; the Law was not making God impossible to approach but rather making a way for reconciliation even for those who sinned! Sin no longer made an individual forever unable to worship God but through the Law made the individual able to be made clean and enter not only communion with God but with his community again.

The Law of God then is a great thing to the Psalmist. The Law of God was a display of God’s patience, kindness, forgiveness, and also a reminder of His eternal covenant which He never broke with His people! We now see how the Law of God made the Psalmist sing.